Developed skills and lines of research
Alessandra Bragonzi is a researcher and group leader at the Cystic Fibrosis and Infections Unit of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan. She gained experience as a Telethon Fellow at the Institute for Gene Therapy (TIGET) of the San Raffaele Institute. She conducted her doctoral and postdoctoral work at Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen (Germany), where she specialized in infections in cystic fibrosis.
Since 2009, she has been the head of the CFaCore (Cystic Fibrosis animal Core Facility), now in its second three-year term. The facility provides expertise, services, and infrastructure that enable researchers working on FFC Ricerca funded projects to utilize preclinical murine models of cystic fibrosis for pathogenesis and therapeutic studies. The goal is to translate basic knowledge into preclinical applications, promoting the development of new strategies for treating cystic fibrosis.
Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Principal Investigator or as Research Manager
FFC#5/2023
Beyond the lung: the gut’s role in the pathology of cystic fibrosis
FFC#2/2019
Bridging airway mucus-microbiota-host genotype to define novel cystic fibrosis animal models
FFC#15/2016
Cystic fibrosis modifier genes related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung disease
FFC#9/2014
Cystic fibrosis modifier genes related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung disease
FFC#10/2011
Pulmonary Delivery of Inhaled Peptidomimetic As Novel Antibiotics to Control Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Murine Models
FFC#10/2009
Validation of novel vaccine candidates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
FFC#8/2006
A genome-wide approach to the identification of novel targets for immuno-antibacterials in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
FFC#8/2003
Gene Regulation and Adaptive Mutations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Chronic Lung Infection Model for Cystic Fibrosis
Projects financed by FFC Ricerca as a partner
FFC#18/2010
Infections in cystic fibrosis: role of the long pentraxin PTX3 in host resistance and as therapeutic agent
FFC#9/2010
Pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus and its role in the progression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic lung infection
FFC#14/2008
Infections in cystic fibrosis: role of the long pentraxin PTX3 in host resistance and as therapeutic agent
FFC#7/2006
Influence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and CF host on Burkholderia cenocepacia pathogenicity
FFC#6/2006
Genome-wide identification of target genes for the design of non-conventional antibiotics against cystic fibrosis-related pathogens
FFC#11/2004
Evaluation of the pathogenicity of environmental and clinical isolates of Burkholderia cepacia complex alone and in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Publications from FFC Research projects
hiarini L, Bevivino A, Dalmastri C et al., Burkholderia Cepacia complex species: health hazards and biotechnological potential. Trends in Microbiology, 2006, 14(6):277-86
Pirone L. Bragonzi A, Farcomeni A et al., Burkholderia cenocepacia strains isolated from cystic fibrosis patients are apparently more invasive and more virulent than rhizosphere strains. Enviromental Microbiology, 2008, 10(10):2773-84
Bianconi I, Milani A, Cigana C et al., Positive signature-tagged mutagenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: tracking patho-adaptive mutations promoting airways chronic infection. PLOS Pathogens, 2011, 7(2):e1001270
Alcalá-Franco B, Montanari S, Cigana C et al., Antibiotic pressure compensates the biological cost associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa hypermutable phenotypes in vitro and in a murine model of chronic airways infection. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2012, 67(4):962-9
Vecchietti D, Di Silvestre D, Miriani M et al., Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell envelope proteome by capture of surface-exposed proteins on activated magnetic nanoparticles. PLoS ONE 2012, 7(11):e51062
Baldan R, Testa F, Lorè NI et al., Factors contributing to epidemic MRSA clones replacement in a hospital setting. PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(8):e43153
Bragonzi A, Farulla I, Paroni M et al., Modelling co-infection of the cystic fibrosis lung by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cenocepacia reveals influence on biofilm formation and host response. PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(12):e52330
Bragonzi A, Worlitzsch D, Pier GB et al., Nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa expresses alginate in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and in a mouse model. J Infect Dis., 2005, 192(3):410-9
Bragonzi A, Wiehlmann L, Klockgether J et al., Sequence diversity of the mucABD locus in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis. Microbiology, 2006, 152(Pt 11):3261-9
Bragonzi A, Paroni M, Nonis A et al., Pseudomonas aeruginosa microevolution during cystic fibrosis lung infection establishes clones with adapted virulence. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2009, 180(2):138-45
Bottazzi B, Garlanda C, Cotena A et al., The long pentraxin PTX3 as a prototypic humoral pattern recognition receptor: interplay with cellular innate immunity. Immunol Rev, 2009, 227(1):9-18
Chiarini M, Sabelli C, Melotti P et al., PTX3 genetic variations affect the risk of Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway colonization in cystic fibrosis patients. Genes Immun, 2010, 11(8): 665–670
Bottazzi B, Doni A, Garlanda C, Mantovani A., An Integrated View of Humoral Innate Immunity: Pentraxins as a Paradigm. Annu Rev Immunol., 2010, 28:157-83
Moalli F, Doni A, Deban L et al. Role of Complement and Fcγ receptors in the protective activity of the long pentraxin PTX3 against Aspergillus fumigatus. Blood, 2010, 116:5170-5180
Galletti P, Cocuzza CE, Pori M et al. Antibacterial agents and cystic fibrosis: synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of a series of N-thiomethylazetidinones. ChemMedChem, 2011, 6(10):1919-27
Moalli F, Paroni M, Véliz Rodriguez T et al., The Therapeutic Potential of the Humoral Pattern Recognition Molecule PTX3 in chronic lung infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Immunol, 2011, 186(9):5425-34
Inforzato A, Jaillon S, Moalli F et al., The long pentraxin PTX3 at the crossroads between innate immunity and tissue remodelling. Tissue Antigens, 2011, 77(4):271-82
Doni A, Garlanda C, Bottazzi B et al., Interactions of the humoral pattern recognition molecule PTX3 with the complement system. Immunobiology, 2012, 217(11):1122-8
Paroni M, Moalli F, Nebuloni M et al., Response of CFTR-Deficient Mice to Long-Term chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection and PTX3 Therapy. J Infect Dis., 2013, 208(1):130-8
Véliz Rodriguez T, Moalli F, Polentarutti N et al., Role of toll interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), a negative regulator of IL-1R/toll like receptor signaling, in resistance to acute Pseudomonas lung infection. Infect Immun, 2012, ;80(1):100-9
Garlanda C, Riva F, Bonavita E, Gentile S, Mantovani A., Decoys and Regulatory “Receptors” of the IL-1/Toll-Like Receptor Superfamily. Frontiers in Immunology, 2013, 9;4:180
Garlanda C, Riva F, Bonavita E, Mantovani A., Negative regulatory receptors of the IL-1 family. Seminars in Immunology, 2013, 25(6):408-15
P Montuschi, D Paris, S Montella et al., Letter to Editor- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance–based Metabolomics Discriminates Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia from Cystic Fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2014, 190(2)
Baldan R, Cigana C, Testa F, et al., Adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cystic Fibrosis airways influences virulence of Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and murine models of co-infection. PLoS ONE, 2014
Lorè NI, Iraqi FA, Bragonzi A., Host genetic diversity influences the severity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in the Collaborative Cross mice. BMC Genet, 2015, 16:106
Inforzato A, Bottazzi B, Garlanda C et al., Pentraxins in humoral innate immunity. Adv. in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2012, 946:1-20
Bragonzi A, Horati H, Kerrigan L, et al., Inflammation and host-pathogen interaction: Cause and consequence in cystic fibrosis lung disease. J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Mar;17(2S):S40-S45. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2017.10.004. Epub 2017 Oct 27.
Nicola Ivan Loré, Claudia Caslini, Gengming He, Lisa Strug, Migliara Alessandro, Angelo Lombardo, Lisa Provezza, Giulio Cabrini, Rizzo Giulia, Barbara Sipione, Emanuela Caci, Louis Galietta, Harriet Corvol, Alessandra Bragonzi. Cystic fibrosis modifier genes related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung disease. The Proceedings of the 16th Italian Convention of Investigators in Cystic Fibrosis. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 2019, 14 (Suppl 1):5