Immunogenetics and immune-related diseases

Our main goal is to identify specific targets and pathways for informing the design of more specific treatments for autoimmune disorders.  Through association studies (GWAS) on immunological traits quantified in the general population, we seek to identify genetic variants to evaluate their role in the predisposition to autoimmune diseases, characterize the transcriptomic profile and identify complex miRNA-transcription factor co-regulation networks in autoimmune diseases. The association of HLA polymorphism to Sars-CoV-2 infection, autoimmune diseases and cancer is also being investigated. Studies in this area cover the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the immunological tolerance and the interactions between metabolism and the immune system, with aim to develop new therapeutic strategies exploiting modulation of the metabolic asset. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of exosomes and microvesicles are adopted to identify suitable biomarkers for monitoring pharmacogenomics/pharmacoepigenomics treatments in neurodegenerative diseases.