Gruppo Morandi
TUMOR BIOCHEMISTRY LAB
Coordinator
ANDREA MORANDI
Email: andrea.morandi@unifi.it
BSky: https://bsky.app/profile/andreamorandi.bsky.socialAndrea
Morandi holds the position of Associate Professor of
Biochemistry at the University of Florence. His academic journey
began with Biotechnology (BSc) and Medical Biotechnology (MSc)
studies at the University of Florence, where he graduated with
honors in 2004 and 2006 respectively. During this time, Andrea
focused his research on MAPK signaling in both liquid and solid cancers. Following his MSc,
Andrea embarked on a PhD journey investigating the intricate realm of Tyrosine Kinase
Receptors in breast cancer. His academic pursuits led him to the Institute of Cancer Research
in London in 2007, where he worked under the mentorship of Prof Clare Isacke. During his
tenure there, initially as a visiting PhD student and later as a Worldwide Cancer Research
supported postdoctoral fellow, Andrea explored the role of the tyrosine kinase receptor RET in
the context of response and resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer.
In recognition of his contributions to cancer research, Andrea was honored with a Fondazione
Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro Fellowship in 2013, prompting his return to Florence. In
2018, he furthered his academic career by joining the faculty at the University of Florence.
Member of the following Boards/Scientific Committees
- Member of the CTS (Comitato Tecnico Sanitario) of the Ministero della Salute (https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/ricercaSanitaria/dettaglioContenutiRicercaSanitaria.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=795&area=Ricerca sanitaria&menu=comitato)
- Member of the Technical Scientific Committee of the Fondazione AIRC per la ricerca sul cancro (https://www.direzionescientifica.airc.it/about-us/technical-scientific-committee/)
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Association of Cancer Research (SIC; https://www.cancerologia.it/)
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Associazione Italiana Colture Cellulari (AICC; https://www.aicc.website/)
- Member of the Committee of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer (ENBDC; https://enbdc.org/)
Current member of editorial board of the following Journals
Associate Editor - Cancer & Metabolism
Associate Editor - Frontiers Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Editorial Board - Taylor & Francis, Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Research Team
MARINA BACCI – STAFF SCIENTIST
Email: marina.bacci@unifi.it
I obtained my BSc and MSs in Biotechnology and Medical
Biotechnology from the University of Florence and a PhD in Life
Sciences and Biotechnologies at the University of Sassari. I
investigated the role of metabolic reprogramming in endocrine
therapy resistance and I continued this journey thanks to Pezcoller
Foundation and AIRC support. I am now Staff Scientist in
Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences.
NICLA LORITO – STAFF SCIENTIST
Email: nicla.lorito@unifi.it
I earned my BSc and MSc with honors in Biotechnology and
Medical Biotechnology from the University of Florence. Following
this, I joined Prof Culig's lab at the University of Innsbruck before
pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology on cancer
metabolism in breast cancer. Then, with support from AIRC, I
continued as a post-doctoral fellow in the Tumor Biochemistry
Team. As of 2024, I serve as a Staff Scientist.
ANGELA SUBBIANI – POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Email: angela.subbiani@unifi.it
I received my BSc and MSc with honors from the University of
Florence. I then started a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology at the Oncohematology Lab of the Pediatric Oncology
Hospital "Meyer". I am now a postdoctoral fellow supported by the
Fondazione Annastaccatolisa working on the role of metabolic
reprogramming in triple-negative breast cancer
ALFREDO SMIRIGLIA – POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Email: alfredo.smiriglia@unifi.it
I obtained my BSc and MSc in Medical and Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology from the University of Florence, both with honors.
I then started a PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of
Florence investigating the role of metabolic aberration and gender-
related differences in liver diseases. I am now a postdoctoral fellow
investigating the metabolic reprogramming induced by xenobiotics
in liver diseases and hepatocarcinoma.
FRANCESCA BONECHI – PHD STUDENT
Email: francesca.bonechi@unifi.it
I obtained my BSc and MSc in Medical Biotechnology from the
University of Florence, both with honors. I then moved to Cologne
(CECAD) in the laboratory of Dr Peltzer working on the interaction
between lung cancer cells and adipocytes.
I am now a PhD student in Biomedical Science at the University of
Florence investigating the role of estrogen in the preneoplastic
lesions of the endometrium.
ELISABETTA ROMANO – PHD STUDENT
Email: elisabetta.romano@unifi.it
I obtained my BSc and MSc in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Florence and I am now a PhD student in Biomedical Science at the University of Florence investigating the role of peroxisome in breast cancer, using multi-omic approaches.
GABRIELE TANI – RESEARCH FELLOW
Email: gabriele.tani@edu.unifi.it
I obtained my BSc and MSc in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Florence. I am currently a Research Fellow in the Tumor Biochemistry group. My research utilizes multi-omic approaches to support the personalized stratification of ER-positive breast cancer patients
EDOARDO PAGLIANTINI – COMPUTATIONAL FELLOW
Email: edoardo.pagliantini@edu.unifi.it
I obtained both my BSc and MSc in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Florence. Currently, I am a Research Fellow in the Tumor Biochemistry group, where I lead the computational analysis efforts. I am actively involved in a project focused on integrating multi-omic data to develop prognostic and predictive signatures for breast cancer patients. This research is conducted in collaboration with the Benelli Lab at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences.
Current research interest
Metabolic reprogramming and deregulation are hallmarks of cancer. These alterations are not exclusively secondary effects of increased energetic and anabolic demands of the proliferating or invasive tumor cells. Instead, these traits alone are able to support and drive tumor initiation and progression. Importantly, metabolic reprogramming has a fundamental role in response and adaptation to anti-cancer therapies.
Our laboratory seeks to understand the contribution of metabolic reprogramming and the molecular mechanisms that drive this deregulation, particularly in the context of anti-cancer therapy resistance.
Indeed, preventing or bypassing drug resistance is arguably the most important unmet medical need in cancer management. Therefore, the identification of biomarker-defined patient populations that will most likely respond to the drugs is essential. Our work has multiple implications: (i) it will provide mechanistic insights involved in therapy response and resistance; (ii) it will apply multi-omics analysis to pre-clinical models to identify bio-markers of therapy response and resistance; (iii) it will generate experimental cellular models to study therapy response and resistance in several solid cancers.
Research Projects:
1. Metabolic reprogramming in endocrine therapy response and resistance in breast cancer
2. Metabolic reprograming in triple negative breast cancer
3. Metabolic determinants of CDK4/6 inhibitors resistance in breast cancer
4. Characterization of NAFLD to HCC progression: a gender approach with a focus on estrogen
5. The role of estrogen signalling in the progression of preneoplastic lesion of the endometrium
Current sources of funding of Andrea Morandi
AIRC IG 2025-2030 – Principal Investigator
AIRC IG 2020-2024 – Principal Investigator
PRIN2022 2023-2025 – Research Unit Leader
PNRR Tuscan Health Ecosystem – Research Unit Leader
Annastaccatolisa 2022-2025 - Scientific Supervisor/Host of Dr Subbiani
Selected publications
- Estrogen-dependent activation of TRX2 reverses oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic disease.
- Smiriglia A, Lorito N, Bacci M, Subbiani A, Bonechi F, Comito G, Kowalik MA, Perra A, Morandi A. Cell Death Dis. 2025 Jan 31;16(1):57. doi: 10.1038/s41419-025-07331-7. PMID: 39890799
- Highlighted in the EACR Cancer Researcher: https://magazine.eacr.org/highlights-in-cancer-research-march-2025/10/
- FADS1/2 control lipid metabolism and ferroptosis susceptibility in triple-negative breast cancer.
- Lorito N, Subbiani A, Smiriglia A, Bacci M, Bonechi F, Tronci L, Romano E, Corrado A, Longo DL, Iozzo M, Ippolito L, Comito G, Giannoni E, Meattini I, Avgustinova A, Chiarugi P, Bachi A, Morandi A. EMBO Mol Med. 2024 Jul;16(7):1533-1559. doi: 10.1038/s44321-024-00090-6. Epub 2024 Jun 26. PMID: 38926633
- Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 controls a lipid droplet-peroxisome axis and is a vulnerability of endocrine-resistant ER+ breast cancer.
- Bacci M, Lorito N, Smiriglia A, Subbiani A, Bonechi F, Comito G, Morriset L, El Botty R, Benelli M, López-Velazco JI, Caffarel MM, Urruticoechea A, Sflomos G, Malorni L, Corsini M, Ippolito L, Giannoni E, Meattini I, Matafora V, Havas K, Bachi A, Chiarugi P, Marangoni E, Morandi A. Sci Transl Med. 2024 Feb 28;16(736):eadf9874. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf9874. Epub 2024 Feb 28.PMID: 38416843
- Free-access reprint link: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1722/full
- International multidisciplinary consensus on the integration of radiotherapy with new systemic treatments for breast cancer: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)-endorsed recommendations.
- Meattini I, Becherini C, Caini S, Coles CE, Cortes J, Curigliano G, de Azambuja E, Isacke CM, Harbeck N, Kaidar-Person O, Marangoni E, Offersen BV, Rugo HS, Salvestrini V, Visani L, Morandi A, Lambertini M, Poortmans P, Livi L; Consensus Panellist Group. Lancet Oncol. 2024 Feb;25(2):e73-e83. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00534-X.PMID: 38301705
- Oxidative phosphorylation is a metabolic vulnerability of endocrine therapy and palbociclib resistant metastatic breast cancers.
- El-Botty R, Morriset L, Montaudon E, Tariq Z, Schnitzler A, Bacci M, Lorito N, Sourd L, Huguet L, Dahmani A, Painsec P, Derrien H, Vacher S, Masliah-Planchon J, Raynal V, Baulande S, Larcher T, Vincent-Salomon A, Dutertre G, Cottu P, Gentric G, Mechta-Grigoriou F, Hutton S, Driouch K, Bièche I, Morandi A, Marangoni E. Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 14;14(1):4221. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40022-5.PMID: 37452026
- Lysosomal lipid switch sensitises to nutrient deprivation and mTOR targeting in pancreatic cancer.
- De Santis MC, Gozzelino L, Margaria JP, Costamagna A, Ratto E, Gulluni F, Di Gregorio E, Mina E, Lorito N, Bacci M, Lattanzio R, Sala G, Cappello P, Novelli F, Giovannetti E, Vicentini C, Andreani S, Delfino P, Corbo V, Scarpa A, Porporato PE, Morandi A, Hirsch E, Martini M. Gut. 2023 Feb;72(2):360-371. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-325117. Epub 2022 May 27.PMID: 35623884
- Integrating radiation therapy with targeted treatments for breast cancer: From bench to bedside.
- Meattini I, Livi L, Lorito N, Becherini C, Bacci M, Visani L, Fozza A, Belgioia L, Loi M, Mangoni M, Lambertini M, Morandi A. Cancer Treat Rev. 2022 Jul;108:102417. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2022.102417. Epub 2022 May 21.PMID: 35623219 Review.
- Lactate Rewires Lipid Metabolism and Sustains a Metabolic-Epigenetic Axis in Prostate Cancer.
- Ippolito L, Comito G, Parri M, Iozzo M, Duatti A, Virgilio F, Lorito N, Bacci M, Pardella E, Sandrini G, Bianchini F, Damiano R, Ferrone L, la Marca G, Serni S, Spatafora P, Catapano CV, Morandi A, Giannoni E, Chiarugi P. Cancer Res. 2022 Apr 1;82(7):1267-1282. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-0914.PMID: 35135811
- Fat and Furious: Lipid Metabolism in Antitumoral Therapy Response and Resistance.
- Bacci M, Lorito N, Smiriglia A, Morandi A. Trends Cancer. 2021 Mar;7(3):198-213. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2020.10.004. Epub 2020 Dec 16.PMID: 33281098
- 10. Reprogramming of Amino Acid Transporters to Support Aspartate and Glutamate Dependency Sustains Endocrine Resistance in Breast Cancer.
- Bacci M, Lorito N, Ippolito L, Ramazzotti M, Luti S, Romagnoli S, Parri M, Bianchini F, Cappellesso F, Virga F, Gao Q, Simões BM, Marangoni E, Martin LA, Comito G, Ferracin M, Giannoni E, Mazzone M, Chiarugi P, Morandi A. Cell Rep. 2019 Jul 2;28(1):104-118.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.010.PMID: 31269432
Full Publication list: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1JM7xFr2A8y56/bibliography/public/
Ultimo aggiornamento
31.03.2025