Monini, Paolo, Ph.D.

Dr. Monini is an internationally known scientist with expertise in the following areas:

Biochemistry: protein-ligand, protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction.
Interaction of small tetrahedric molecules with the active site of NAD-dependent dehydrogenases and of regulatory papillomaviruses proteins E1 and E2 in activation of eukaryotic transcriptional promoters; the cooperative binding of E2 to cognate DNA-binding sites, and the interaction of the HIV Tat protein with cell surface receptors, including integrins and heparansulphates, and HIV envelope molecules.

Oncology:angiogenesis;integrins;matrix metalloproteases;Kaposisarcoma(KS);tumor invasion;pathogenetic tumor therapy.
Effects of HIV protease inhibitors on angiogenesis and tumor invasion and in integrin-dependent matrix metalloprotease activation and production, in in vitro and in vivo tumor models including KS, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and breast, lung, colon, and hepatic carcinoma. In this context, Dr Monini leads the core-laboratory and the data analysis and integration unit for phase II clinical trials for the therapy of non-HIV, classic KS with the HIV protease inhibitor indinavir, alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

Other areas of interest:

• Viral oncology and molecular virology: polyomaviruses, papillomaviruses, herpesviruses; human herpesvirus 8; AIDS-associated malignancies.- Role of herpes simplex virus and human papillomaviruses in anogenital cancer, of JC and BK virus in urogenital tumors and KS; and the role of human herpesvirus 8 and Epstain-Barr virus in KS and primary effusion lymphomas in HIV infected and uninfected individuals.
• Virus-host interactions: primary and chronic viral infection and immune response to viruses. - Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against HIV and human herpesvirus 8, virus immune evasion mechanisms, and main pathways of virus entry and primary infection
• Vaccine development - Design and development of second generation polyvalent HIV immunogens for preventive and therapeutic vaccination against HIV/AIDS.
• Intellectual Properties : Scientific consultant for the prosecution of the patent applications in the above areas.