معرفی
Donatella Ponti is a Researcher (RU) in the Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies at the University of Rome "Sapienza," specializing in MEDS-02/A (MED04) General Pathology. She serves as President of the Course in Childhood Neuro and Psychomotricity and is responsible for courses in Molecular Oncology and Molecular Pathology at the Medical Faculty. Her academic career spans over two decades with a permanent research position since December 2010.
Dr. Ponti earned her PhD in Biochemistry from University La Sapienza di Roma (1998-2001) under Prof. D. Barra. Prior to this, she completed a School in Biotechnology (summa cum laude) at University of Rome La Sapienza and a Biological Sciences Degree (summa cum laude) from University "La Sapienza" Rome.
Her research focuses on molecular mechanisms of disease, particularly nuclear and nucleolar trafficking, protein expression, and DNA manipulation. She investigates the nucleolus as a central hub in cancer proliferation, with emphasis on receptors and transcriptional factors that modulate cell proliferation through nucleolar metabolism. Her work bridges molecular biology, cancer research, and cellular signaling pathways, with particular interest in ErbB3 receptor signaling and its nucleolar localization in glioblastoma. The thematic areas of her research include Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Pathology, nucleolar metabolism, immunometabolism, and ribosome biogenesis.
Her publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory from fundamental molecular biology toward translational cancer research. Early work focused on ribosomal RNA processing and antimicrobial peptides, while more recent publications center on nucleolar metabolism in cancer cells, macrophage cross-talk in tumor microenvironments, and therapeutic targeting of nucleolar dysfunction. A consistent theme across her 31 publications is the exploration of non-canonical pathways involved in cancer proliferation under nucleolar control.
Dr. Ponti has received recognition for her scientific contributions:
- DAAD Fellowship (2017) for research at Heidelberg University
- Award for thesis in Biotechnology from University of Rome Sapienza (1997)
- Member of National Register of Biologist (since 2009)
As an academic advisor, Dr. Ponti has supervised numerous graduate students including Federico Forzati, Aurora Mosetti, Selenia di Rosa, and Marzia Tagliaferro. Her research has been supported by multiple competitive grants including Sapienza University funding (2015-2024), MIUR funding, and a DAAD scholarship. She currently serves as Principal Investigator for projects including "Fibrillarin and the Nucleolus in Human Macrophage Polarization" and "Nucleolar ErbB3: A NEW TARGET IN GLIOBLASTOMA."
Dr. Ponti leads research in the Instrumental Laboratory at the Department of Medical-Surgical Science and Biotechnologies and has previously supervised the animal laboratory at the same department. Her laboratory investigates cellular models including cell lines and mouse models to study molecular mechanisms of disease, with particular focus on nucleolar metabolism in cancer contexts.
