Marco Archetti

Marco Archetti is an Associate Professor of Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. He holds academic positions within the Department of Biology and the Eberly College of Science. His research focuses on evolutionary genetics, cancer dynamics, defective interfering viruses, and evolutionary game theory, with applications to infectious diseases and biomedical engineering.

Education:

• Laurea/MSc in Natural Sciences (University of Perugia, Italy)
• PhD in Genetics (University of Pavia, Italy) and Evolutionary Biology (University of Fribourg, Switzerland)

Research Interests: Marco investigates how evolutionary principles govern biological systems, particularly cancer progression and viral infections. He develops synthetic genetic circuits to combat drug-resistant tumors and explores defective viruses as therapeutic tools. His work integrates mathematical models and experimental biology to address complex problems in medicine and ecology.

Recent Work Trends: Marco’s recent articles highlight innovative approaches to cancer therapy (e.g., modular genetic circuits targeting drug-resistant cells) and virology (e.g., using synthetic defective viruses against SARS-CoV-2). He also contributes to understanding zoonotic disease reservoirs, such as monkeypox, emphasizing evolutionary and ecological perspectives in public health.

Awards & Grants: He secured a 2024 Lab Bench to Commercialization (LB2C) grant for translational research. No scientific awards explicitly listed.

Advising & Teams: Marco advises Huck Graduate Student Anthony Taylor. He collaborates through Penn State’s Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Center for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Mathematical Biology, and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences initiatives.