Dr Malvina Pizzuto
Dr Malvina Pizzuto
she, her
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Visiting Academic
Inflammasome Lab
After her studies in biomolecular chemistry at the University of Florence and Bologna in Italy, Malvina Pizzuto completed her PhD in Immunology at the Free University of Brussels, in Belgium. Her PhD research, for which she received the Belgian Solvay Thesis Award, yielded insight into how non-microbial lipids regulate Toll-like receptor signalling, contributing to the design of new anti-inflammatory molecules, non-immunogenic transfection agents for gene therapy and immunogenic transfection agents for adjuvant-free vaccines. During her first postdoctoral position with Prof Pablo Pelegrín (Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia, Spain), Malvina studied how cardiolipins modulate the caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome. Malvina continues these studies in the Inflammasome Lab, now focusing on how endogenous mitochondrial cardiolipin regulates inflammatory responses and inflammatory diseases. Her research is partially funded by a Fellowship from the National Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium.
Malvina is the Communications Officer (Newsletter) at the Australasian Cell Death Society ACDS, and Secretary and Inclusivi-TeaTime Coordinator for the IMB Early- and Mid-Career Researchers Association EMCRA.
"Le sole risposte utili sono quelle che propongono nuove domande."
The only useful answers are the ones that raise new questions.
Vittorio Foa
CONTACTS AND LINKS
Email: m.pizzuto@uq.edu.au
Office Telephone: +61 7 3346 2076
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Australasian Cell Death Society - Twitter - LinkedIn
Early-Mid Career Researchers Association - Twitter
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
AWARDS, GRANTS AND PRIZES
2024 Australian Infectious Disease Research Center, Travel Award
2024 Queensland Immunology Research Center, Travel Award
2024 EMBO, Travel Award
2023 Institute for Molecular Bioscience Impact Award for the contribution to “Mental and Physical Health, Safety and Wellness” in the institute as part of the Early and Mid-Career Researchers Association (EMCRA)
2023 Best talk at Centre for Cell Biology of Chronic Disease Symposium, Brisbane, Australia
2020 Young Scientist Program Travel fellowship IUPAB-SBBq-SBBf
2019 Juan de la Cierva Formación Postdoctoral Fellowship, Spain
2018 Poster Prize at Toll 2018, Portugal
2018 National Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium Postdoctoral Fellowship, Belgium
2017 WBI-World excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship, Belgium
2016 1st classified Three Minute Thesis competition People's Choice Award, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
2018 Solvay Thesis Award 2017, Belgium
2017 Wiener-Anspach Foundation short term stay predoctoral fellowship, Belgium/UK
2015 De Brouckère-Solvay travel fellowship, Belgium
2013 Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture-National Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium Doctoral Fellowship, Belgium
2012 Erasmus Exchange Program Fellowship, European Union
EDUCATION
2017 PhD in Biomolecular Chemistry and Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
2017 Visiting PhD student University of Cambridge, UK
2013 Master in Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy
2011 Bachelor in Chemistry, University of Florence, Italy
Chan AH, Burgener SS, Vezyrgiannis K, Wang X, Acklam J, Von Pein JB, Pizzuto M, Labzin LI, Boucher D, Schroder K (2023).
Caspase-4 dimerisation and D289 auto- processing elicit an interleukin-1β-converting enzyme. Life Science Alliance 6(10):e202301908. Pubmed
Pizzuto M, Pelegrin P, Ruysschaert J-M (2022).
Lipid-protein interactions regulating the canonical and the non-canonical NLRP3 inflammasome. Progress in Lipid Research Jul 25;87:101182. Pubmed
Pizzuto M, Molina-Lopez C, Hurtado-Navarro L, Soubhye J, Gelbcke M, Rodriguez-Lopez S, Ruysschaert J-M, Pelegrin P (2022).
Ornithine lipid activates both TLR4 and the non-canonical NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. bioRxiv 2022.01.28.477396. bioRxiv
Pizzuto M, Pelegrin P (2020).
Cardiolipin in Immune Signaling and Cell Death. Trends in Cell Biology Nov;30(11):892-903. Pubmed
Pizzuto M, Lonez C, Baroja-Mazo A, Martínez-Banaclocha H, Tourlomousis P, Gangloff M, Pelegrín P, Ruysschaert J-M, Gay NJ, Bryant C (2019).
Saturation of acyl chains converts cardiolipin from an antagonist to an activator of Toll-like receptor-4. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Sep;76(18):3667-3678. Pubmed
Alancón-Villa C1, Pizzuto M1, Pelgrín P (2019).
Purinergic receptors and the inflammatory response mediated by lipids. Current Opinion in Pharmacology Aug;47:90-96. Pubmed
1Equal contribution
Siri M, Fernandez Ruocco M-J, Achilli E, Pizzuto M, Delgado J-F, Ruysschaert J-M, Grasselli M, del V. Alonso S (2019).
Effect of structure in ionized albumin - based nanoparticle: Characterisation, Emodin interaction, and in vitro cytotoxicity. Materials Science and Engineering: C Oct;103:109813. Pubmed
Pizzuto M, Bigey P, Lachagès A-M, Ruysschaert J-M, Escriou V, Lonez C (2018).
Cationic lipids as one-component vaccine adjuvants: A promising alternative to alum. Journal of Controlled Release Oct 10;287:67-77. Pubmed
Herrera MG1, Pizzuto M1, Lonez C, Rott K, Hütten A, Sewald N, Ruysschaert J-M, Dodero VI (2018).
Large supramolecular structures of 33-mer gliadin peptide activate toll-like receptors in macrophages. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine Jun;14(4):1417-1427. Pubmed
1Equal contribution
Pizzuto M1, Gangloff M1, Scherman D, Gay NJ, Escriou V, Ruysschaert J-M, Lonez C (2017).
Toll-like receptor 2 promiscuity is responsible for the immunostimulatory activity of nucleic acid nanocarriers. Journal of Controlled Release Feb 10;247:182-193. Pubmed
1Equal contribution
Lonez C, Irvine KL, Pizzuto M, Schmidt B, Gay NJ, Ruysschaert JM, Gangloff M, Bryant C (2015).
Critical residues involved in Toll-like receptor 4 activation by cationic lipid nanocarriers are not located at the lipopolysaccharide-binding interface. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Oct;72(20):3971-82. Pubmed
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