Catalogo dei Corsi di studio

CURRICULUM VITAE
Bianca COLONNA
Sapienza University of Rome
Dept of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin
Via dei Sardi 70
00185 Rome (Italy)
Email bianca.colonna@uniroma1.it
Positions
Since 2010: Full Professor of Microbiology (SSD/ BIO19), Faculty of Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome
Since 2019: Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome
Since 2019 ember of the Scientific Advisory Board of the IM2B (Institut de Microbiologie,
Bioénergies et Biotechnologies
2013-2016, 2016-2019 President of the Bachelor Degree in Biological Sciences ,Sapienza University
1998-2010: Associate Professor of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome
1984-1998: Researcher at the Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sapienza Universituy of Rome
1981-1984: Research fellow of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) at the Dept.of Cell and
Developmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome,)
1980-1981: Research assistant at the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France) in the laboratory of Dr. Maurice Hofnung
Project: Transcriptional activation of the maltose system in E. coli
1978-1980: Research fellow of the Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti the Institut Pasteur (Paris,
FR), supervisor Dr. Maurice Hofnung. Project: Regulation of genes involved in maltose uptake in E. coli
1977: "Laurea" in Biological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Roma (maximum degrees and honors).
(supervisor: Prof. F. Graziosi)
Other appointments
Teaching
Since 2004: Professor of Functional Genomics of Prokaryotes for students in Biotechnology at Sapienza
University of Rome
Since 1998: Professor of Molecular Microbiology for students of the Advanced School in Microbiology and
Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome
Since 1990: Member of the Doctorate School in Cell and Developmental Biology Sapienza Univ. of Rome
1994-2000: Professor of Microbial Genetics for students of the Advanced School in Biotechnology at the
Sapienza University of Rome
Since 1992: Professor of General Microbiology , Faculty of Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome
November 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003: Invited teacher at the Advance Course in General Microbiology at
the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France)
Within scientific societies
2013-2015 President: of the Italian Society of General Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology
(SIMGBM)
2010-2018: Member of the Council of the Italian Federation of Life Sciences (FISV)
As projects and fellowships evaluator
January 2012: Member of the expert panel of the Agence d evaluation de la recherché et de l enseignement
supérieur (AERES, FR), Microbiology, Strasbourg (FR)
July 2011: Member of expert panel of the Ireland Science Foundation (SFI, EI), Microbiology, Trinity
College, Dublin (EI)
Since 2003: Expert evaluator/ Vice Chair for research projects of the European Community (Marie Curie
People Initiatives FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, Life and Environmental Panel)
As project coordinator and commission head
2016. Coordinator of the PTR project 24-16 (Institut Pasteur, FR)
2011: Head of the Commission for the Qualifying examinations for Biologist , Sapienza University of Rome
2005-2006 and 2007-2008: Coordinator of a multicenters National Project on Impact of multidrug resistant
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in patient affected by Cystic Fibrosis, Italian Foundation of Cystic Fibrosis
Sep.-Dec.1984: Scientific supervisor of a survey program on diarrheal diseases in Mogadishu (Somalia),
sponsored by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Visiting stages
Sept.1995: Visiting scientist in the laboratory of Prof. Jorge Crosa (Oregon Health Sciences University,
Portland USA). Research project: Thermoregulation of gene expression in Vibrio.
Jul.-Aug.1995: Visiting scientist in the laboratory of Prof. Frank Stahl (Univ.of Oregon, Eugene USA).
Research project: Interaction between general recombination systems of enterobacteria.
Invited seminars at National and International Institution
University of Exter, (UK), Università di Pavia (IT) - Università di Padova (IT) - Università di Napoli (IT) -
Università di Sassari (IT) Università di Salerno (IT), Università di Milano (IT), Università Cattolica di
Roma (IT) ,ospedale Bambino Gesù , Roma (IT), Novartis Vaccines, Siena (IT) - Institut Pasteur, Paris (FR) -
Ecole Polytecnique, Paris (FR) - Université de Clermond Ferrand (FR) - Université de la Mediterranée,
Marseille (FR) - University of Umea (S), University of Exeter (UK) - University of Wurzburg (D) -
University of Barcelona (ES) - Harvard Medical School (USA) - Oregon Health Sciences University (USA).
Editiorial activity
2005-2007: Member of the advisory editorial board of Molecular Microbiology
2003 and 2007: Editor of the second and third Italian edition of the textbook Brock: Biology of
Microrganisms Prentice Hall
Grant reviewing activity
ANR (French National Research Agency) (FR) - Ireland Science Foundation (EI) - Italian Ministery of
University and Research (IT) - Spanish Ministery of Health (ES) - Wellcome Trust (UK), Spanish Ministery
of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, Consolider Projects), European Commission (Marie
Slodowoska Curie Actions ITN, IF),
Manuscript reviewing/referee activity
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy - Applied and Environmental Microbiology - BMC Microbiology -
FEMS Microbiological Letters - Infection and Immunity - International Journal of Medical Microbiology -
Journal of Bacteriology - Microbiology - Molecular Microbiology - Nature Reviews in Microbiology - PLoS
One - Research in Microbiology - Trends in Microbiology
Synopsis of current scientific activity and relevant results
The research activity centres around the comprehension of mechanisms regulating gene expression in
bacteria. Following the initial training in molecular genetics of the maltose system in E.coli at the Pasteur
Institut, in M. Hofnung s laboratory, the focus has been directed towards the understanding of genetic systems
involved in iron uptake and in the organization of antibiotic resistance genes in Salmonella. Then research
interest has moved to the expression of virulence gene in Shigella and enteroinvasive E.coli. The results
obtained have contributed to clarify 1) the mechanisms inducing silencing of virulence genes as a function of
temperature; 2) the role of the nucleoid associated proteins in the control of the invasive phenotype; 3) the
role of intrinsically curved DNA as a sensor of environmental signals relevant to gene expression ; 4) the role
of small RNA molecules in the modulation of virulence gene expression.5) the molecular mechanisms
underlying the evolution of Shigella from commensal E.coli; 6) the involvement of polyamine in the
intracellular life of Shigell. Current projects focus on the understanding of the genome organization of
Shigella ( in collaboration with D.Mazel, IP , Paris); the structural analysis of the main regulator of Shigella
virulence gene VirF ; the response of Shigella to stress conditions ( oxidative stress, iron stress).