Gianfranco Bellipanni

Gianfranco Bellipanni is an Associate Professor of Instruction and Co-Director of the PSM program in Bioinnovation at Temple University's Department of Biology (College of Science and Technology). He holds a post as Principal Investigator at the Sbarro Institute. His research focuses on zebrafish embryonic development, cancer mechanisms, and nociception modeling using CRISPR/Cas9 and transgenics. He teaches General Biochemistry, Developmental Biology, and Systems Biology courses. He co-founded the Temple-Sicily Program, a summer abroad initiative combining biotechnology with cultural heritage conservation.

• Education: Undergraduate in Molecular Biology (University of Palermo, Italy), PhD in Cellular and Developmental Biology (University of Palermo), postdoctoral training at University of Pennsylvania and GSF-National Research Center for Environmental and Health (Munich, Germany).

Research interests integrate developmental genetics, cancer biology, and applied biotechnology. His lab investigates beta-catenin/Wnt signaling pathways and their role in oncogenesis and embryogenesis. The Temple-Sicily Program bridges biotechnology with art conservation, offering students hands-on experience in Sicily.