The research activity of the Microbiology and Virology Research Unit mainly focuses on the study of human adaptive immunity to clinically relevant human viral and bacterial pathogens. The fields of study of the unit spans from viruses responsible for persistent infections such as HCV or HIV to the study of human humoral immunity elicited against bacterial pathogens. The dissection of the B-cell response is mainly performed by using Phage Display techniques allowing the identification of human antibodies elicited against protective epitopes on the microorganism of interest. The availability of such antibodies can shed light on the complex interplay between human pathogens and human immune system. Moreover, the identification of antibodies exerting anti-microbial activity can also trigger the development of both novel immunotherapeutic tools and mimotopes possibly able to elicit protection in vivo.
2006: MS Master Degree in Biological Sciences at University Politecnica delle Marche defending the experimental thesis “Study of antibody sub-populations directed against HCV/E2”
2011: Anisap Learning in collaboration with Hospital “A.O. S. Andrea” – Rome, Italy: qualifications for executing blood-sampling in humans (DIRP/III/BIQU/10014 8/07/2002) n. 129–4082).
2004 to 2006: Internal student at Molecular Biology laboratories of the Microbiology and Virology Department of the University Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy, under the supervision of Prof. P.E. Varaldo (bacteriologist), Prof. R. Burioni (virologist and immunologist), Prof. P. Bagnarelli (virologist) with specific training on: medical virology, HIV virology, diagnostic molecular and phenotypic lab procedures, phage-display human and animal library construction and monoclonal antibody selection and characterisation.
2008: Visiting Scientist at Molecular Medical Science Department (Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS, Nottingham UK). During this period, he worked on tailored mutagenesis of virus envelope glycoproteins and on alanine scanning techniques in collaboration with Prof. J. K. Ball and Dr. A. W. Tarr.
2007-2015: Research Fellow at Microbiology and Virology Institute at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy. During this period, he worked in BSL-3 and BSL-2 facilities with hypervariable viruses, bacterial pathogens and toxins.
In the same period, he worked also in animal facility at Vita Salute San Raffaele, Milan, and in BSL-3 animal facility at Centre for Retroviruses at University of Pisa in collaboration with Prof. Mauro Pistello.
2017: Coordinator of Microbiology II class at BMF of the University “Vita-Salute” San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
January 2016 – present: Assistant Professor of Medical Microbiology and Virology, at the University “Vita-Salute” San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
2011-december 2015: Contract Professor of Medical Microbiology and Virology at “Vita-Salute” San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy:
- School of Medicine
- International MD program
- Board Certification School in Medical Microbiology and Virology
2016-2017: Member of SIV-ISV Italian Society for Virology
2016: Member of American Society for Microbiology
Clementi N, Criscuolo E, Cappelletti F, Quaranta P, Pistello M, Diotti RA, Sautto GA, Tarr AW, Mailland F, Concas D, Burioni R, Clementi M, Mancini N. Antiviral Res. 2017 Jul;143:48-61. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.03.028. Epub 2017 Apr 8.
- A Biologically-validated HCV E1E2 Heterodimer Structural Model.
Castelli M, Clementi N, Pfaff J, Sautto GA, Diotti RA, Burioni R, Doranz BJ, Dal Peraro M, Clementi M, Mancini N. Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 16;7(1):214. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00320-7.
- Novel therapeutic investigational strategies to treat severe and disseminated HSV infections suggested by a deeper understanding of in vitro virus entry processes.
Clementi N, Criscuolo E, Cappelletti F, Burioni R, Clementi M, Mancini N. Drug Discov Today. 2016 Apr;21(4):682-91. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 Mar 11.
- Role and potential therapeutic use of antibodies against herpetic infections.
Clementi N, Cappelletti F, Criscuolo E, Castelli M, Mancini N, Burioni R, Clementi M. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017 Jun;23(6):381-386. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.12.023. Epub 2017 Jan 3
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells redirected against hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 glycoprotein.
Sautto GA, Wisskirchen K, Clementi N, Castelli M, Diotti RA, Graf J, Clementi M, Burioni R, Protzer U, Mancini N. Gut. 2016 Mar;65(3):512-23. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308316. Epub 2015 Feb 6.
- A human monoclonal antibody with neutralizing activity against highly divergent influenza subtypes.
Clementi N, De Marco D, Mancini N, Solforosi L, Moreno GJ, Gubareva LV, Mishin V, Di Pietro A, Vicenzi E, Siccardi AG, Clementi M, Burioni R.PLoS One. 2011;6(12):e28001. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028001. Epub 2011 Dec 5.