Our work is focused on the role played by glial cells within the nervous system in health and disease. We studied the molecular basis underlying the relationship between direct gap junctional communication mediated by connexin43 and cell proliferation. This basic research has been translated in the design of a connexin43 mimetic peptide (TAT-Cx43-266-283) with the ability to inhibit the activity of Src, an important oncoprotein involved in several signalling pathways related to cancer. Indeed, the work developed over the last few years, has demonstrated that TAT-Cx43-266-283 exerts important anti-oncogenic effects against glioblastoma, the main and more aggressive type of brain tumour, in different in vitro and in vivo models.
Neurobiochemistry lab
