EDUCATION and TRAINING: Post-doctoral fellow, Cell Biology and Surgery, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO, USA, 1975-1978; Laurea cum Laude in Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Naples, Italy, 1974.

POSITIONS: Professor of Virology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, 1997-present; Professor of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of L'Aquila, Italy, 1990-1997; Associate Professor of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, 1988-1990; Research Director CNR, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Rome, Italy, 1983-1988; Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, State University of New York, NY, USA, 1981-1983; Research Fellow, CNR Center of Virology, Rome, Italy, 1978-1981.

APPOINTMENTS and AWARDS: Elected EMBO Member; Lab Director, INeMM, CNR, Rome; Member, Coordination Committee, European Science Foundation, Network on Cell Stress Genes and their Protein Products, 1992-2000; Member, Editorial Board ‘Cell Stress and Chaperones’; Member, Editorial Board ‘Gene Therapy & Molecular Biology’; Marisa Bellisario Award for Medical Sciences; Minerva Award for Science; NY Medical College Award - Heme Oxygenase and Antioxidant Conference; Washington University Committee on Cancer Research Award; Visiting Professor, Cell Biology, Cornell University Medical School, New York, NY, 1988; Visiting Scientist, Depts. of Surgery and Microbiology, State University of New York, NY, 1986; Visiting Scientist, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO, 1978-1979.

CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS: Identification of the role of prostaglandins in the control of tumor cell proliferation and differentiation (Nature 263:777, 1976); Discovery of the antiviral activity of cyclopentenone prostaglandins and identification of the molecular mechanisms involved (Science 209: 1032, 1980; J. Clin. Invest. 97:1795, 1996; Trends in Microbiol. 5:276, 1997); Identification of the role of cyclopentenone prostaglandins as signal for heat shock protein induction (PNAS 86:8407, 1989; PNAS 89:6227, 1992; Nature Biotechnol. 16:833, 1998); Identification of cyclopentenone prostaglandins as inhibitors of NF-kB activation with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity (PNAS 94:746, 1997; Nature 403:103, 2000; EMBO J. 22:2552, 2003); Discovery of the anti-rotavirus activity of thiazolides (Lancet 368:124, 2006).

CURRENT RESEARCH INTEREST:
Signaling and regulation of NF-kB and its involvement in inflammation and cell survival - Heat shock factors and the control of the stress response - Control of cell proliferation and apoptosis - Novel molecular targets for antiviral chemotherapy.

Rossi A, Trotta E, Brandi R, Arisi I, Coccia M and Santoro MG. (2010) AIRAP, a new human heat shock gene regulated by Heat Shock Factor 1. J. Biol. Chem. 285: 13607-13615.

Pockley AG, Calderwood SK, Santoro MG. (2010) Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Heat Shock Proteins in Infectious Disease, Springer-Verlag New York, LLC. ISBN: 9789048129751.

Belardo G, Piva R, Santoro MG. (2010) Heat stress triggers apoptosis by impairing NF-κB survival signalling in malignant B cells Leukemia, 24:187-196.

Santoro MG, Amici C, Rossi A. (2010) Role of heat shock proteins in viral infection. In AG Pockley et al. (eds) Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Heat Shock Proteins in Infectious Disease, pp. 51-84, Springer-Verlag, New York. ISBN: 9789048129751.

Rossignol JF, La Frazia S, Chiappa L, Ciucci A and Santoro MG. (2009) Thiazolides, a new class of anti-influenza molecules targeting viral protein hemagglutinin at post-translational level. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 29798-29808.

Caselli E, Fiorentini S, Amici C, Di Luca D, Caruso A and Santoro MG. (2007) Human herpesvirus 8 acute infection of endothelial cells induces monocyte chemoattractant protein 1-dependent capillary-like structure formation: role of the IKK/NF-kB pathway. Blood, 109: 2718-2726.

Rossignol JF, Abu-Zekry M, Hussein A and Santoro MG. (2006) Effect of nitazoxanide for treatment of severe rotavirus diarrhoea: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 368: 124-129.

Ciucci A, Gianferretti P, Piva R, Guyot T, Roberts S and Santoro MG. (2006) Induction of apoptosis in estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer cells by natural and synthetic cyclopentenones: role of IκB kinase and nuclear factor-κB. Mol. Pharmacol. 70: 1-10.

Rossi A, Ciafre’ S, Balsamo M, Pierimarchi P and Santoro MG. (2006) Targeting the Heat Shock factor 1 by RNAi: a potent tool to enhance hyperthermochemotherapy efficacy in cervical cancer. Cancer Res. 66: 7678-7685.

Piva R, Belardo G and Santoro MG. (2006) NF-κB: a Stress-Regulated Switch for Cell Survival. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, 8: 478-486.

Amici C, Rossi A, Costanzo A, Ciafrè S, Marinari B, Balsamo M, Levrero M and Santoro MG. (2006) Herpes Simplex virus disrupts NF-κB regulation by blocking its recruitment on the IκBα promoter and directing the factor on viral genes. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 7110-7117.

La Frazia S, Amici C and Santoro MG. (2006) Antiviral activity of proteasome inhibitors in herpes simplex virus-1 infection: role of nuclear factor-kB. Antiviral Therapy, 11: 995-1004.

Amici C, Di Caro A, Ciucci A, Chiappa L, Castilletti C, Martella V, Decaro N, Buonavoglia C, Capobianchi M and Santoro MG. (2006) Indomethacin has a potent antiviral activity against SARS coronavirus. Antiviral Therapy, 11: 1021-1030.

Piva R, Gianferretti P, Ciucci A, Taulli R, Belardo G and Santoro MG. (2005) 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 induces apoptosis in human malignant B-cells: an effect associated with inhibition of NF-κB activity and downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. Blood 105: 1750-1758.

Bernasconi D, Amici C, Ianaro A, La Frazia S and Santoro MG. (2005) The IκB kinase is a key factor in triggering influenza A virus-induced inflammatory cytokine production in airway epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 24127-24134.

No projects are available to students for the current accademic year.