Alessandro Gardini

Alessandro Gardini is Associate Professor at The Wistar Institute in the Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program and Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. He leads a research laboratory focused on transcriptional regulation, epigenetics, and chromatin dynamics in cell differentiation and cancer. He is also the Scientific Director of the Genomics Shared Resources at Wistar.

Education:

• B.S./M.S. in Biotechnology, University of Bologna Medical School, Italy, 2001
• Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, University of Milan, Italy, 2008

Dr. Gardini's research centers on the epigenetic control of transcription, particularly through enhancers and large nuclear complexes like Integrator and SWI/SNF. His lab investigates how enhancers and enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) regulate hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and how dysregulation contributes to leukemia. He employs cutting-edge genomic technologies including ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and GRO-seq to dissect these mechanisms.

His recent publications reveal key insights into the Integrator complex's role in processing eRNAs and regulating RNA Polymerase II, as well as ARID1A’s function in transcriptional pausing. These findings have broad implications for understanding gene regulation in development and disease.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Dr. Gardini actively mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, several of whom have advanced to independent research positions. His lab has secured significant research funding, as evidenced by high-impact publications and leadership roles. He collaborates extensively across institutions and contributes to the broader scientific community through shared resources and training.

Labs and Teams: Gardini Lab at The Wistar Institute focuses on mechanisms of genome regulation in human health and disease. The team includes graduate students, postdocs, and research staff working on enhancer biology, Integrator complex structure-function, nuclear phosphatases, and 3D genome dynamics.