Matteo Iannacone
Matteo Iannacone
e-mail:
affiliation: San Raffaele Scientific Institute
research area(s): Immunity And Infection, Experimental Medicine
Course: Basic and Applied Immunology
University/Istitution: Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
EDUCATION:

2011 Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, Section of Basic and Applied Immunology, Universita" Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy

2007 Board Certification in Internal Medicine (summa cum laude), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy

2001 M.D. degree summa cum laude, University of Milan, Italy

POSITIONS AND TRAINING:

2010 " present Group Leader, Division of Immunology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

2007 " 2010 Senior Research Associate, Laboratory of Prof. Ulrich von Andrian, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

2002 " 2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Prof. F.V. Chisari,The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA. Mentor: Prof. L.G. Guidotti

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Journal Reviewer: Journal of Immunology, European Journal of Immunology, Gastroenterology, Human Gene Therapy, PLoS ONE

Grant reviewer: Italian Ministry of Health, Dutch Digestive Foundation, Chilean Government Research Funding Agency (FONDECYT).

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

American Association of Immunologists (AAI), Italian Society of Immunology (SIICA), European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society (EMDS).

HONORS AND AWARDS:

2011 Invited Lecture in a Major Symposium on Innate Immunity at the 2011 American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Annual Meeting
2010 Armenise-Harvard Career Development Award
2008 Recipient of a U.S. Permanent Residency Card as a Scientist of Extraordinary Ability
2008 Armenise-Harvard Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2008 Young Investigator Award, European Macrophage and Dendritic Cells Society

CONSULTANTSHIPS:

Selecta Biosciences, Cambridge, MA

INVITED LECTURES:

1. Antiviral immune responses in lymph nodes. 2011, Major Symposium on Innate Immunity, 98th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists, San Francisco, USA.
2. An innate antibody-independent antiviral role for B cells. 2011, Cross-Talk Workshop "Lessons from Host-Pathogens Interactions", IFOM-IEO, Milan, Italy.
3. The role of CD169+ lymph node sinus macrophages in antiviral immunity. 2011, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
4. In vivo imaging of antiviral immune responses. 2011, International Seminar Programme, ICGEB Trieste, Italy.
5. On being a young scientist. 2010, Sixth International Social Communication Conference, IULM University of Languages and Communication, Milan, ITALY.
6. Lymph node subcapsular sinus macrophages confer resistance to CNS invasion upon peripheral infection with a neurotropic virus. 2010, 11th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells in Fundamental and Clinical Immunology " DC2010: Forum on Vaccine Science, Lugano, Switzerland.
7. Antiviral immune responses in lymph nodes. 2010, University of Toledo, OH, USA.
8. Lymph node subcapsular sinus macrophages confer resistance to CNS invasion upon peripheral infection with a neurotropic virus. 2010, 4th International Symposium, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Japan.
9. In vivo imaging of antiviral immune responses in lymph nodes. 2010, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Milan, Italy.
10. In vivo imaging of host-virus interactions. 2009, Immunochile - 9th Latin American Congress of Immunology, Vina del Mar, Chile.
11. Subcapsular sinus macrophages prevent lethal vesicular stomatitis virus infection. 2009, Immune Disease Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
12. Immunopathogenesis of acute HBV infection in animal models. 2006, Symposium: "Hot topics in acute viral hepatitis", Istituto Superiore di Sanita", Rome, Italy.
13. The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of viral infections. 2006, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy.
Our research program seeks to dissect the complex dynamics of host-virus interactions with a particular focus on the development and function of adaptive immune responses. Since it is still beyond the reach of even the most sophisticated in vitro methodology to simulate the complex interplay of physical, cellular, biochemical, and other factors that influence cell behavior in microvessels and interstitial tissues, we make use of intravital microscopy. This technique is complemented by more traditional molecular, cellular and histological approaches, thus characterizing host-virus interactions at the molecular-, single cell- and whole animal-level.

Ongoing projects in the lab include:

1) To characterize how viruses are handled within draining lymph nodes upon peripheral inoculation and how antiviral immune responses are generated.

2) To dissect liver immunopathology by intravital microscopy.

3) To discover and characterize novel adjuvants for adaptive immune responses.
1. Sitia G.*§, Iannacone M.*§, Aiolfi R., Isogawa M., van Rooijen N., Scozzesi C., Bianchi M.E., von Andrian U.H., Chisari F.V. and Guidotti L.G.§ 2011. Kupffer cells hasten resolution of liver immunopathology in mouse models of viral hepatitis. Plos Pathogens, 7:e1002061 (IF: 8.978)
*equal contribution
§corresponding author

2. Iannacone M.*, Moseman E.A., Tonti E., Bosurgi L., Henrickson S.E., Whelan S., Guidotti L.G. and von Andrian U.H.* 2010. Subcapsular sinus macrophages prevent CNS invasion on peripheral infection with a neurotropic virus. Nature, 465:1079 (comment in Nat Rev Immunol 2010;10:538) (IF: 34.480)
*corresponding author

3. Iannacone M., Sitia G., Isogawa M., Whitmire J.K., Marchese P., Chisari F.V., Ruggeri Z.M. and Guidotti L.G. 2008. Platelets prevent IFN-ab-induced lethal hemorrhage promoting CTL-dependent clearance of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. PNAS, 105:631 (selected by Faculty of 1000 Biology) (IF: 9.432)

4. Junt T., Moseman E.A., Iannacone M., Massberg S., Lang P.A., Boes M., Fink K., Henrickson S., Shayakhmetov D.M., van Rooijen N., Mempel T., Whelan S. and von Andrian U.H. 2007. Subcapsular sinus macrophages in lymph nodes clear lymph-borne viruses and present them to antiviral B cells. Nature, 450:110 (comment in Cell 2007;131:641) (IF: 34.480)

5. Iannacone M., Sitia G., Isogawa M., Marchese P., Castro M.G., Lowenstein P.R., Chisari F.V., Ruggeri Z.M. and Guidotti L.G. 2005. Platelets mediate cytotoxic T lymphocytes-induced liver damage. Nat Med 11:1167 (IF: 27.136)
Project Title:
IN VIVO DYNAMICS OF ANTIBODY RESPONSES TO LYMPH-BORNE VIRUSES
Objective. Our objective is to elucidate how neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against live lymph-borne viruses are generated in vivo within lymph nodes (LNs). To this end we will make use of state-of-the-art imaging technology (i.e. multiphoton intravital microscopy [MP-IVM]), fluorescent replication-competent viruses and dedicated mouse models.

Background/Rationale. nAbs are critical for virus control, prevention of re-infection and protection conferred by available vaccines. Thanks to the recent advent of MP-IVM, several cellular and molecular events by which LNs orchestrate the generation of humoral immune responses have been clarified. As none of these studies employed live viruses, further work is required to extend these results to a more relevant natural setting. Also, the mechanisms by which acutely cytopathic viruses (e.g. polioviruses and rabies virus in humans and vesicular stomatitis virus [VSV] in mice) induce early high affinity nAb responses while non-cytopathic viruses (e.g. HBV or HCV in humans and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus [LCMV] in mice) fail to do so remain poorly understood. Our rationale is based on the notion that, by bringing together unique reagents and advanced technology, we can - at last - address these issues experimentally.

Description of the project. The spatial and temporal constraints whereby virus-specific naïve B cells encounter viral antigen, interact with different LN cells and differentiate into plasma cells will be dynamically dissected in the various LN sub-compartments of mice infected with live lymph-borne cytopathic (VSV) and non-cytopathic (LCMV) viruses.

Anticipated output. We will provide the first complete in vivo imaging survey of virus-specific B cell activation, from the first minutes of viral entry into the LN to the generation of high affinity nAb-secreting cells. We will also identify virus-induced mechanisms interfering with nAb responses. This new knowledge will provide much-needed insight into aspects of viral immunity that may lead to novel rational vaccine strategies aimed at inducing rapid and long-lived humoral immune responses.

Key references.

� Iannacone M., Moseman E.A., Tonti E., Bosurgi L., Henrickson S.E., Whelan S., Guidotti L.G. and von Andrian U.H. 2010. Subcapsular sinus macrophages prevent CNS invasion on peripheral infection with a neurotropic virus. Nature, 465:1079

� Junt T., Moseman E.A., Iannacone M., Massberg S., Lang P.A., Boes M., Fink K., Henrickson S., Shayakhmetov D.M., van Rooijen N., Mempel T., Whelan S. and von Andrian U.H. 2007. Subcapsular sinus macrophages in lymph nodes clear lymph-borne viruses and present them to antiviral B cells. Nature, 450:110