Maria Franzini

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Place and date of birth: Pisa, February 23, 1978.
Institutional address: S. Chiara Hospital, Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Building 43, via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2017: Second-level Master’s Degree in “Thrombosis and Hemostasis” with honors, University of Florence.
2014: Specialization in Clinical Pathology with honors, University of Pisa.
2007: PhD (Doctor Europaeus label) in “Cellular Pathology and Pathophysiology,” University of Siena.
2003: Degree in Biological Sciences with honors, University of Pisa.
2001 and 2002: Training periods at Université H. Poincaré - Nancy I (France), "Thiols and Cellular Functions" laboratory.
1997: Scientific High School Diploma, F. Buonarroti High School, Pisa.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023: Associate Professor in Clinical Pathology (MEDS-02/B), University of Pisa with affiliated duties as Senior Biologist at the University Hospital of Pisa.
2020–2023: Fixed-term Researcher (law 240/2010: art. 24, paragraph 3, letter b) in Clinical Pathology (MEDS-02/B), University of Pisa with affiliated duties as Senior Biologist at the University Hospital of Pisa.
2015–2020: Fixed-term Researcher (law 240/2010: art. 24, paragraph 3, letter a) in Clinical Pathology (MEDS-02/B), University of Pisa with affiliated duties as Senior Biologist at the University Hospital of Pisa.
2007–2011 and 2011–2014: Research collaborator at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, studying cardiovascular biomarkers (BNP, NT-proBNP, cardiac troponin, plasma fractions of the enzyme gamma-glutamyltransferase).

MAIN SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
- Characterization of circulating fractions of the protein transthyretin and their role in the pathogenesis of cardiac amyloidosis.
- Evaluation of analytical and clinical characteristics of new immunometric methods for automated determination of cardiac markers (BNP, NT-proBNP, cardiac troponin I and T) and free light chains of antibodies.
- Characterization of plasma and biliary fractions of the enzyme gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) as indicators of liver damage, liver function post-transplant, and cardiovascular risk factors.
- Structural and compositional characterization of plasma fractions of GGT.
- Characterization of cell types capable of releasing the GGT enzyme.
- Role of membrane-bound GGT activity in modulating the extracellular microenvironment.
- Role of GGT in the catabolism of nitrosoglutathione.
- Oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases.

COLLABORATION WITH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
- CAMELIA Project (Cardiovascular risks, Metabolic Syndrome, Liver, and Autoimmune Disease): University of Milan; ASL Milan 1; Calabrian Association of Hepatology (Dr. C. Caserta), Reggio Calabria; Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome.
- Dr. Alessandro De Grandi, EurAc (Bolzano).
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School: Prof. Mark Puder – collaboration on the project “GGT Characterization in Parenteral Nutrition-Dependent Children”.
- Framingham Heart Study – National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Boston University (USA): Prof. Ramachandran Vasan.

COLLABORATIONS WITH COMPANIES IN THE IVD SECTOR
In collaboration with bioMérieux Italia S.p.A. (Via di Campigliano 58, Ponte a Ema 50012 Bagno a Ripoli, Florence), the following funded projects were carried out:
2022–2023: "Improvement of the analytical characteristics of clinical tests for integration on a multiparametric Point of Care system."
2020–2021: "Improvement of analytical characteristics of immunological tests by increasing sensitivity and multiparametric testing capability."
2018–2019: "Improvement of analytical characteristics of immunological tests by controlled orientation of capture-phase antibodies and fluorescence detection."
2016–2017: "Conjugation of fluorochromes for high-sensitivity detection in immunochemical analytical systems."