INFECTIOUS DISEASES / Virology
Research Interests
Virology, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, HIV-1, AIDS, tick-borne encephalitis, dengue, zika, arbovirus, innate immunity, stress response, virus-host interaction, microscopy, fluorescence, antivirals, diagnostics, surveillance, point-of-care testing
Description of Research
The laboratory leads the programme of Pandemic Preparedness and Biosecurity and is a member of the Pathogen Readiness Platform in AREA Science Park. Current research aims to identify the key cellular and viral factors that control infection of HIV and vector-borne diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2. A wide array of molecular biology, biochemical and microscopy techniques is being implemented in the laboratory to investigate intracellular processes that control the virus life cycle for the identification of novel targets for antiviral drugs.
Diagnosis and surveillance focus particularly on the development of point-of-care low-cost devices and full-genome sequencing pipelines. The Laboratory has been involved in several research programmes and development in virology related to global health, such as EXPANDIA to expand sustainable diagnostics and surveillance tools in Africa, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and TBFVnet, a consortium of Countries in Central Europe to study TBFV, funded by the EEA and Norway Funds. The FLUFET Consortium has received support from the EIC PATHFINDER to develop a device for detecting zoonotic emerging viruses. The Italian National Institutes of Health (ISS) RIPrEI project has been awarded to the ICGEB, AREA Science Park, CNR Pavia, and IFOM Milan to study the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on genome integrity and their involvement in inflammation and neuropathogenesis.
GENESIS has been funded by the INF ACT of the PNRR to study Flaviviruses. The laboratory is also interested in enhancing awareness of Biosecurity and providing molecular tools to increase capacity building in Member States through the BIOGUARD project.
Recent Publications
Susnjar U, Bitew M, Ayele S, Urisc T, Petrovec M, Careltti T, Bussani E, De conti L, Mekonnen F, Baba MM, Lelo EA, Chimpolo MM, Van-Dunem JCV, Tarnagada Z, Ngazoa SK, Wade D, Maeka KK, Raycheva R, Mustafa M, Kaseya J, Ndembi N, Fokam J, Marcello A. Comparative multi-country evaluation of colorimetric RT-LAMP for SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal swabs or from crude saliva in Africa. Lancet Glob Health. 2025, 13, e1258-e1267. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00150-0
Martinez-Orellana P, Manazati M, Pozzi D, Xiao Y, Kalebic C, Mearelli M, Di Clemente A, Perrera V, Ferrarini D, Carletti T, Falcone C, Giugliano M, Marcello A. SARS-CoV-2 damage to rat cortical neuronal networks ex vivo is mediated by the pro-inflammatory activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. J Neurobiol 2025 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-025-01283-6
Dorman A; Bendoumou M, Valaitiene A; Wadas J; Ali H, Dutilleul A; Maiuri P; Nestola L; Bociaga-Jasik M; Mchantaf G; Necsoi C; De Wit S; Avettand-Fenoel V; Marcello A; Pyrc K; Pasternak AO; Van Lint C; Kula-Pacurar A. Nuclear retention of unspliced HIV-1 RNA as a novel reversible post-transcriptional block in latency. Nature Comms 2025 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57290-y
Mekonnen F, Kahn BA, Nibert E, Munshea A, Tsega D, Endalamaw D, Tadesse S, Yismaw G, Lankir D, Ali J, Ulinici M, Orsini E, Susnjar U, Carletti T, Licastro D, Bitew M, Giovanetti M, Marcello A. Introduction of Dengue Virus Serotype 3 in the Afar Region, Ethiopia. Emerging Microbes & Infect 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2024.2429653
Gioia U, Tavella S, Martínez-Orellana P, Cicio G, Colliva A, Ceccon M, Cabrini M, Henriques AC, Fumagalli V, Paldino A, Presot E, Rajasekharan S, Iacomino N, Pisati F, Matti V, Sepe S, Conte, M Barozzi S, Lavagnino Z, Carletti T, Volpe MC, Cavalcante P, Iannacone M, Rampazzo C, Bussani R, Tripodo C, Zacchigna S, Marcello A and d’Adda di Fagagna F. SARS-CoV-2 infection induces DNA damage, through CHK1 degradation and impaired 53BP1 recruitment, and cellular senescence. Nature Cell Biol 2023. doi.org/10.1038/s41556-023-01096-x.
Carletti T, Zakaria MK, Faoro V, Reale L, Kazungu Y, Licastro D, Marcello A. Viral priming of cell intrinsic innate antiviral signaling by the unfolded protein response. 2019. Nature Comms 10, 3889. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11663-2
Group Leader
Alessandro Marcello
ICGEB Trieste, Italy
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +39-040-3757385/84
Group Leader CV
Group Members
Tea Carletti, Research Associate
Pamela Analia Martinez Ornellana, Research Technician
Urša Susnjar, Research Technician
Denis Rajnović, Visiting Scientist
Naida Babić Jordamović, Scientist
Gloria Grace Akurut, Postdoc
Chiara Kalebić, Postdoc
Emanuele Orsini, Postdoc
Mariana Ulinici, Postdoc
Keyru Tukki Hussen, PhD Student
Beatrice Pani, PhD Student
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