Education
- 2013 – 2016: PhD, University of Naples Federico II, Naples (IT)
- 2013: Summer Research Student, GSI Helmholtzzentrum f眉r Schwerionenforschung, Frankfurt (DE)
- 2012: Master鈥檚 degree in Med. Biotechnology, University of Naples, Federico II (Italy)
- 2011: International exchange program, Imperial College London; London (UK)
- 2010: Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Biotechnology, University of Naples, Federico II (Italy)
Academic Appointments
- 2024 – present: Assistant Professor, 暗网禁区 University, Milan (IT)
- 2019 – 2023: Research instructor, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (US)
- 2016 – 2019: Postdoc Research Associate, Pharmacogenomics/IM Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, (USA)
Membership and Affiliations
- 2019 – present: Technical consultant Mitochondria in Motion, St. Louis, MO (USA)
Awards and Honors
- 2017: Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO-USA) McDonnell Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Postdoctoral
- 2016: Postdoctoral Fellowship Societa Italiana Ipertensione Arteriosa (SIIA) 鈥淐esare Bartorelli鈥�
- 2014: Travel-Grant FCVB (Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biology), ESC Congress, 4-6 July 2014 Barcelona, Spain
- 2014: Travel-Grant S.I.I.A., Societa鈥� Italiana di Ipertensione Arteriosa (S.I.I.A.), 9-10 October 2014 Bologna, Italy
- 2014: Best Poster 鈥淗eart Session鈥�, Societa鈥� Italiana Ipertensione Arteriosa (SIIA). Title: 鈥淚onizing radiation modifies in time dependent manner the subcellular localization of GRK2 in cardiomyocytes鈥�
- 2011: International exchange program with universities and research institutes for foreigners to short-term mobility of teachers, Scholars and Researchers
Other
- 2018: Finalist O鈥橪eary Competition Excellence in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
The principal aim of Dr. Franco鈥檚 research for the near future is to understand the molecular mitochondria mechanism and clinical relevance in mitochondrial fusion defects linked to cardiac abnormalities and neurodegenerative diseases. Eight years ago, when she first committed to mitochondrial research, she started by studying hereditary mitochondrial fusion dysfunctions in the neurodegenerative disease Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2A (CMT2A). Moving forward, she plans to continue to focus on hereditary mitochondrial fusion defects in cardiac abnormalities The long-term goal of this project will be finding ways to therapeutically approach treating mitochondrial fusion defects in heart failure and neurological diseases. This research will have high relevance since she will analyze the human variants that induce hereditary disease.
- Franco A, Kitsis RN, Fleischer JA, Gavathiotis E, Kornfeld OS, Gong G, Biris N, Benz A, Qvit N, Donnelly SK, Chen Y, Mennerick S, Hodgson L, Mochly-Rosen D, Dorn GW II. . Nature. 2016 Dec 1;540 (7631):74-79. doi: 10.1038/nature20156. Epub 2016 Oct 24. PMID: 27775718
- Song M, Franco A, Fleischer JA, Zhang L, Dorn GW 2nd. . Cell Metab. 2017 Dec 5;26(6):872-883.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.09.023. Epub 2017 Oct 26.PMID:29107503
- Rocha AG(*), Franco A(*), Krezel AM, Rumsey JM, Alberti JM, Knight WC, Biris N, Zacharioudakis E, Janetka JW, Baloh RH, Kitsis RN, Mochly-Rosen D, Townsend RR, Gavathiotis E, Dorn GW2nd. . Science. 2018 Apr 20;360(6386):336- 341doi:10.1126/science.aao1785. PMID:29674596
- Franco A., Dang X., Walton E., Ho J., Zablocka B., Ly C., Miller T., Baloh R., Shy M., Yoo A., Dorn II GW. . 2020 Oct 19;9:e61119. doi: 10.7554/eLife.61119. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33074106
- Franco A., Li J., Kelly D., Hershberger R., Marian A., Lewis R., Song M., Dang X., D. Schmidt A., Mathyer M. , Edwards R.J. de Guzman Strong C., Dorn II G. . (ElifeNov 1, 2023 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.84235)