University

Raffaella Cascella is a fixed-term researcher in Medical Genetics (MEDS-01/A) at the Department of Life Sciences, Health, and Health Professions at Link Campus University in Rome. She attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo,” focusing on topics related to the production of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. She subsequently attained a Master’s Degree in Genomic Biotechnology at La Sapienza University, Rome, discussiong a dissertation titled “Mutational analysis of the FLG gene in Italian patients with atopic dermatitis: a case-control study and genotype-phenotype correlation.” She attained a Ph.D. in Advanced Technologies in Biomedicine at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” with a dissertation titled “Genetic characterization of age-related macular degeneration: clinical and molecular bases for the development of a predictive test.” During her doctoral studies, she conducted in-depth research into the molecular aspects of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), identifying various genomic and non-genomic risk factors associated with the disease. She subsequently attained a specialization in Medical Genetics at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” where she developed and validated two computational systems applicable in clinical practice for the implementation of precision medicine protocols. She received her professional training at the Laboratory of Medical Genetics at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” She is qualified to serve as an Associate Professor in the scientific-disciplinary field MED/03. Her research focuses on genomic and personalized medicine as applied to hereditary, familial, and multifactorial genetic disorders. Her main areas of study include: age-related macular degeneration, hereditary retinal diseases, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease), and neuromuscular diseases (Facio-Scapulo-Humeral Dystrophy). In particular, her research focuses on eye diseases, with the aim of identifying diagnostic, predictive, prognostic, and pharmacogenomic biomarkers for translation into clinical practice. She participated in several research projects funded by the Ministry of Health and other national agencies. She authored and co-authored several scientific publications in high-impact international journals and is a member of the Italian Society of Human Genetics (SIGU).

Curriculum Vitae