Antonio Lanzavecchia
Encyclopedia
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immunologist
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
. He was born in Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1976 he obtained his degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
with honors in Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the University of Pavia
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 1361 and is organized in 9 Faculties.-History:...
where he specialized in Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
and Infectious Diseases. From 1983 to 1999 he was a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology
Basel Institute for Immunology
The Basel Institute for Immunology was founded in 1969 as a basic research institute in immunology located at 487 Grenzacherstrasse, Basel, Switzerland on the Rhine River down the street from the main Hoffmann-La Roche campus near the Swiss-German border. The institute opened its doors in 1971...
and in 1999 became director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He has been Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
at the University of Genoa
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa is one of the largest universities in Italy.Located in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, the university was founded in 1471. It currently has about 40,000 students, 1,800 teaching and research staff and about 1,580 administrative staff.- Campus :The University of Genoa is...
and at the University of Siena
University of Siena
The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the University of Siena was founded in 1240. The University has around 20,000 students, nearly half of Siena's total population of around 54,000...
. Dr. Lanzavecchia’s research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
has covered several aspects of human immunology
Human Immunology
Human Immunology is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Elsevier.The editor is Nicole Suciu-Foca.- Abstracting and indexing :The journal is abstracted/indexed in:* BIOSIS* Chemical Abstracts* Current Contents* EMBASE* Elsevier BIOBASE...
: antigen processing and presentation, dendritic cell biology, lymphocyte activation and traffic and, more recently, the cellular basis of T and B cell memory and the production of human monoclonal antibodies. He awarded the EMBO
Embo
For the scientific organisation, see European Molecular Biology Organization.Embo is a village in the Highland Council Area in Scotland and the former/postal county of Sutherland, about 2 miles NNE of Dornoch....
medal in 1988, the Cloëtta prize in 1999 and he has been nominated Cavaliere della Repubblica in 2001.
Research Activities
- Human T and B cell cloning and T-B cooperation.
- Antigen capture, processing and presentation
- T cell targeting with bispecific antibodies
- HLA polymorphism, epitope mapping and alloreactivity
- Formation and stability of peptide-MHC complexes
- Monoclonal T cell expansions and NKT cells
- Allelic exclusion and dual-receptor T and B cells
- Culture and characterization of human dendritic cells
- Role of chemokine receptors in leukocyte traffic
- Mechanisms of T cell receptor triggering and costimulation
- T cell activation, differentiation and memory subsets
- B cell activation and memory
- Human monoclonal antibodies from memory B cells
Membership
- Italian Society for Immunology (GCI, SIICA), since 1980
- European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), since 1988
- The Henry Kunkel Society
- Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
- Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Allergologie und Immunologie, honorary member
- American Society for Immunology, honorary member
Editorial activities
- ScienceScience (journal)Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
: board of reviewing editors 1997-2005 - European Journal of ImmunologyEuropean Journal of ImmunologyThe European Journal of Immunology is an academic journal of the European Federation of Immunological Societies covering basic immunology research, with a primary focus on antigen processing, cellular immune response, immunity to infection, immunomodulation, leukocyte signalling, clinical...
: executive committee member - Journal of Experimental MedicineJournal of Experimental MedicineThe Journal of Experimental Medicine is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Rockefeller University Press that publishes research papers and commentaries on the physiological, pathological, and molecular mechanisms that encompass the host response to disease...
: advisory editor
Patents
- Lanzavecchia A: Potent T Cell Modulating Molecules US2004/0162411 A1
- Lanzavecchia A: Monoclonal antibody production by EBV transformation of B cells WO2004076677
Special lectures and courses
- Art Stern Memorial Lecture, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, 1995
- Wellcome Visiting Professorship, St. JudeSt. Jude Children's Research HospitalSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In...
, MemphisMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
1999 - Heremans Lecture, University of Brussels, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 2000 - Grabar Lecture, French Society for Immunology, 2000
- The NIHNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
Wednesday Afternoon Lecture, BethesdaBethesda, MarylandBethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, 2000 - Arthur Levin memorial Lecture, Guy’s King’s St. Thomas’ School of Medicine, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2000 - American Association of Immunology, Distinguished Lecture, 2001
- Guru at the Annual NIH Immunology Interest Group, AirlieAirlie-Places:in Canada*Airlie, Ontario, Canadain Scotland*Airlie, Angusin the United States*Airlie , listed on the NRHP in Mississippi*Airlie, Oregon...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 2002 - The Henry G. Kunkel Lecture, Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, 2002 - Jack Pepys Lecture, British Society for ImmunologyBritish Society for ImmunologyThe British Society for Immunology, or BSI, is a UK based organisation of British immunologists but accepts members from all countries. It was founded in 1956 and is one of the oldest and largest Immunology societies in the world and the largest in Europe...
, 2002 - Advanced Course in Immunology, Institute Pasteur, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, since 1992 - FEBS International Summer School on Immunology, Ionian VillageIonian VillageIonian Village is a private summer camp facility of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, located on the shores of the Ionian Sea, in western Peloponnese, Greece. Over 16,000 Greek-Americans have visited the camp since its establishment in 1969....
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, since 1998
Appointments
Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille Luminy (CIML), SAB memberThe Wistar Institute, SAB member
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), SAB member
Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare (INGM), SAB member
Micromet, SAB member
Trubion Pharmaceuticals, SAB member
Pevion Biotech, SAB member
Z-cube, SAB member
Humabs, founder and BOD member
Synapsis Foundation, SAB member
Claudia Von Schilling Foundation, SAB member