Ariela Benigni
Biol.Sci.D., Ph.D.
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Data
Name:
Residence:
Date and place of birth:
Citizenship:
E-mail:
Ariela Benigni
Scaletta Bellavista, 8 - 24129 Bergamo, Italy
December 16, 1955 - Bergamo, Italy
Italian
ariela.benigni@marionegri.it
Educational Background
2001
1979
Ph.D. Degree, University of Maastricht, AZM, The Netherlands
Biol. Sci. D. Degree, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Research Experience and chronology of appointments
2000
Head, Department of Molecular Medicine,
Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy.
Istituto
di
Ricerche
1994 - 1999
Head Laboratory of Vasoactive and Inflammatory Mediators of Tissue
damage, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy.
1991 -
Scientific Secretary, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri,
Bergamo, Italy.
1986 - 1990
Head, Unit of Prostaglandin and Leukotriene Metabolism, Laboratory of
Kidney Diseases, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri,
Bergamo, Italy.
1983
Scientist, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Laboratory of
Kidney Disease, Bergamo, Italy.
1982
Post Doctoral Fellow, Centre Regional de Transfusion Sanguigne de
Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
1980 - 1981
Post Doctoral Fellow, Associazione Bergamasca per lo Studio delle Malattie
Renali, Laboratory of the Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Ospedali
Riuniti di Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy.
1979
Post Doctoral Fellow, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri,
Laboratory of Cancer Chemotherapy, Milan, Italy.
Other Appointments
2013
Member of Visiting Committee for French Evaluation Agency for Research
and Higher Education (AERES) - evaluation of scientists of the Hôpital
Necker, Paris.
2007 - 2008
Senior Fellow in Obstetric Medicine of Nuffield Department of Obstetrics
& Gynaecology, University of Oxford, UK
-2-
2007 - 2012
Consultant World Health Organization (WHO) for the multicentre
observational study entitled: “Screening for Pre-eclampsia: evaluation of the
predictive ability of angiogenic factors for Pre-eclampsia”.
2007 -
Member of the Executive Board of the Department of Transplant
Immunology, Azienda Ospedaliera Papa Giovanni XXIII di Bergamo, Italy
2006 – 2007
Chairman, 10th International Conference on Endothelin (ET-10), September
16-19, Bergamo, Italy
2006
Chairman, Viral Gene Transfer Course, PF6 European Renal Genome
Project (EuReGene), Europe
2005 - 2009
Chairman of the Ethical Panel, PF6 European Renal Genome Project
(EuReGene), Europe
Membership in Scientific Societies, Committees, Charities
-
Member of International Society of Nephrology (ISN)
Board and Scientific Commission of Fondazione Aiuti per la Ricerca sulle Malattie Rare
(ARMR)
Scientific Commission of Fondazione Associazione Ricerca Trapianto (ART)
Member of the European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA)
Didactic experience in the field of supervising scientists
- Research training: 22 fellows
- Research training visiting scientists: 8 fellows
- Research training for Ph.D. students: 4
- Promotor of Ph.D. students: 2
- Examiner of Ph.D. thesis: 1
Major Current Research Interests
-
Role of proteinuria in progressive kidney disease
Role of podocyte proteins in the pathogenesis of proteinuria in acquired and genetic renal
diseases
Cellular and humoral mediators of glomerular and interstitial damage
In vitro and in vivo gene delivery to the kidney
Induction of kidney transplant tolerance by gene therapy
Gene therapy for rare diseases
Search for renoprotective therapies to halt and even reverse progressive renal injury
Renal regeneration by induction of resident renal progenitor cells
Role of sirtuin 3 in renal disease associated with aging
Selected Scientific Results
Contribution to the understanding of the pathogenesis of the bleeding tendency in patients with
-3-
chronic renal failure:
- Description of abnormalities of platelet and endothelial cell arachidonic acid metabolism.
- Demonstration that parathyroid hormone can affect platelet function.
- Evaluation of the effect of aspirin on the bleeding tendency.
Contribution to the understanding of the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and assessment of
prostaglandin metabolism in normal and complicated pregnancy.
Contribution to the understanding the role of thromboxane A2 as a possible cause of renal damage
in different experimental models of glomerulonephritis.
- Evaluation of the effects of dietary and pharmacological manipulation on the progression of
glomerular damage.
Contribution to clarify the role of protein trafficking as a major determinant of renal disease
progression including the identification of genes upregulated in vivo and in vitro as a consequence
of tubular protein overloading
Contribution to the understanding of the role of endothelin and TGF- as a possible mediator of
renal disease progression by biochemical molecular biology and pharmacological approaches.
Evaluation of the optimal vectors for gene transfer to the kidney.
Prevention of acute and chronic renal allograft rejection trough ex vivo transfection of the donor
organ with adeno, adenoassociated viral vectors encoding immunomodulatory proteins without
immunosuppressors.
Evaluation of new therapeutic approaches including multidrug therapy to halt or even induce
regression of chronic renal lesions
Identification of renal progenitor cells in the rat kidney and their implication in pathology
Role of angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor in the aging process and protection of aging phenotype
by AT1 receptor knockout via stimulation of Sirtuin3
Participation to Editorial Boards
2013-2014
-
2010-2011
2005
2003-2005
1988-1990
-
Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, PeerJ,
PlosOne, Academic Editor
International Journal of Artificial Organs, Associate Editor
Archives of Medical Science, Associate Editor
Kidney International, Associate Editor
Journal of Nephrology, Associate Editor
Ad hoc Reviewer
1990 - present
-
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
BMC Cancer
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
-4-
-
British Journal of Pharmacology
Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
Circulation
Experimental Biology and Medicine
Faseb Journal
Gene Therapy
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Journal of Nephrology
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Journal of Pathology
Kidney International
Laboratory Investigation
Molecular Therapy
Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation
Nephron
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Pediatric Nephrology
PPAR Research
The American Journal of Pathology
C-JASN
-5-