I am a pediatrician by training. My field of interest has initially been pediatric immunology, working in Fabrizio De Benedetti’s lab in Pavia and for 2 years with Raif Geha at Children’s Hospital Boston. Since 2006, in the Division of Nephrology of Bambino Gesù, I have performed basic and translational research in pediatric immune-mediated renal diseases. I have initiated in numerous clinical studies on the pathogenesis and clinical features of immune-mediated renal disease, among which the treatment with eculizumab of a patient with dense-deposit disease, described in the NEJM.

Moreover, I have participated in clinical trials on innovative therapies for nephrotic syndrome, such as the AIFA-sponsored NEMO study on Rituximab with Giuseppe Remuzzi and, the OFA2 with Gianmarco Ghiggeri on Ofatumumab.Since 2015 with Franco Locatelli we have evaluated the potential of mesenchymal stem cells in kidney diseases.

This collaboration has led to 2 publications and to the financing of a clinical trial sponsored by the Italian Drug agency on the use of MSC in nephrotic syndrome.

More recently, we have obtained with Gianmarco Ghiggeri a Italian Ministry of Research 2016 sponsorship for the Rixathon study in nephrotic syndrome. In the lab, we have studied the role of B cells and of IgM in steroid-sensitive forms of nephrotic syndrome.

I have participated in numerous clinical guidelines, including atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, congenital nephrotic syndrome, steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, and with KDIGO both complement-mediated renal diseases and glomerular diseases.

I review numerous scientific publications and am on the Editorial Board of Pediatric Nephrology and of Kidney International. I also am actively involved in the European Society of Pediatric Nephrology as a member of the Council and as Chair in the Scientific Committee for ESPN 2020.

Within ERKNet, I co-chair the expert group on immune-mediated glomerulopathies and have contributed to numerous Orphanet disease descriptions and to the glomerulopathy reclassification.