Cesarina Giallongo

Dr. Giallongo’s research is concerned primarily with the role of tumor microenvironment in the pathogenesis and progression of hematological maglignancies. Whitin this context, she has investigated tumor-induced immunosuppressive mechanisms, cytokine networks and metabolic changes of tumor microenvironment. She has evaluated the complex crosstalk between mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), myeloid derived suppressor cells and leukemic cells. Ongoing research projects include the mitochondria transfer between MSCs and myeloma cells as potential mechanism that induces chemoresistance improving mitochondrial fitness of tumor cells. Moreover, Dr. Giallongo studies the tumor-stroma metabolic coupling and its link to epigenetic changes in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia microenvironment.