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Giovannino Silvestri, PhD

Academic Title:

Research Associate

Primary Appointment:

Medicine

Additional Title:

Senior Research Associate, Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Location:

Bressler Building, 655 West Baltimore Street, Room 9-020 Baltimore, 21201 and VA Maryland Health Care System Research and Development 10 N Green Street, Baltimore, 21201

Education and Training

2003-2006, B.S., Biology, University of Calabria, Italy.             

2006-2009, M.S., Biology, University of Calabria, Italy (Magna cum Laude).   

2010-2013, Ph.D.,Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathology, University of Verona, Italy. Thesis Advisor – Dr. Claudio Sorio.“Biochemical and functional characterization of the oncosuppressor gene Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Gamma in Chronic  Myelogenous Leukemia”.

2013-2018, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Program in Oncology, University of Maryland, Greenebaum CCC, Baltimore, USA.

2018-2018, Research Associate, Program in Oncology, University of Maryland, Greenebaum CCC, Baltimore, USA.

2019- 2023, Research Associate, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.

2023 pres.,  Senior Research Associate, Division of Oncology, University of Maryland, Greenebaum CCC, Baltimore, USA.

Biosketch

Dr. Giovannino Silvestri is a distinguished molecular and cellular biologist specializing in malignant hematology, with over a decade of research experience in leukemia pathogenesis and therapy development. With a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathology from the University of Verona, Italy, and extensive postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Dr. Silvestri has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms driving leukemias such as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML).

During his Ph.D. training in Dr. Sorio’s laboratory, he led pivotal research on Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Gamma (PTPRG) and its role in CML pathogenesis, demonstrating his expertise in designing and executing cutting-edge experiments in cancer biology. Expanding his focus during postdoctoral work, Dr. Silvestri explored the role of microRNAs in the complex interactions between leukemic stem cells, stromal cells, and immune cells, resulting in high-impact publications.

Research Focus
Dr. Silvestri’s research portfolio is diverse and multidisciplinary, encompassing cancer biology, virology, and immunology. His work includes:
    •    Leukemia Research:
    •    Investigating the molecular pathways contributing to the transformation of normal hematopoietic stem cells into leukemia stem cells.
    •    Identifying the role of RNA metabolism and microRNA tumor suppressors in leukemia pathogenesis.
    •    Developing therapeutic strategies for AML, including the combination of Pim kinase inhibitors with the FDA-approved FLT3 inhibitor, Gilteritinib, to enhance cytotoxic effects in AML FLT3-ITD models.
    •    Virology and Immunology:
    •    Collaborating with Dr. Robert Gallo at the Institute of Human Virology on projects addressing microbiomes and SARS-CoV-2.
    •    Contributing to COVID-19 research by identifying potential therapeutic targets in collaboration with Italian scientists and UMB research teams.            

 Editorial Leadership
 •    Serving as an editor for Frontiers and the Journal of AIDS and HIV Treatment and stem cell research and therapy  focusing on RNA processing, stem cell therapy and AIDS intervention.
  •    Promoting interdisciplinary research and fostering collaborative relationships to advance scientific knowledge in RNA biology and therapeutic innovation.

Current Research
At the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Silvestri collaborates with Dr. Maria Baer to study AML FLT3-ITD cell lines and primary stem and progenitor cells from bone marrow and peripheral blood. This work includes elucidating novel mechanisms of leukemia progression  to enhance precision medicine approaches.

Collaborative Leadership
Dr. Silvestri is known for building and sustaining strong collaborations across disciplines. His role in Dr. Rathinam’s lab focused on identifying signal transduction pathways that influence leukemic stem cell behavior. He also collaborates with translational research teams on biostatistics, genomics, and cytogenetics to propel leukemia research forward.

Vision and Commitment
Dr. Silvestri’s mission is to leverage his deep expertise in RNA biology, cancer biology, and virology to develop transformative diagnostics and therapeutics.
His dedication to identifying molecular targets and advancing AML therapies reflects his unwavering commitment to improving clinical outcomes and patient care.

Skills and Expertise
    •    Molecular and Cellular Biology
    •    Leukemia Pathogenesis and Therapy
    •    RNA Biology and MicroRNA Function
    •    Virology and Immunology
    •    In Vitro and In Vivo Modeling
    •    Editorial Leadership and Manuscript Review
    •    Mentorship and Team Building
    •    Grant Writing and Research Strategy

Dr. Silvestri’s multidisciplinary approach, spanning molecular biology, hematology, and virology, underscores his ability to address some of the most pressing challenges in health science today.

Research/Clinical Keywords

Hematology Malignancies, Acute Myeloid Leukemia FLT3-ITD, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Ph+ALL, Tumor Microenvironment, FACS 10 colors, MicroRNAs, Non-long coding RNAs, Signal Transduction, Mouse and Humanized Mouse models, Clinical Trials.

Highlighted Publications

  1. Bellisola G., Cinque G., Vezzalini M., Moratti E., Silvestri G., Redealli S., Gambacorti Passerini C., Wehbe K., and C. Sorio. Rapid recognition of drug-resistance/sensitivity in leukemic cells by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis, Analyst, 138:3934-3945, 2013.

  2. Bellisola G, Bolomini Vittori M, Cinque G, Dumas P, Fiorini Z, Laudanna C, Mirenda M, Sandt C, Silvestri G, Tomasello L, Vezzalini M, Wehbe K, Sorio C. Unsupervised explorative data analysis of normal human leukocytes and BCR/ABL positive leukemic cells mid-infrared spectra. Analyst,140:4407-22, 2015

  3. Perrotti D, Silvestri G, Stramucci L. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML): Current Research Focus. The Hematology Journal, 9:91-102, 2015.  

  4. Laidlaw K., Berhan S., Liu S, Silvestri G, Holyoake T, Frank D, Aggarwal B.B., Perrotti D., Jørgensen H., Arbiser J. Cooperation of imipramine blue and tyrosine kinase blockade demonstrates activity against chronic myeloid leukemia. Oncotarget, 7:51651, 2016.

  5. Perrotti D, Silvestri G, Stramucci L, Yu J, Trotta R. Cellular and Molecular Networks in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: the leukemic stem, progenitor and stromal cell interplay. Current Drug Targets, 18:377-388, 2017.

  6. Srutova K, Curik N, Burda P, Savvulidi F, Silvestri G, Trotta R, Klamova H, Pecherkova P, Sovova Z, Koblihova J, Stopka T, Perrotti D and Machova Polakova K. BCR-ABL1 mediated miR-150 downregulation throught MYC contributed to myeloid differentiation block and resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia. Cancer Haematologica, 103(12):2016-2025. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2018.193086, 2018.

  7. G Silvestri*, R Trotta*, L Stramucci, JJ Ellis, JG Harb… -Persistence of Drug-Resistant Leukemic Stem Cells and Impaired NK Cell Immunity in CML Patients Depend on MIR300 Antiproliferative and PP2A-Activating Functions, Blood Cancer Discovery,, *equally contributed 2020.

  8. *Palma G, *Pasqua T, Silvestri G, Rocca C, Gualtieri P, Barbieri A, De Bartolo A, De Lorenzo A, Angelone T, Avolio E and Botti G. PI3Kδ Inhibition as a Potential Therapeutic Target in COVID-19, Frontiers in Immunology. 11:2094. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.0209, 2020. *equally contributed. 2020.

  9.  Benedetti*, F.; Silvestri*, G.; Nartuhi*, C.M.; Weichseldorfer, M.; Munawwar, A.; Cash, M.N.; Dulcey, M.; Vittor, A.Y.; Ciccozzi, M.; Salemi, M.; Latinovic, O.S.; Zella, D.; Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 receptors expression in primary endothelial cells and retinoic acid-differentiated human neuronal cells, Viruses,13(11):2193 DOI:10.3390/v13112193.*equally contributed 2021. 
  10. Benedetti F.*; Silvestri G.*; Saadat S.; Denaro F.; Latinovic S.O.; Davis H.; Williams S.; Bryant L. J.; Ippodrino R.; Rathinam V. C.; Gallo C. R.; Zella D.; Mycoplasma DNAK increases DNA copy Number Variants in vivo.The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),120 (30) e2219897120
    2023. *equally contributed.
  11. Francesca Benedetti, #, Giovannino Silvestri,#, Frank Denaro, Giovanni Finesso, Rafael Contreras-Galindo, Arshi Munawwar, Sumiko Williams, Harry Davis, Joseph Bryant, Yin Wang, Enrico Radaelli, Chozha V. Rathinam, Robert C. Gallo* and Davide Zella*; Mycoplasma DnaK Expression Increases Cancer Development In Vivo Upon DNA Damage. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 121 (10) e2320859121,2024. # equally contributed.
  12. Jonelle K. Lee, Aditi Chatterjee, Mario Scarpa, Christopher M. Bailey, Sandrine Niyongere, Prerna Singh, Moaath K. Mustafa Ali, Shivani Kapoor, Yin Wang, Giovannino Silvestri* and Maria R. Baer*; Pim kinase inhibitors increase gilteritinib cytotoxicity in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia through GSK-3β activation and c-Myc and Mcl-1 proteasomal degradation. Cancer Research Communications, 4(2):431-445 2024.
    1. Benedetti F.; Mongodin F. E.; Badger H. J.; Munawwar A.; Cellini A.; Yuan W.; Silvestri G.; Kraus N. C.; Marini S.; Salemi M.; Tettelin H.; Gallo C. R.; Zella D.; Bacterial DnaK Reduces the Activity of Anti-cancer Drugs Cisplatin and 5FU. Journal of Translational Medicine 22, 269. 2024.
    2. Basta D, Latinovic OS, Tagaya Yutaka, Silvestri Giovannino*. Potential Advantages of a Well-balanced Nutrition Regimen for People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type -1. J AIDS HIV Treat. 6(1):11-27, 2024. * Correspondent Author
    3. Aditi Chatterjee, Aerielle Matsangos, Olga S. Latinovic, Alonso Heredia, Giovannino Silvestri*. Advancing towards HIV-1 remission: Insights and innovations in stem cell therapies. Arch Stem Cell Ther, 5(1):5 - 13, 2024. * Correspondent Author.
    4. Giovannino Silvestri#, Aditi Chatterjee, Maria R. Baer #. Unraveling the Acute Myeloid Leukemia Enigma: Targeting Leukemic Stem Cells and Their Microenvironment for Improved Therapeutic Strategies. Blood, submitted, 2024. # Correspondent Author.
    5. Prajakta Shinde, Giovannino Silvestri, Panjamurthy Kuppusamy, Nicholas Stamatos and Chozha Vendan Rathinam. Influenza virus infection leads to pancytopenia and defective immune cell differentiation program in the thymus and bone marrow. Journal of Immunology, Under Review, 2025.
    6. Giovannino Silvestri and Chozha Vendan Rathinam; Trim28 plays an indispensable role in maintaining functions and transcriptional integrity of hematopoietic stem cells, Cells. Under Review, 2025.

     

    Clinical Specialty Details

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    Links of Interest

    Proffered Communications: oral (O) and poster (P) presentation

    Editorial Board and Peer review activities for international journals

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