Activities
Dr. Massimiliano Mazza is a senior researcher and leader of the Adoptive cell therapy CAR T platform in IRST with a long-standing experience in the areas of genetics, molecular biology, in vivo disease modeling and translational research. Dr. Mazza interests and projects deal with various aspects in the fields of oncology and of infectious diseases.
In particular, the focus of the research activity is the understanding, the characterization and the exploitation of the human immune response to control and fight human neoplasms and infectious diseases such as COVID-19, an area that we could define as molecular immunology.
To do this in an exhaustive and detailed manner, we make use of both innovative technologies such as next generation sequencing (NGS) and genetic engineering approaches to modify the properties of cells for studying and for therapeutic purposes. In this regard we are developing new chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that can be transferred into patient cells to modify the patient's tropism and ability to respond against the disease. The pathologies we are dealing with are in particular melanoma, pleural mesothelioma, T-type lymphoblastic leukemia and non-small cell lung cancer. For these tumors we are identifying new antigens and antibodies capable of targeting them to create more effective and latest generation immunotherapies.
We are also interested in identifying predictive and early diagnostic markers in the field of pleural mesothelioma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors for which we have studies and therapeutic programs ongoing in IRST. This activity will allow us in the future to anticipate the diagnosis of these patients thus improving their treatment and the expectation and probability of survival that today is really dismal.
We are also actively studying the COVID-19 infection.
In this area, in particular, we are participating in important national and international projects that aim to:
- understand the impact of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 vaccines on the human immune system;
- to understand how to exploit this immune response in our favor against the virus;
- to identify drugs that contrast with the severe progression of COVID-19 in patients, an infection severely impacts on individuals already suffering from other pathologies, like oncological patients;
- the development of a molecular therapy that does not aim at contrasting the virus but at protecting human cells from the entry of Coronaviruses.
Publications
- Mazzotti, L., Gaimari, A., Bravaccini, S., Maltoni, R., Cerchione, C., Juan, M., Navarro, E.A.-G., Pasetto, A., Nascimento Silva, D., Ancarani, V., Sambri, V., Calabrò, L., Martinelli, G., Mazza, M. T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Sequencing and Its Applications: Focus on Infectious Diseases and Cancer (2022) International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23 (15), art. no. 8590, DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158590
- Egri, N., Olivé, V., Hernández-Rodríguez, J., Castro, P., De Guzman, C., Heredia, L., Segura, A.C., Fernandez, M., de Moner, N., Torradeflot, M., Ballús, J., Martinez, R., Vazquez, M., Costa, M.V., Dobaño, C., Mazza, M., Mazzotti, L., Pascal, M., Juan, M., González-Navarro, E.A., Calderón, H. CoVITEST: A Fast and Reliable Method to Monitor Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Specific T Cells From Whole Blood (2022) Frontiers in Immunology, 13, art. no. 848586, DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.848586
- Silva, D.N., Chrobok, M., Rovesti, G., Healy, K., Wagner, A.K., Maravelia, P., Gatto, F., Mazza, M., Mazzotti, L., Lohmann, V., Sällberg Chen, M., Sällberg, M., Buggert, M., Pasetto, A.Process Development for Adoptive Cell Therapy in Academia: A Pipeline for Clinical-Scale Manufacturing of Multiple TCR-T Cell Products (2022) Frontiers in Immunology, 13, art. no. 896242 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.896242
- Bravaccini, S., Nicolini, F., Zanoni, M., Gaimari, A., Cerchione, C., Maltoni, R., Pirini, F., Mazzotti, L., Cortesi, M., Ravaioli, S., Tumedei, M.M., Mazza, M. Why the complications of COVID-19 patients differ in elderly and young cancer patients (2022) Translational Oncology, 26, art. no. 101541, DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2022.101541
- Martino, M., Naso, V., Loteta, B., Canale, F.A., Pugliese, M., Alati, C., Musuraca, G., Nappi, D., Gaimari, A., Nicolini, F., Mazza, M., Bravaccini, S., Derudas, D., Martinelli, G., Cerchione, C.Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy: What We Expect Soon (2022) International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23 (21), art. no. 13332,DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113332
- Maltoni R, Ravaioli S, Bronte G, Mazza M, … Bravaccini S. Chronological age or biological age: What drives the choice of adjuvant treatment in elderly breast cancer patients? Transl Oncol. (2022);15(1):101300. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101300.
- Tettamanti S. et al. Mazza M, Bertilaccio MTS. Lenalidomide enhances CD23.CAR T cell therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Leuk&Lymphoma (2022) 63(7), 1566–1579. https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2022.2043299
- Martino M,…Mazza M, Cerchione C. CART-Cell Therapy: Recent Advances and New Evidence in Multiple Myeloma. Cancers (Basel). (2021) May 27;13(11):2639. doi: 10.3390/cancers13112639.
- Bravaccini S, … Mazza M.* Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Inhibitors: Unexpected Allies in the Fight Against COVID-19. Cell Transplant. (2021) Jan-Dec;30:963689721991477. doi: 10.1177/0963689721991477. (*corresponding and last author)
- Bravaccini S, … Mazza M.* Tamoxifen protects breast cancer patients from COVID-19: first evidence from real world data Res Sq. Preprint. (2021). doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-598923/v1 (*corresponding and last author)
- Nolan S, Vignali M,… Mazza M, Robins H.S. A large-scale database of T-cell receptor beta (TCRβ) sequences and binding associations from natural and synthetic exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Res Sq. Preprint. (2020) doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-51964/v1
- Snyder T. M., Mazza M, Robins H.S. Magnitude and Dynamics of the T-Cell Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection at Both Individual and Population Levels (2020) Preprint. (2020) doi: 10.1101/2020.07.31.20165647
- Nicolini F, Mazza M* Fully Human Antibodies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Targeting. Cancers, (2020), 12(4) http://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12040915 (*corresponding and last author)
- Bocchini,M., Nicolini F, Severi S., Bongiovanni A., Ibrahim T., Simonetti G., Grassi I., Mazza M*. Biomarkers for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (PanNENs) management – an updated review. Frontiers in Oncology, (2020) 10:831 doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00831 (*corresponding and last author)
- Ravaioli, S., Tebaldi, M., Fonzi, E., Mazza M, Martinelli, G., Bravaccini, S. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Potential Involvement in Genetic Susceptibility to SARS-COV-2 in Cancer Patients Cell transplantation, (2020), 29: 0963689720968749 doi: 10.1177/0963689720968749
- Nicolini F, Bravaccini S, Mazza M*, Gruszka A.M, …, Martinelli G, Cerchione C CAR T cells targeting options in the fight against multiple myeloma Panminerva medica, (2020), Sep 21, DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.20.04146-4 (*corresponding author)
- De Conti G., Gruszka AM … Mazza M* PG Pelicci. Generation of t(15;17) and t(8;21) murine leukemia models to assess the role of essential genes in AML, Cancers, (2020), 12(12):3768. (*corresponding author)
- Nicolini F, Mazza M* Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: State-of-the-Art on Current Therapies and Promises for the Future., Frontiers in Oncology, (2019), 9, 1519. http://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2019.01519 (*corresponding and last author)
- Carelli S, Giallongo T, Gombalova Z, Rey F, Gorio MCF, Mazza M, Di Giulio AM. Counteracting neuroinflammation in experimental Parkinson’s disease favors recovery of function: effects of Er-NPCs administration. Journal of neuroinflammation. (2018), Nov 30;15(1):333. doi: 10.1186/s12974-018-1375-2
- Carelli S*, Giallongo T*, Viaggi C, Latorre E, Gombalova Z, Mazza M, Vaglini F, Di Giulio AM, and Gorio A. Recovery from experimental parkinsonism by intrastriatal application of erythropoietin or EPO-Releasing neural precursors. Neuropharmacology. (2017), Mar 31. pii: S0028-3908(17)30127-2 doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.03.035
- Saia, M., Termanini, A., Rizzi, N., Mazza, M., et al. AML1/ETO accelerates cell migration and impairs cell-to-cell adhesion and homing of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Scientific Reports, (2016), 6, 34957
- Carelli, S., Giallongo, T., Viaggi, C., Gombalova, Z., Latorre, E., Mazza, M., et al. Grafted Neural Precursors Integrate Into Mouse Striatum, Differentiate and Promote Recovery of Function Through Release of Erythropoietin in MPTP-Treated Mice. ASN Neuro, (2016), 8(5) doi: 10.1177/1759091416676147.
- Mazza M, Pelicci PG Is PML a Tumor Suppressor? Front Oncol, (2013), Jul 9;3:174 doi: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00174
- Maier P, Rathfelder N, … Mazza M, … Michael Knop Cytokinesis in yeast meiosis depends on the regulated removal of Ssp1p from the prospore membrane EMBO J. (2007), Apr 4; 26(7): 1843–1852. doi: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7601621
- Mazza M*, Riedel C.G.*, et al. Differential requirement for phospholipase D/SPO14 and its novel interactor SMA1 for regulation of exocytotic vesicle fusion in yeast meiosis. J Biol Chem. (2005), Nov 11; 280(45): 37846-52 doi: 10.1074/jbc.M504244200 (*co-first)
- Knop M, … Mazza M, … Jäntti J Molecular Interactions Position Mso1p, a Novel PTB Domain Homologue, in the Interface of the Exocyst Complex and the Exocytic SNARE Machinery in Yeast Mol Biol Cell. (2005), Oct; 16(10): 4543–4556. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E05-03-0243
- Bocchini M, ….Mazza M.*, Paganelli G. Circulating hsa-miR-5096 predicts 18F-FDG PET/CT and modulates Somatostatin Receptor 2: a novel miR-based assay for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (2023). (*corresponding author; manuscript under consideration to Frontiers in Oncology)
- Massa P.*, Mazza M.* et al. (2023) In vivo phage display screening finds therapeutic antibodies to treat human T-ALL and melanoma (manuscript in preparation; *co-first)
Awards & Grant
2022 - FIDIA project “Accordi per l’Innovazione”
2022 - GreenVax project “Accordi per l’Innovazione”
2020 - Involvement in the AIFA project “Retreatment” together with Fondazione Tettamanti Monza, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Bergamo
2019 - ACT4COVID international multicentric project awarded by CellNex
2019 - National CAR T project from the Ministry of Health under the aegis of Alleanza Contro il Cancro
2019 - Multicentric mesothelioma project promoted by AFeVA
2017 - Post-doctoral fellowship awarded by FUV (Fondazione Umberto Veronesi)
2014-2015 - 18 months Research Enhancement Package grant awarded by CEN (Centro Europeo di Nanomedicina)
2013 - Funding for projects on children disease awarded by Vogue
2013-14 - Research fellowship awarded by FUV (Fondazione Umberto Veronesi)
2009-2011 - Long term fellowship awarded by FIRC (Fondazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro)
2002-2006 - EMBL 4 Years Pre-Doctoral Training Fellowship awarded by EMBL Heidelberg
2000 - Fellowship for diploma thesis performed abroad, awarded by the University of Bologna
Resources
- Havas Life Italy-Science Unplugged - Innovazioni nella scienza ed eccellenze italiane, 13/01/2023
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QPWx-v2-agL8
- VJ HEMONC 1/12/2022
https://youtu.be/IqJINF8UC4o
- VJHEMONC, THE PROMISE OF ALLOGENEIC THERAPIES, 1/12/2022
https://youtu.be/nVUbRTzYPzw
- VUMEDI, CAR-T AND ALLEANZA CONTRO IL CANCRO: THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKS, 2/5/2022
https://www.vumedi.com/channel/soho-italy-1st-clinical-and-biological-school-of-car-t/tab/videos-633/video/car-t-and-alleanza-contro-il-cancro-the-importance-of-networks/
- PharmaStar, PROGETTO DI RICERCA SULLE CAR T: UN NETWORK ITALIANO PER AUMENTARE LE CONOSCENZE IN QUESTO CAMPO,
SOHO Italy 1st Clinical & Biological School of CAR-T, evento organizzato da SOHO Italy. 10-03-2022
https://www.pharmastar.it/pharmastartv//oncoemato/progetto-di-ricerca-sulle-car-t-un-network-italiano-per-aumentare-le-conoscenze-in-questo-campo-8609
- SOHO ITALY, 30/3/2022
https://fb.watch/hLzGAw76XJ/
Inside SOHO Italy, 24/1/2022
https://fb.watch/hLzfvPfKW4/
