CAZZANIGA GIOVANNI

Role
Associate professor  
Academic disciplines
Medical Genetics (MEDS-01/A)
Scientific-Disciplinary Group:
MEDICAL GENETICS (06/MEDS-01)
Email
[email protected]

Biography

EDUCATION

2021 - Associate Professor, Medical Genetics, School of Medicine and Surgery, Univ. Milan Bicocca.

2018 - Assistant Professor (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato di tipo B, RTDB), Medical Genetics, School of Medicine and Surgery, Univ. Milan Bicocca.

2014 - Qualification (National Scientific Habilitation, ASN) for Associate Professorship to the following sections: 05/F1 Applied Biology BIO/13 and 06/A1 Medical Genetics MED/03, 06/A2 General and Clinical Pathology (deadline 07/01/2023).

2004 - Specialist in Medical Genetics. Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan, Italy. 70/70 cum laude.

1992 - Specialist in Pharmaceutical Research at the “M.Negri” Pharmacology Research Institute of Milan, Italy.

1990 - Biological Science degree at the University of Milan, Italy. 110/110 cum laude.

PROFESSIONAL POSITION

05/2023 - now: Acting Director (ff), Medical Genetics, Foundation IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy

03/2023 - now:  Deputy Director, Ph.D. Program in Translational and Molecular Medicine (Dimet), University of Milan Bicocca.

12/2021 - now:  Associate Professor, Medical Genetics, School of Medicine and Surgery, Univ. Milan Bicocca.

2006 - now:  Head, “Molecular genetics of leukemia” Unit, Centro Tettamanti, Fondazione Tettamanti, Monza, Italy. 

2018-2021:  Assistant Professor (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato di tipo B, RTDB), Medical Genetics, School of Medicine and Surgery, Univ. Milan Bicocca.

2009 - 04/2023:  Director, Laboratory of Hemato-Oncology Diagnostics “M. Tettamanti”, Fondazione MBBM, Monza.

1995/1997:  Research fellow at the “M.Tettamanti” Research Center, Pediatric Clinic, University of Milan-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy.

1990/1994:  Research fellow at the Laboratory of Enzymology - Molecular Biology Unit - "M.Negri" Pharmacology Research Institute, Milan, Italy.

Research

MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Genetic predisposition to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
  • Prenatal origin of ALL
  • Molecular characterization of childhood ALL
  • Functional analysis of genetic aberrations in leukemic patients (PAX5 lesions, Ph-like ALL, Down Syndrome ALL, MLL-rearrangements) and in vitro/in vivo drug targeting
  • Minimal residual disease monitoring in childhood ALL, by analysis of T-cell Receptor and Immunoglobulin genes’ rearrangements.

Publications

  • Franco, G., Bruno, L., Alviano, A., Vankann, L., Brümmendorf, T., Guerra, F., et al. (2026). Cytopenia, Hypocellular Bone Marrow, and Shortened Telomere Length Beyond Biallelic Telomere Biology Gene Mutations. PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, 73(4 (April 2026)) [10.1002/1545-5017.70150]. Detail

  • Stoltze, U., Junk, S., Byrjalsen, A., Cave, H., Cazzaniga, G., Elitzur, S., et al. (2025). Overt and covert genetic causes of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA. LEUKEMIA, 39(5), 1031-1045 [10.1038/s41375-025-02535-4]. Detail

  • Lussana, F., Magnani, C., Galimberti, S., Gritti, G., Gaipa, G., Belotti, D., et al. (2025). Donor-derived CARCIK-CD19 cells engineered with Sleeping Beauty transposon in acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapsed after allogeneic transplantation. BLOOD CANCER JOURNAL, 15(1) [10.1038/s41408-025-01260-6]. Detail

  • Franco, G., Bertola, F., Aloisi, F., Promi, S., Zanini, U., Faverio, P., et al. (2025). A novel RTEL1 nonsense variant in a case of familial pulmonary fibrosis: clinical description and genetic implications. BMC PULMONARY MEDICINE, 25(1) [10.1186/s12890-025-03976-4]. Detail

  • Ghizzi, M., Sirtori, A., Ripamonti, G., Sala, C., Gautiero, E., Sala, E., et al. (2025). Exploring glioblastoma heterogeneity: the impact of ecDNA on tumor evolution and progression. Intervento presentato a: XXVIII Congresso nazionale SIGU, Rimini, Italia. Detail

Full list

Research projects

PNRR per la Missione 4, componente 2 Investimento 1.1- Avviso 104/2022 | Precision drug targeting of high risk relapsing childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Year: 2022
Call: Bando PRIN 2022
Grantors: MINISTERO DELL'UNIVERSITA' E DELLA RICERCA (MUR)

Awards

Scientific fellowships

  • Componente del Comitato Scientifico - Comitato REgionale per i Servizi di MEdicina di Laboratorio (CRESMEL) - Regione Lombardia, 2023
  • Componente dell'Advisory Board - project “Responsible Initiative on Neonatal Genome Sequencing” (RINGS), 2022
  • Componente del Comitato Scientifico - Comitato Tecnico Scientifico di Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), 2016
  • Componente del Consiglio/Comitato Direttivo - Euroclonality-NGS (WG of ESHLO, an official Specialized Working Group of the European Hematology Association), 2015
  • Socio fondatore - European Group for Minimal Residual Disease (EuroMRD), 2001

Editorial boards

  • Associate Editor di rivista o collana editoriale - FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS, 2022

Congresses/Conferences

  • Program committee - ESLHO Symposium(Paesi Bassi), 2025
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2025
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2025
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Portogallo), 2024
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Spagna), 2023
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2023
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Polonia), 2022
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Paesi Bassi), 2021
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium, 2020
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Belgio), 2019
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Germania), 2018
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2018
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Paesi Bassi), 2017
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Repubblica Ceca), 2016
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Svizzera), 2015
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2015
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Spagna), 2014
  • Program committee - ESHLO Symposium(Paesi Bassi), 2013
  • Program committee - AIEOP...in Lab(Italia), 2009