Emilio Hirsch has been Full Professor of Cell Biology at the School of Medicine, University of Turin (Italy), since 2005 and Director of the Molecular Biotechnology Center since 2022. He graduated in Biological Sciences in 1988 and earned a PhD in Human Biology in 1994, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich. Emilio Hirsch is the author of over 300 publications with an h-index of 97 (Google Scholar), an EMBO Member (2015), and a Fellow of the International Society for Heart Research (2019). His research has identified phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Kγ) as key nodes in cardiovascular, inflammatory, cancer, and pulmonary diseases. His group has received multiple grants from the FFC, leading to discoveries such as the benefits of inhaled PI3K inhibition in asthma and fibrosis (Nature Communications, 2018) and, together with Alessandra Ghigo, the demonstration that a PI3Kγ-mimetic peptide restores CFTR channel function and reduces airway inflammation (Science Translational Medicine, 2022), opening new perspectives for cystic fibrosis therapy. As co-founder of Kither Biotech, he develops innovative therapies for rare pulmonary diseases and serves on national and international scientific committees supporting cardiovascular and cancer research.
Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Principal Investigator
FFC#3/2022
Rescuing rare CFTR mutants with a PI3Kγ mimetic peptide
FFC#8/2018
In depth-characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying PI3Kγ-mediated regulation of CFTR
FFC#23/2015
Targeting PI3Kγ scaffold function to activate airway CFTR, limit lung inflammation and promote bronchorelaxation in cystic fibrosis
FFC#25/2014
Targeting PI3Kγ scaffold function to activate airway CFTR, limit lung inflammation and promote bronchorelaxation in cystic fibrosis
Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Partner
FFC#20/2009
Genetic and pharmacological validation of PI3K as a drug-target for the treatment of airway inflammation in CF
Publications from FFC Research projects
- Sala V, Murabito A, Ghigo A. Inhaled Biologicals for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov. 2019;13(1):19-26
- Ghigo A, Murabito A, Sala V, et al. A PI3Kγ mimetic peptide triggers CFTR gating, bronchodilation, and reduced inflammation in obstructive airway diseases. Sci Transl Med. 2022;14(638):eabl6328
- Della Sala A, Prono G, Hirsch E, Ghigo A. Role of Protein Kinase A-Mediated Phosphorylation in CFTR Channel Activity Regulation. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 690247
- Sala V, Della Sala A, Ghigo A, Hirsch E. Roles of phosphatidyl inositol 3 kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) in respiratory diseases. Cell Stress. 2021;5(4):40-51
- Sala V, Cnudde SJ, Murabito A, Massarotti A, Hirsch E, Ghigo A. Therapeutic peptides for the treatment of cystic fibrosis: Challenges and perspectives. Eur J Med Chem. 2021;213:113191
Acknowledgment
2005: Descartes Prize for Collaborative Research – European Union Framework Fifth – Finalist (2° Premio)