Department of Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics
DIRECTOR: Francesco Blasi

The Department of Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics hosts interdisciplinary research groups whose main goals are to identify and characterize complex biological processes in multicellular organisms, and the genes and mechanisms involved therein. Research groups and faculty members operating in the Department utilize a variety of experimental approaches and model organisms, ranging from the rodent to lower vertebrates and invertebrates amenable to genetic studies. These model systems are complemented by the most advanced technlogical tools available in the post-genomic era. Emphasis is placed on the dissection at the structural and functional level of integrated molecular networks involved in regulating cell adhesion, motility and invasiveness in normal and diseased tissues, inflammatory and degenerative processes, adaptive cellular responses to stress and the structural and functional basis of gene expression regulation. Due to the complexity and heterogeneity of the research carried out by the groups operating in the Department, state of the art Core Facilities have been developed and are fully operating in close connection with departmental research programs. Research and development carried out by the existing Core Facilities include advanced bio-imaging, conditional mutagenesis in the mouse and proteomics. Departmental research programs are complemented by higher education international programs for graduate students, focusing on cellular, molecular and developmental biology.