معرفی
Alessandra Rufini is a Contract Professor of Immunology and Immunopathology in the Medicine and Surgery Degree program and of General Pathology in the Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics Degree program at Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences. She concurrently serves as a Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Rare Diseases Unit, at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Italy. Her research focuses on Friedreich ataxia, a rare neurodegenerative disorder, with emphasis on molecular targets and therapeutic strategies through drug discovery and repurposing. Key contributions include identifying the E3 ligase responsible for frataxin degradation and discovering etravirine as a potential treatment, leading to a completed Phase II clinical trial.
Education: She earned her PhD in Immunology from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' (2001), trained at Brown University, and conducted part of her PhD studies at EMBL (Heidelberg) under an EMBO fellowship. She later held an AIRC post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata'.
Research & Innovation: Dr. Rufini’s work bridges molecular biology and clinical application, targeting Friedreich ataxia via mechanisms like the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Her efforts have generated patents and publications, acting as both inventor and author. She co-founded Fratagene Therapeutics srl in 2015, a university spin-off dedicated to developing therapies for rare diseases, serving as its Scientific Director until 2022.
Professional Recognition: She has received prestigious fellowships from EMBO and the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), underscoring her contributions to immunology and rare disease research.
