CAZZANIGA GIOVANNI
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
Caye-Eude, A., Fazio, G., Pastorczak, A., Boer, J., Steinemann, D., Ganguli, D., et al. (2025). PAX5::AUTS2 childhood B-ALL: a relapse-prone genetic subtype with frequent central nervous system involvement and a poor outcome: ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA. LEUKEMIA, 39(2), 482-486 [10.1038/s41375-024-02502-5]. Detail
Saettini, F., Guerra, F., Mauri, M., Salter, C., Adam, M., Adams, D., et al. (2025). Biallelic PI4KA Mutations Disrupt B-Cell Metabolism and Cause B-Cell Lymphopenia and Hypogammaglobulinemia. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, 45(1) [10.1007/s10875-024-01793-8]. Detail
Oikonomou, A., Watrin, T., Valsecchi, L., Scharov, K., Savino, A., Schliehe-Diecks, J., et al. (2024). Synergistic drug interactions of the histone deacetylase inhibitor givinostat (ITF2357) in CRLF2-rearranged pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia identified by high-throughput drug screening. HELIYON, 10(13) [10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34033]. Detail
Lopez-Millan, B., Rubio-Gayarre, A., Vinyoles, M., Trincado, J., Fraga, M., Fernandez-Fuentes, N., et al. (2024). NG2 is a target gene of MLL-AF4 and underlies glucocorticoid resistance in MLL-r B-ALL by regulating NR3C1 expression. BLOOD, 144(19), 2002-2017 [10.1182/blood.2023022050]. Detail
Conter, V., Valsecchi, M., Cario, G., Zimmermann, M., Attarbaschi, A., Stary, J., et al. (2024). Four Additional Doses of PEG-L-Asparaginase during the Consolidation Phase in the AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009 Protocol Do Not Improve Outcome and Increase Toxicity in High-Risk ALL: Results of a Randomized Study. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, 42(8), 915-926 [10.1200/JCO.23.01388]. Detail
Research projects
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