Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
I am studying the molecular mechanisms by which nutrients activate the mTOR kinase, a central regulator of the growth of cells and organisms.
I am a native of Italy, where I earned a BSc in biological sciences from the University of Pisa. I entered the PhD program at Yale to study how membranes are trafficked to and from the surface of the cell, and how these mechanisms contribute to the function of synapses and to neuronal transmission. To this end, I applied advanced live microscopy techniques such as total internal reflection (TIR). During my PhD work, I became interested in the role of cellular membranes in propagating signals that originate at the cell surface, and how these processes become aberrant in cancer. To pursue this direction I joined the laboratory of David Sabatini at the Whitehead Institute in 2008. Here, I am combining biochemical techniques with advanced microscopy to investigate how the lysosome, an organelle involved in the degradation and recycling of cellular components, participates in the activation of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1). In my free time I enjoy running, martial arts, sailing on the Charles River and playing bass in a rock band.