20th July 1990: degree in Medicine at the University of Trieste.
October 1990: passed the entrance exam at the International School for Advanced Studies (I.S.A.S.) in Trieste and admission in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Group of Prof. A. Falaschi at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (I.C.G.E.B. Trieste-Italy).
November 1992: degree of "Magister Philosophiae" at the I.S.A.S.
27th January 1995: Ph.D. degree at the I.S.A.S.
1995-1997 Visiting Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Dr J.C. Marini (Human Genetic Branch, National Institute of Child Heritable Disorders).

1997-march 2003 Scientist assistant in the Department of Molecular Pathology of the University of Tuebingen, Germany, directed by Prof. Dr. R. Kandolf.
March 2003-September 2007 consultant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital of Cattinara directed by Prof G. Guarnieri.
October 2007- Associate professor in the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste directed by Prof R. Gennaro.
November 2009-: Chairman of the board of professors, Master degree in Medical Biotechnology, University of Trieste

The laboratory is involved in three main research lines:
1) identification and characterization of siRNAs and aptamers potentially usable for the treatment of human diseases for which the current available therapeutic options are not satisfactory (in-stent restenosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, inflammatory bowel diseases and prostate tumor); as target genes have been considered the transcription factor E2F1 and serum response factor, the cyclins E1/E2 and the eukaryotic elongation factor eEF1A.
2) Identification of suitable delivery systems for siRNA and aptamers for in vivo applications. Due to their hydrophilic nature, these molecules cannot efficiently cross cellular membrane, moreover, their instability in serum and in the extra/intra-cellular environment requires a proper protection to prevent a fast degradation which would invariably lead to the abrogation of any significant therapeutic effect. We are studying the possibility to deliver siRNA and aptamers via nano/micro carries.
3) Evaluation of the possibility to extend the therapeutic indications of clinically used drugs; in this sense we are evaluating the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma potential of the drug bortezomib, at the moment used mainly in the treatment of multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma affected patients. Additionally we are also evaluating the hypomethylating drug 5-azacytidine whose clinical application are mostly restricted to hematological diseases; we are investigating whether the use of this drug can be extended also to the treatment of solid tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Both for bortezomib and 5-azacytidine the phenotypic effects on tumor cellular model together with the molecular mechanism (including possible effects on miRNA expression) of their action are studied.

Two-Dimensional Enzyme Diffusion Demonstrated in Laterally Confined DNA Monolayers. Matteo Castronovo, Agnese Lucesoli, Pietro Parisse, Anastasia Kurnikova, Aseem Malhotra, Mario Grassi, Gabriele Grassi, Bruna Scaggiante, Loredana Casalis, Giacinto Scoles. Nature Communication, 2011 in press.
Effects of E2F1-cyclinE1-E2 circuit down-regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. R Farra, B Dapas, G Pozzato, B Scaggiante, F Agostini, C Zennaro, M Grassi, N Rosso, C Giansante, N Fiotti, G Grassi. Digestive and Liver Diseases, 2011, in press
G Grassi, D Hasa, D Voinovich, B Perissutti, B Dapas, R Farra, E Franceschinis, M Grassi. Simultaneous release and ADME processes of poorly water soluble drugs: mathematical modeling. Molecular Pharmaceutics 2010, 7 (5), pp 1488"1497
D Werth, G Grassi°, N Konjer, B Dapas, R Farra, C Giansante, R Kandolf, G Guarnieri, A Nordheim and O Heidenreich. Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation Depends on Serum Response Factor. European Journal of Cell Biology, 2010, Feb-Mar;89(2-3):216-24. °(Werth and Grassi contributed equally to this work and shared first authorship).
R Farra, B Dapas, G Pozzato, C Giansante, O Heidenreich, L Uxa, C Zennaro, G Guarnieri and G Grassi. Serum Response Factor depletion affects the proliferation of the hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2 and JHH6. Biochimie 2010, May;92(5):455-63
B Dapas, R Farra, M Grassi, C Giansante, N Fiotti, L Uxa, G Rainaldi, A Mercatanti, A Colombatti, P Spessotto, V Lacovich, G Guarnieri and G Grassi. Role of E2F1-cyclinE1-cyclinE2 circuit in human coronary smooth muscle cell proliferation and therapeutic potential of its down regulation by siRNAs. Molecular Medicine, 2009, 15: 296-306
D Baiz, G Pozzato, B Dapas, R Farra, B Scaggiante, M Grassi, L Uxa, C Giansante, C Zennaro, G Guarnieri and G Grassi. Bortezomib arrests the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2 and JHH6 by differentially affecting E2F1, p21 and p27 levels. Biochimie, 2009, 91 (03): 309-456
Prostate Tumour-Inducing gene-1 analysis in human prostate cancer cells and tissue in relation to Mycoplasma infection. Bruna Scaggiante, Serena Bonin, Luigi Cristiano, Salvatore Siracusano, Giorgio Stanta, Barbara Dapas, Carlo Giansante, Nicola Fiotti and Gabriele Grassi. Cancer Investigation, 2008 26 (8): 800-8
C. Lang, M Sauter, G Szalay, G Racchi, G Grassi, G Rainaldi, A Mercatanti, F Lang, R Kandolf, and K Klingel. Connective tissue growth factor: A crucial cytokine mediating cardiac fibrosis in ongoing enterovirus myocarditis. Journal of Molecular Medicine. 2008, 86 (1) 49-60.
M. Zanetti, A. Stocca, B. Dapas, R. Farra, A. Bosutti, R. Barazzoni, C. Giansante, F. Tedesco, L. Cattin, G. Guarnieri and G. Grassi. Inhibitory Effects Of Fenofibrate On Apoptosis And Cell Proliferation In Human Endothelial Cells In High Glucose. Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2008, 86 (2) 185-95.

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