Emanuela Grassilli

Emanuela Grassilli is an Associate Professor of General Pathology (MED/04) at Link Campus University in Rome. Her research focuses on oncology, particularly the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and drug resistance in cancer cells. She identified the novel BTK isoform p65BTK, which is overexpressed in solid tumors like colon, ovarian, and glioblastoma cancers. Her work aims to develop targeted therapies to overcome chemotherapy resistance.

Education: Graduated in Biological Sciences (University of Modena, 1989), postdoctoral research at Thomas Jefferson University (USA), and the European Institute of Oncology (Milan). Founded Bionsil srl (2010), a university spin-off targeting p65BTK.

Research Interests: Molecular pathways in apoptosis, BTK isoform biology, metronomic chemotherapy, and liquid biopsy diagnostics for breast cancer using extracellular vesicle markers. Collaborates with national and international teams, including Dr. Maria Grazia Cerrito on breast carcinoma drug responses.

Funding: Secured over €2M for Bionsil and grants from Lung Cancer Research Foundation, Rivkin Center, and earlier.org. Published 63 peer-reviewed articles (H-index 29, 3,118 citations).

Teaching: General Pathology (since 2017), Molecular Therapy (2004–2013), and Cellular and Molecular Oncology (2009–2010).