Studio delle basi molecolari della tolleranza immunologica al self con particolare attenzione nei confronti dei processi metabolici intracellulari in grado di controllare tale processo. I modelli di studio sono in vitro e in vivo (topi NOD, EAE); nell'uomo le patologie di primario interesse di studio sono la sclerosi multipla, il diabete di tipo 1 e l'obesità. In tali processi, la biologia delle cellule T regolatorie rappresenta uno dei punti cardine di investigazione del nostro laboratorio. Infine, l'attività di ricerca del nostro Gruppo si svolge in strettissima collaborazione col Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche di Napoli, presso lo IEOS-CNR, ove il sottoscritto coordina anche il Laboratorio di Immunologia.

http://www.matareselab.it/

ERC-StG “menTORingTregs” publications repository

Research and professional experience

Born Napoli, August 23^rd 1970, married with two daughters;

1983 - 1988 Liceo Classico (High school, Latin/Greek), Salesiani College, Napoli, Italy;

1988 - 1994 Medical research student, Laboratory of Immunology, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università di Napoli “Federico II” (Supervisor: Prof. Serafino Zappacosta);

1993 Research Trainee in Immunology at the Department of Medicine, University of California at San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, California, USA (Supervisors: Prof. Dennis Carson, Dr. Salvo Albani, Dr. Antonio La Cava);

23/09/1994 MD Degree "summa cum laude", Università di Napoli “Federico II”, School of Medicine and Surgery, Napoli, Italy;

1994 - 1999 Medical intern and medical resident program, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Clinical Pathology Section (Supervisors: Prof. Serafino Zappacosta and Prof. Vincenzo Macchia);

1999 Speciality in Clinical Pathology, "summa cum laude";

1995 Visiting Scientist, HLA Tissue Typing Laboratory at the Royal Post-Graduate Medical School, London, UK (Supervisor: Dr. Nick Davey);

1997-1998 Research Associate at the Department of Immunology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK (Supervisor: Prof. Robert I. Lechler);

2000 - 2001 Research Associate, with a Fellowship from the European Union Social Fund, at the Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy;

2001 - 2003 PhD program in Scienze Endocrinologiche e Metaboliche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy;

05/03/2004 PhD award in Scienze Endocrinologiche e Metaboliche, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Napoli, Italy; thesis titled: “Role of leptin in autoimmunity”;

2001 - 2005 Researcher at Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy;

2005 - 2011 First Class Researcher and Head of the Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy;

2010 - 2011 - Appointed as Full Professor of Immunology & Pathology, Università di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Faculty of Medicine, Bari, Italy;

2011 Dec.- 2015 Oct. - Full Professor of Immunology & Pathology, Università di Salerno, Faculty of Medicine, Salerno, Italy; Head Clinical Immunopathology Service, Ruggi D’Aragona Hospital, Salerno; Research Associate and Head of Laboratory of Immunology, Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia sperimentale (IEOS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Napoli;

2015 Nov. - Currently - Appointed as Full Professor of Immunology & Pathology, Università di Napoli "Federico II", Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Napoli, Italy.

Funding and Grants

2002-2003 Regional Council Grant

2003-2004 Lupus Foundation Grant

2005-2008 JDRF-Telethon Grant

2005-2006 SeronoInternational Grant

2005-2007 Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Grant

2006-2007 Sanofi-Aventis Grant

2008-2011 ERC-Starting Grant “LeptinMS”

2008-2010 CNR-RSTL Grant

2010-2013 JDRF-Telethon Grant

2009-2010 MerckSerono Grant

2010-2013 MS-RUN/MerckSerono Grant

2011-2013 MERIT-CNR Grant

2013-2018 ERC-Consolidator Grant “menTORingTregs”

2013-2016 Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Grant

2013-2014 Italian-CNR Grant “Medicina Personalizzata”

Carbone F, De Rosa V, Carrieri PB, Montella S, Bruzzese D, Porcellini A, Procaccini C, La Cava A, Matarese G. Regulatory T cell proliferative potential is impaired in human autoimmune disease. Nat Med. 2014 Jan;20(1):69-74.

Matarese G, Procaccini C, Menale C, Kim JG, Kim JD, Diano S, Diano N, De Rosa V, Dietrich MO, Horvath TL. Hunger-promoting hypothalamic neurons modulate effector and regulatory T-cell responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 9;110(15):6193-8. 

Matarese G, La Rocca C, Moon HS, Huh JY, Brinkoetter MT, Chou S, Perna F, Greco D, Kilim HP, Gao C, Arampatzi K, Wang Z, Mantzoros CS. Selective capacity of metreleptin administration to reconstitute CD4+ T-cell number in females with acquired hypoleptinemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Feb 26;110(9):E818-27.

Procaccini C, De Rosa V, Galgani M, Abanni L, Calì G, Porcellini A, Carbone F, Fontana S, Horvath TL, La Cava A, Matarese G. An oscillatory switch in mTOR kinase activity sets regulatory T cell responsiveness. Immunity. 2010 Dec 14;33(6):929-41.

De Rosa V, Procaccini C, Cali G, Pirozzi G, Fontana S, Zappacosta S, La Cava A, Matarese G. A Key Role of Leptin in the Control of Regulatory T Cell Proliferation. Immunity. 2007 Feb 23;26(2):241-255.

Farooqi IS, Wagenstein T, Collins S, Kimber W, Matarese G, Keogh JM, Lank E, Bottomley B, Lopez-Fernandez J, Ferraz-Amaro J, Dattani M, Ercan O, Myhre AG, Retterstol L, Stanhope R, Edge J, MacKenzie S, Lessan N, Ghodsi M, De Rosa V, Perna F,  Fontana F, Barroso I, Undlien D, O’Rahilly S. Clinical and Molecular Genetic Spectrum of Congenital Leptin Receptor Deficiency. New Engl J Med. 2007 Jan 18;356(3):237-47.

De Rosa V, Procaccini C, La Cava A, Chieffi P, Nicoletti GF, Fontana F, Zappacosta S, Matarese G. Leptin neutralization interferes with pathogenic T cell autoreactivity in autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Clin Invest. 2006 1 Feb; 116: 447-455.

Matarese G, Carrieri PB, La Cava A, Perna F, Sanna V, De Rosa V, Aufiero D, Fontana S, Zappacosta S. Leptin increase in multiple sclerosis associates with reduced number of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005 Apr 5;102:5150-5155.

Sanna V, Di Giacomo A, La Cava A, Lechler R, Fontana S, Zappacosta S, and Matarese G. Leptin surge precedes the onset of autoimmune encephalomyelitis and correlates with the development of pathogenic T cell responses. J Clin Invest.  2003 Jan;111(2):241-50.

Lord GM, Matarese G, Howard JK, Baker RJ, Bloom SR, and Lechler RI. Leptin modulates the T-cell immune response and reverses starvation-induced immunosuppression. Nature. 1998 Aug 27;394(6696):897-901.

Prof. Antonio La Cava, UCLA, USA

Prof. Tamas Horvath, Yale University, USA

Prof. Christos Mantzoros, Harvard University, USA