Francesca Massi

Dr. Francesca Massi is an Associate Professor at UMass Chan Medical School with multiple appointments across the institution. She holds positions in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, as well as in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences where she is affiliated with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, the Department of Biophysical Chemical and Computational Biology, the MD/PhD Program, and the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program. Additionally, she is associated with the Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology department within UMass Chan Programs, Centers and Institutes.

Her educational background includes a Laurea from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1995, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Boston University in 2002. She completed her postdoctoral training at Columbia University from 2002 to 2007.

Dr. Massi's research focuses on understanding the intricate relationship between protein structure, stability, and dynamics. Her laboratory employs a multi-disciplinary approach that combines biophysical, biochemical, and in vivo techniques, with particular emphasis on solution NMR spectroscopy and computational methods. Her work seeks to elucidate how protein structure and dynamics influence molecular recognition, allostery, and stability. Her specific research programs target three main areas: first, investigating how the TTP protein family regulates cytokine mRNA turnover, which has implications for inflammation and cancer; second, studying how C. elegans TZF proteins govern cell fate specification in early embryogenesis through post-transcriptional mRNA regulation; and third, characterizing the allosteric mechanism of Scapharca dimeric hemoglobin to understand how changes in protein flexibility mediate allosteric communication.

Analysis of Dr. Massi's publication history reveals a strong focus on protein dynamics, RNA-protein interactions, and neurodegenerative diseases. Her most recent work (2023-2025) shows an increasing emphasis on ALS-related research, particularly studying TDP-43 and PFN1 proteins using NMR spectroscopy and computational approaches. She also has made significant contributions to understanding RNA-binding proteins, especially those involved in embryonic development in C. elegans, and has recently published on SARS-CoV-2 genome structure.

Dr. Massi actively mentors students through rotation projects that address questions about protein structure, dynamics, and their biological implications. Her laboratory offers opportunities to investigate how structural disorder in RNA-binding proteins affects cellular activity, how mutations in RNA-binding domains lead to cancer, and the mechanisms by which proteins like HuR regulate mRNA stability.

Her laboratory represents a dynamic research environment that bridges biophysics, biochemistry, and computational biology to address fundamental questions about protein function and its implications for human health and disease.