Alberta Bergamo

Alberta Bergamo is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, where she leads the research group focused on Oncological Pharmacology and Tumor Microenvironment in Solid Tumor Metastases. Her research spans both basic and translational approaches to pharmacological treatment of solid tumor metastases, with particular focus on colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Professor Bergamo earned her degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Trieste and completed a second-level master's degree in Regulatory Disciplines and Drug Policy from Unitelma Sapienza University of Rome. She began her research career at the Callerio Foundation Onlus in Trieste and completed additional training at the OIH INSERM U463 laboratory in Nantes, France. From 1999 to 2019, she worked as a researcher at the Callerio Foundation Onlus before becoming an Associate Professor at the University of Trieste in January 2020.

Her primary research interests focus on the mechanisms of tumor metastasis and their pharmacological control. Using both basic and translational approaches, her work investigates alternative in vitro models that simulate the complex tumor microenvironment to study host-tumor interactions, identify novel therapeutic targets, and characterize pharmacological action at cellular and molecular levels. A significant portion of her research explores the pharmacological properties of metal-based complexes with unique anti-metastatic activities, particularly contributing to the preclinical characterization of NAMI-A, the first ruthenium complex tested in humans. Her work also extends to pharmacological approaches for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, studying the influence of cardiovascular drugs and bioactive natural substances on preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection risk.

Analysis of Professor Bergamo's recent publications reveals a strong focus on tumor metastasis mechanisms, particularly in colorectal cancer, and the development of metal-based anticancer drugs. Her work spans pharmacological approaches to SARS-CoV-2, tumor microenvironment interactions, integrin signaling in metastasis, and RNA sequencing analysis of drug effects. The research demonstrates a consistent theme of investigating how tumor cells interact with their microenvironment and identifying pharmacological interventions that can disrupt metastatic processes.

Professor Bergamo is an active member of the scientific community, serving as a member of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (working groups in Oncological Pharmacology and Immunopharmacology), editor and scientific publisher of SIF Magazine, and a member of the Italian Society of Chemotherapy.

As a research leader, Professor Bergamo has managed significant projects including the ESTEEM project (Predicting the influence of cardiovascular drugs and bioactive natural substances on the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk using a simple experimental model). Her laboratory focuses on understanding the biology of colorectal cancer liver metastases, with particular attention to the influence of the microenvironment on integrin-ECM interactions, investigating the role of miRNA in tumor malignancy, and identifying miRNA involved in CRC progression to the liver.

Professor Bergamo leads the Oncological Pharmacology research group at the University of Trieste, which studies solid tumor metastases with a focus on the tumor microenvironment. Her team investigates how soluble factors released by hepatocytes, combined with specific extracellular matrix proteins, modulate integrin activity and influence cancer cell adhesion to the liver matrix. The group also explores how deregulation of miRNA contributes to neoplastic development and metastatic progression, controlling the expression levels of many cellular adhesion molecules including integrins.