Group Leader:
Cellular Immunology
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Padriciano 99
34149 Trieste, Italy
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +39-040-3757389
Facilities:
Flow Cytometry (FACS)
Education
University of Trieste, MSc in Molecular Biology, 1995
International School for Advanced Studies, ICGEB, PhD in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, 2000
Career History
Since January 2010, Group Leader, Cellular Immunology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
2005-2009, Postdoc, ICGEB Trieste, Italy
2001-2004, Postdoc, Institut Curie, Paris, France
1996-2000, PhD student, ICGEB Trieste, Italy
1990-1995, Undergraduate student, Faculty of Science, University of Trieste
Scientific Activity
The lab focus is on cell biology of phagocytes and antigen presenting cells in healthy conditions and in pathological conditions like cancer and immune dysregulation. A major research line is dedicated to understanding how tumors cripple antigen presentation and myeloid functions in tissues. A second research line is dedicated to study cytoskeletal remodeling in phagocytes and its impact on innate signaling pathway using Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome as a disease model.
F. Benvenuti serves as a reviewer for several scientific journals and Grant Award Committees for the ANR (France) and ERC. She is regularly involved in PhD award committee at several national and international Institutions (IST, Vienna; Universite’ Paris IIV and Paris Descartes; Open University).
Selected Publications
Lopez Rodriguez LI, Amadio R, Piperno GM, Benvenuti F. Tissue-specific properties of type 1 dendritic cells in lung cancer: implications for immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer, 2025
Alraies Z, Rivera CA, Delgado MG, Sanséau D, Maurin M, Amadio R, Maria Piperno G, Dunsmore G, Yatim A, Lacerda Mariano L, Kniazeva A, Calmettes V, Sáez PJ, Williart A, Popard H, Gratia M, Lamiable O, Moreau A, Fusilier Z, Crestey L, Albaud B, Legoix P, Dejean AS, Le Dorze AL, Nakano H, Cook DN, Lawrence T, Manel N, Benvenuti F, Ginhoux F, Moreau HD, P F Nader G, Piel M, Lennon-Duménil AM. Cell shape sensing licenses dendritic cells for homeostatic migration to lymph nodes. Nat Immunol, 2024
Lopez, L., L.G. Morosi, F. La Terza, P. Bourdely, G. Rospo, R. Amadio, G.M. Piperno, V. Russo, C. Volponi, S. Vodret, S. Joshi, F. Giannese, D. Lazarevic, G. Germano, P. Stoitzner, A. Bardelli, M. Dalod, L. Pace, N. Caronni, P. Guermonprez, and F. Benvenuti. Dendritic cell-targeted therapy expands CD8 T cell responses to bona-fide neoantigens in lung tumors. Nat Commun, 2024
Joshi, S., L. Lopez, L.G. Morosi, R. Amadio, M. Pachauri, M. Bestagno, I.P. Ogar, M. Giacca, G.M. Piperno, D. Vorselen, and F. Benvenuti. 2024. Tim4 enables large peritoneal macrophages to cross-present tumor antigens at early stages of tumorigenesis. Cell Reports, 2024
Morosi, L.G., G.M. Piperno, L. Lopez, R. Amadio, S. Joshi, A. Rustighi, G. Del Sal, and F. Benvenuti. ALCAM-mediated cDC1 CD8 T cells interactions are suppressed in advanced lung tumors. Oncoimmunology, 2024
Simoncello F, Piperno GM, Caronni N, Amadio R, Cappelletto A, Canarutto G, Piazza S, Bicciato S, Benvenuti F. CXCL5-mediated accumulation of mature neutrophils in lung cancer tissues impairs the differentiation program of anticancer CD8 T cells and limits the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors. Oncoimmunology, 2022.
Caronni N, Piperno GM, Simoncello F, Romano O, Vodret S, Yanagihashi Y, Dress R, Dutertre CA, Bugatti M, Bourdeley P, Del Prete A, Schioppa T, Mazza EMC, Collavin L, Zacchigna S, Ostuni R, Guermonprez P, Vermi W, Ginhoux F, Bicciato S, Nagata S, Benvenuti F. “TIM4 expression by dendritic cells mediates uptake of tumor-associated antigens and anti-tumor responses”. Nat Commun. 2021