Cirino Botta
Head of Experimental Hematology and Immunogenomics lab Hematology Unit, University of Palermo, Italy

Website: www.loop.frontiersin.org/people/129821/overview
 


Short bio incl. scientific interests. Cirino Botta is a translational hemato-oncologist, Assistant Professor of Hematology and leader of the “Experimental Hematology and Immunogenomics” lab at the University of Palermo, in Italy. He obtained MD graduation at the University of Siena and PhD and residency in molecular and medical Oncology at the University of Catanzaro in Italy. He spent is post-doc at the University of Navarra, Spain, in the laboratory leaded by Dr. Bruno Paiva. He has been working on cancer immunology with a specific interest for multiple myeloma (MM), for the last 10 years, spending time at both bench and bedside. His research activity focus on the interaction between MM cells and the surrounding BM immune microenvironment; recently, he focused on the mechanisms underlying tumor associated Dendritic Cells and neutrophils polarization, leading to immune suppression, drug resistance and disease progression. To this end with his current and past groups he pioneered microRNAs and ATACseq in MM associated microenvironment, demonstrating how epigenetic modulators (miRNA mimetics or deacetylating agents) could be useful to recover from the tumor induced immune-suppression and restore response to bispecifics Abs. Currently, his group is focused on dissecting the role of the BM microenvironment at the single cell level by using innovative methods (CITEseq, Perturb-seq, TCR/BCRseq) and microbiota in fostering the progression from pre-malignant conditions, MGUS and smoldering, to active malignant MM stages.

Selected publications:
   

Please select the 5 most interesting publications.

  • Plano F, Gigliotta E, Corsale AM, Azgomi MS, Santonocito C, Ingrascì M, Di Carlo L, Augello AE, Speciale M, Vullo C, Rotolo C, Camarda GM, Caccamo N, Meraviglia S, Dieli F, Siragusa S, Botta C. Ferritin Metabolism Reflects Multiple Myeloma Microenvironment and Predicts Patient Outcome. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 16;24(10):8852. doi: 10.3390/ijms24108852. PMID: 37240197; PMCID: PMC10218632.
  • Larrayoz M, Garcia-Barchino MJ, Celay J, Etxebeste A, Jimenez M, Perez C, Ordoñez R, Cobaleda C, Botta C, Fresquet V, Roa S, Goicoechea I, Maia C, Lasaga M, Chesi M, Bergsagel PL, Larrayoz MJ, Calasanz MJ, Campos-Sanchez E, Martinez-Cano J, Panizo C, Rodriguez-Otero P, Vicent S, Roncador G, Gonzalez P, Takahashi S, Katz SG, Walensky LD, Ruppert SM, Lasater EA, Amann M, Lozano T, Llopiz D, Sarobe P, Lasarte JJ, Planell N, Gomez-Cabrero D, Kudryashova O, Kurilovich A, Revuelta MV, Cerchietti L, Agirre X, San Miguel J, Paiva B, Prosper F, Martinez-Climent JA. Preclinical models for prediction of immunotherapy outcomes and immune evasion mechanisms in genetically heterogeneous multiple myeloma. Nat Med. 2023 Mar;29(3):632-645. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-02178-3. Epub 2023 Mar 16. PMID: 36928817; PMCID: PMC10033443.
  • Botta C, Maia C, Garcés JJ, Termini R, Perez C, Manrique I, Burgos L, Zabaleta A, Alignani D, Sarvide S, Merino J, Puig N, Cedena MT, Rossi M, Tassone P, Gentile M, Correale P, Borrello I, Terpos E, Jelinek T, Paiva A, Roccaro A, Goldschmidt H, Avet-Loiseau H, Rosinol L, Mateos MV, Martinez-Lopez J, Lahuerta JJ, Bladé J, San-Miguel JF, Paiva B. FlowCT for the analysis of large immunophenotypic data sets and biomarker discovery in cancer immunology. Blood Adv. 2022 Jan 25;6(2):690-703. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021005198. PMID: 34587246; PMCID: PMC8791585.
  • Perez C, Botta C, Zabaleta A, Puig N, Cedena MT, Goicoechea I, Alameda D, San José-Eneriz E, Merino J, Rodríguez-Otero P, Maia C, Alignani D, Maiso P, Manrique I, Lara-Astiaso D, Vilas-Zornoza A, Sarvide S, Riillo C, Rossi M, Rosiñol L, Oriol A, Blanchard MJ, Rios R, Sureda A, Martin J, Martinez R, Bargay J, de la Rubia J, Hernandez MT, Martinez-Lopez J, Orfao A, Agirre X, Prosper F, Mateos MV, Lahuerta JJ, Blade J, San-Miguel JF, Paiva B. Immunogenomic identification and characterization of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in multiple myeloma. Blood. 2020 Jul 9;136(2):199-209. doi: 10.1182/blood.2019004537. PMID: 32325491.
  • Cucè M, Gallo Cantafio ME, Siciliano MA, Riillo C, Caracciolo D, Scionti F, Staropoli N, Zuccalà V, Maltese L, Di Vito A, Grillone K, Barbieri V, Arbitrio M, Di Martino MT, Rossi M, Amodio N, Tagliaferri P, Tassone P, Botta C. Trabectedin triggers direct and NK-mediated cytotoxicity in multiple myeloma. J Hematol Oncol. 2019 Mar 21;12(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s13045-019-0714-9. PMID: 30898137; PMCID: PMC6429746.