Graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of Catania, CNR scholarship holder, specialized in "Experimental Medicine", technical officer in charge of the Cellular Physiology laboratory of the Department of Physiological Sciences, Researcher and Assistant Professor for the disciplinary sector BIO/09 Physiology, she is currently Associate Professor of Physiology at the Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences of the University of Catania. She holds the national scientific qualification as Full Professor for the scientific disciplinary sector BIO/09 Physiology.

She has carried out teaching activities for the degree courses in Natural Sciences (five-year), Biological Sciences (five-year), Ecological Sciences and Environmental Education (level I) and Environmental Sciences (level II). She currently teaches General and Environmental Physiology (9 C.F.U.) for the Degree Course in Environmental and Natural Sciences (1st level), Ecophysiological Adaptations to the Environment for the Degree Course in Environmental Biology, Physiology for the Degree Courses in Nursing, Radiology and Radiotherapy Technicians, and Environmental Safety Technicians, and Biophysics Physiology I Channel A and Channel C (8 C.F.U.) for the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery (five-year).

She has held lessons for the second level University Masters "Monitoring and assessment of environmental, mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic risk" and "Monitoring of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and environmental risk", at the theoretical-practical training and professional development course organized in Catania by the National Order of Biologists, at the specialized training course "New figures of advanced technology specialists for the identification and analysis of biomarkers in the oncology sector" entrusted by the Company Medical Sciences s.r.l. within the Industrial Research and Training Project PON01_02418 and for the National Research Council (CNR) - Institute of Neurological Sciences UOS of Catania within the training project connected to the Project "DNA on Disk: Diagnostic platform and kits for human health in the oncology, neurological and infectious diseases and poverty-related diseases" - CTN01_00177_817708, financed by the resources of the program National Operational "Research & Competitiveness (PON "R&C") PON01_0248.

Research Interest: Environmental Physiology,Cell cultures; Cell models; Cell physiology; Signal transduction; Gene expression; Proteomics; Mesenchymal stem cell biology and differentiation ; Krabbe disease, e

Research Interest: Cardiovascular disease epidemiology, hypertensive heart disease, cardiovascular imaging and genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases.

Current position:
2011- present : Associate Professor of Medical Genetics (Area A1/06- SSD MED03), University of Chieti-Pescara  Italy On April  2017, VG obtained the National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor  in Medical Genetics  (SSD MED/03)

Previous positions:
2005-2011:  University Researcher (Medical Genetics - MED 03) University of Chieti-Pescara ( Italy)
2002-2005: Post-Phd Fellowship supported by University of Chieti.
1995- Fellowship supported by European Structural Funds. Research area:  Biological and Medical Science carried out at the  Centro di Genetica Evoluzionistica- CNR Rome

Research Interest: During the course of her scientific activity, VG  worked in the field of molecular genetics, using the most recent techniques for the study of gene mutations causing pathologies such as male infertility, short stature (linked to mutations of the SHOX gene), familiar breast cancer (due to mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes), Van Der Woude syndrome (IRF6 gene), and several neuromuscular diseases (Duchenne Muscular Dystrohpy, distal SMA, and others).
 She is head of a research team, working in the CAST research Centre of Chieti University specialized in molecular genetics.
 During these years VG primary interest was the study of the molecular basis of human reproduction and  she is currently investigating molecular mechanisms involved in oocyte competence and male infertility.
 These studies have been carried out by VG using a variety of molecular genetics technique like PCR, Southern Blot, DNA sequencing, as well as Multiple Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA). In the last few years, she has employed Real Time PCR, microarray , HRM, pyrosequencing and NGS technologies to investigate the modulation of gene expression profile in  different  models and SNPs (oocyte mitochondrial DNA, sperm, cumulus cells, oocyte, Transgenic Mouse Models of AD, stem cells).

URL: https://www.unich.it/ugov/person/1475

Number of publications: 10

Research Interest: Processos carcinogênicos e progressão de lesão. Invasão e metastáse. Processos patológicos envolvendo Papilomavirus humano (HPV) Estudos envolvendo análises citológicas e histopatológicos.

Research Interest: IRS1 IRS2,miR-200a,insulin/IGF signaling,paraganglioma,APC gene

Research Interest: Mechanism(s) of neurotransmitter and hormone synthesis, secretion and action, and the associated cellular regulatory pathways and their modulation by pharmacological agents. I am also interested in the effects of pharmacological and dietary modulation (medical foods, herbs, behavioural techniques etc) of metabolic, cellular, organ and systemic levels. I am especially interested in the age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration. Expertise in the prevention of CNS/PNS damage in conditions related to metabolic syndrome (diabetes), stroke, ischemia, hypoxia and diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Research Interest: The immunology and immunogenetic of tuberculosis and sarcoidosis with particular interests in the role of HLA, NRAMP1 and participation of M. tuberculosis heat shock proteins in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis; Mycobacterial heat shock proteins and their role in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis.

Dr Toma is senior research officer at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and holds a conjoint lecturer position at School of Medical science (University of New South Wales). He obtained his PhD in human genetics at the University of Bologna (Italy) and carried out research projects in the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (University of Oxford, UK) and in the genetics of psychiatric and Mendelian diseases at the University of Barcelona (Spain).  Dr Toma has extensive experience in association studies, linkage studies, copy number variant (CNV) analyses and whole exome/genome sequencing. He has identified novel candidate genes for autism spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder, and suggested new genetic mechanisms.

Research Interest: Genetics of psychiatric diseases

Number of Publications: 31

Research Interest: Epidemiology and  pathophysiology of ischemic stroke Inflammatory  activation of the acute phase of acute ischemic stroke in relation of  subtypes of ischemic stroke,CD4+CD28- T cells in acute ischemic stroke  killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) receptors in acute clinical subtypes of acute ischemic stroke Treatment with  high-dose furosemide and small-volume hypertonic saline therapy in refractory heart failure Treatment with  high-dose furosemide and small-volume hypertonic saline therapy in refractory ascites diabetic foot as a cardiovascular risk marker Anderson-Fabry disease

Research Interest: Biomarkers for the early detection and targeted therapeutics for triple negative breast cancer, oxidative stress and its role in linking cancer and diabetes, development of protein based biologics, clathrin coated pit-mediated endocytosis and its downstream signaling, drug delivery, syngeneic and xenografts mice model.

Research Interest: Epigenomics and pharmacogenomics in anti-cancer chemotherapy (Epi)Genetics and (epi)genomics for cancers and complex diseases

Research Interest: genetic studies, molecular biology, rheumatology, autoimmune diseases, polymorphisms and mutation, RNA and protein levels, T cells, transcriptional factors, cytokines, angiogenesis, signaling pathways in immune responses, inflammation

Research Interest: Mechanisms of cell signaling pathway of cell death Cancer Biology Mechanisms of anti-cancer effect of cancer chemopreventive agents