Dermatology

1. Identification of anti-oxidant and chemopreventive molecules in non-melanocytic skin tumours (NMSC). The research currently underway in this area aims to study the antioxidant and repairing effect for keratinocytes and fibroblasts, of molecules potentially usable for chemopreventive purposes in patients suffering from non-melanocytic skin tumours (NMSC). The model under study is represented by primary cultures of keratinocytes and fibroblasts from photodamaged skin and cancerization fields, on which the effectiveness of phytoestrogens, such as genistein and vitamins such as tocopherol and niacinamide, has been tested. The latter (NAM) is the amide form of vitamin B3, a water-soluble molecule taken daily with the diet, which is a key co-factor for various cellular reactions that help reduce UV-induced damage. In fact, it has been shown that NAM promotes DNA repair through the increase of ATP and the inhibition of the PARP1 enzyme, and a reduction of the inflammatory response was activated following exposure to UV rays. Recently in our laboratory we have shown that NAM is able to protect human primary keratinocytes and fibroblasts from both oxidative damage induced by ultraviolet radiation and photoaging, by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species, promoting DNA repair, restoring the cell cycle and reducing apoptosis.
2. Identification of risk factors for non-melanocytic skin tumours (NMSC) in patients with solid organ transplantation and immunosuppressive treatment. This project aims to identify new risk factors both of a genetic and epigenetic type and of an exogenous type (such as HPV infections), implicated in the etiopathogenesis of non-melanocytic skin neoplasms, in transplant patients subjected to long-term immunosuppressive therapies, useful for the elaboration of specific therapy and follow-up protocols.
3. Genetic aspects of melanoma and other pathologies of dermatological and dermo-oncological interest. This field of study takes into consideration not only the genes traditionally involved in the etiopathogenesis of melanoma (CDKN2A and CDK4), but also new genes, such as BAP1, whose mutations are able to significantly increase the oncological risk for patients carrying said mutations. Within the same line of research, other conditions of genetically determined dermo-oncological interest are also studied, such as the Gorlin-Goltz syndrome and some rare diseases of dermatological interest.
4. New non-invasive methods applicable to dermatological diagnostics. This research line is developed in collaboration with the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications of the Politecnico di Torino (PolitoBIOMed Lab). The following are currently being studied: i) the possibility of using Near-Red Spectroscopy (NIRS) for the non-invasive monitoring of actinic keratoses and squamous carcinomas in situ after conservative treatments; ii) the application of neural networks to the diagnostics of dermatological images related to skin neoplasms, acquired with portable devices for smartphones

1. Savoia P, Zavattaro E, Cremona O. "Chemoprevention of skin carcinomas in high-risk transplant recipients." Current Med Chem 2018; 21;25(6):687-697.
2. Savoia P, Raina G, Camillo L, Farruggio S, Mary D, Veronese F, Graziola F, Zavattaro E, Tiberio R, Grossini E. Anti-oxidative effects of 17 β-estradiol and genistein in human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes.J Dermatol Sci. 2018; 92:62-77.
3. Gironi LC, Colombo E, Pasini B, Giorgione R, Farinelli P, Zottarelli F, Esposto E, Zavattaro E, Allara E, Ogliara P, Betti M, Dianzani I, Savoia P. Melanoma-prone families: new evidence of distinctive clinical and histological features of melanomas in CDKN2A mutation carriers.Arch Dermatol Res. 2018; 310:769-784.
4. Veronese F, Zavattaro E, Orioni G, Landucci G, Tarantino V, Airoldi C, Savoia P. Efficacy of new class I Medical Device for Actinic Keratoses: a randomized controlled prospective study. J Dermatolog Treat. 2021 Sep;32(6):625-630 (published online 2019)
5. Talamonti M, Galluzzo M, Chiricozzi A, Quaglino P, Fabbrocini G, Gisondi P, Marzano AV, Potenza C, Conti A, Parodi A, Belloni Fortina A, Bardazzi F, Argenziano G, Rongioletti F, Stingeni L, Micali G, Loconsole F, Venturini M, Bongiorno MR, Feliciani C, Rubegni P, Amerio P, Fargnoli MC, Pigatto P, Savoia P, Nisticò SP, Giustini S, Carugno A, Cannavò SP, Rech G, Prignano F, Offidani A, Lombardo M, Zalaudek I, Bianchi L, Peris K; PSO-BIO-COVID study group. - Management of biological therapies for chronic plaque psoriasis during COVID-19 emergency in Italy. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2020; 34(12):e770-e772.
6. Chiricozzi A, Talamonti M, De Simone C, Galluzzo M, Gori N, Fabbrocini G, Marzano AV, Girolomoni G, Offidani A, Rossi MT, Bianchi L, Cristaudo A, Fierro MT, Stingeni L, Pellacani G, Argenziano G, Patrizi A, Pigatto P, Romanelli M, Savoia P, Rubegni P, Foti C, Milanesi N, Belloni Fortina A, Bongiorno MR, Grieco T, Di Nuzzo S, Fargnoli MC, Carugno A, Motolese A, Rongioletti F, Amerio P, Balestri R, Potenza C, Micali G, Patruno C, Zalaudek I, Lombardo M, Feliciani C, Di Nardo L, Guarneri F, Peris K, DA‐COVID‐19 study group Management of patients with atopic dermatitis undergoing systemic therapy during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: data from the DA-COVID-19 registry.  Allergy. 2021 Jun;76(6):1813-1824. doi: 10.1111/all.14767. Epub 2021 Mar 9.
7. Veronese F, Zavattaro E, Tarantino V, Romano V, Meiburger K, Branciforti F, Salvi M, Seoni S, Savoia P. Development of a classifier based on convolutional neural networks for the recognition of images of skin lesions obtained through nurugo^tm derma for the possible use in the field of teledermoscopy. Diagnostics, 2021 11(3), 451; doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11030451.
8. Camillo L, Gironi LC, Zavattaro E, Esposto E, Savoia P. Nicotinamide exerts a protective effect from UV-induced stress damages on human primary keratinocytes from cancerization field.J Invest Dermatol. 2021 Oct 22:S0022-202X(21)02385-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.10.012.

9. Savoia P, Azzimonti B, Rolla R, Zavattaro E. "Role of the Microbiota in Skin Neoplasms: New Therapeutic Horizons." Microorganisms. 2023 Sep 25;11(10):2386.

10. Gironi LC, Esposto E, Zottarelli F, Giorgione R, Farinelli P, Zavattaro E, Cammarata E, Di Cristo N, Ogliara P, Camillo L, Giordano M, Mellone S, Pasini B, Ambrosi A, Savoia P. "Temporal correlation between the first melanoma and the first noncutaneous tumor in CKDN2A genotyped patients." Melanoma Res. 2023 Oct 1;33(5):425-430

1.  Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, PolitoBIOMed Lab, Biolab
2. Gruppo di Studio SiDeMaST PSO-BIO-COVID 
3. Gruppo di Studio SiDeMaST DA-COVID-19
4. Skin Care in Organ Transplants Patients Europe (SCOPE)
5. Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Chimica

1. "Evaluation of the efficacy of a class I CE Medical Device for topical use (Rilastil AK Repair 100+) versus high spectrum photoprotector SPF100 + in the prevention of actinic keratoses in a sample of subjects with chronic actinic damage". (12,000 euro from Istituto Ricerche Biochimiche Ganassini, 2018).
2. "Therapeutic and preventive activity of Nicotinamide on actinic damage in patients with dermatoeliosis, precancerous and non-Melanoma Skin Cancers: translational study". (25,000 euro from IDI farmaceutici S.r.l., 2019).
3. "Study on the efficacy of Rilastil Ak-Repair 100 in the prevention and treatment of mild actinic keratoses in patients at risk among the general population and in patients with solid organ transplantation by clinical, infrared spectroscopic and histological examination" (15,000 euro from Istituto di Ricerche Biochimiche Ganassini, 2021)
4. "Study on the efficacy of RILASTIL DIFESA STERILE CREAM in the eczema of the hands of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic." (12,000 euro from Istituto di Ricerche Biochimiche Ganassini, 2021)
5. “Impact of tildrakizumab on gut microbiota in psoriatic patients: 52 weeks single center observational study” (20,000 euro from Almirall S.p.A., December 2021

    

Prof. ssa Paola Savoia (Professor of Dermatology, PI), Research Group Leader

Lara Camillo (PhD research assistant)

Laura Cristina Gironi (Specialist in Dermatology, AOU Maggiore della Carità, collaborator)

Federica Veronese (Specialist in Dermatology, AOU Maggiore della Carità, collaborator)

Elisa Zavattaro (RTDB, Specialist in Dermatology, AOU Maggiore della Carità, collaborator)