I am a permanent researcher in the Saleh lab. I obtained my PhD from the University of Padova (Italy), where I first fell in love with insects and their immune systems. During my doctoral studies, I investigated the genetic basis of antibacterial immunity in the silkworm.
In 2017, I joined Mathilde Gendrin’s group at the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, where I began working on mosquitoes and their microbiota. During my time in Cayenne, I developed a method to rear germ-free mosquitoes, which I used to better understand how bacteria contribute to mosquito larval development. In parallel, I took part in several field missions to collect wild mosquitoes and characterize their natural microbiota.
In 2021, I joined Carla Saleh’s lab, initially exploring whether the mosquito microbiota could be leveraged to stimulate antiviral immunity against arboviruses. I demonstrated that the microbiota is not a suitable vehicle for delivering RNA molecules to mosquitoes. For this reason, my research now focuses on using insect-specific viruses as platforms to immunize mosquitoes against arboviruses. Additionally, I am carrying out two complementary projects: (1) investigating how the bacterial microbiota influences mosquito physiology and susceptibility to arboviral infection, and (2) characterizing how RNA interference regulates microbiota load and composition in mosquitoes and fruit flies.
Outside the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking (and eating!) Italian food, and doing arts and crafts.