Francesca Rappa

Francesca Rappa is a Full Professor in the Department of Human Anatomy and Histology within the School of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Palermo. Her academic position (BIOS-12/A classification) centers on biomedicine, neuroscience, and advanced diagnostics with a focus on molecular mechanisms of disease.

Her research spans multiple interconnected domains centered on stress response systems. Key interests include:

• Molecular chaperone networks (particularly Hsp60, Hsp90, Hsp27) in carcinogenesis
• Thyroid and colorectal cancer pathophysiology
• Glioblastoma multiforme molecular characterization
• Probiotic interventions for gut-liver-muscle axis disorders
• Nanovesicle-based therapeutics from citrus and tomatoes
• Diagnostic applications of heat shock proteins in inflammatory diseases

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on chaperone systems across cancer types (thyroid, salivary, colorectal, brain), with recent expansion into nutraceutical mechanisms involving citrus nanovesicles and golden tomatoes. Her 2023-2025 output shows increasing emphasis on multi-organ communication pathways (gut-brain, gut-liver-muscle) and industrial-scale therapeutic applications. Methodologically, she integrates immunohistochemistry, proteomics, and animal disease models.

Teaching responsibilities include core anatomy courses for Medicine and Radiology programs:

• Anatomy I (10 CFU) and II (6 CFU) for Medicine
• Human Anatomy with Histology elements (6 CFU) for Radiology
• Integrated Anatomy/Biochemistry/Physiology modules (12 CFU)

She actively supervises graduate research, with four theses directed between 2020-2024 covering celiac disease histopathology, stress protein interactions in colorectal cancer, glioblastoma biomarkers, and thyroid stress responses. Her laboratory work focuses on immunomorphological analysis of chaperone systems in tumor tissues and development of probiotic/nanovesicle interventions for metabolic and inflammatory conditions.