Anna Villa
Head of Research
Area of Interest
2008-2020 Head of Human Genome Unit, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Milan Italy
2006-present Head of Unit of “Pathogenesis and Treatment of immune and bone disease” at Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
The main focus of Villa’s research has been the molecular and cellular dissection of severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCID). My team identified the genes responsible for: Jak3 deficiency (Nature 1995), hypomorphic RAG defects (Cell 1998), X-linked thrombocytopenia (Nature Genetics 1995). In parallel, her team has identified the molecular basis of Osteopetrosis (Nature Genetics, 2000), RANKL and RANK as genes responsible for the osteoclast poor Osteopetrosis (Nature Genetics, 2007; Am J Human Genetics, 2008). I coordinate a group working on cellular basis of autoimmunity in primary immunodeficiency and novel approaches of cellular therapies including gene therapy and gene editing in hematopoietic stem cell progenitors. My team is also involved in the development of a clinical trial of gene therapy to cure autosomal recessive osteopetrosis caused by defects in TCIRG1 gene.
Most significant publications
2021
Efficacy and safety of anti-CD45-saporin as conditioning agent for RAG deficiency Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 147 (1), pp. 309–320, 2021.
Expanded circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells as novel cell source for the treatment of ŦCIRG1 osteopetrosis Journal Article
In: Haematologica, 106 (1), pp. 74–86, 2021.
2020
Cutaneous barrier leakage and gut inflammation drive skin disease in Omenn syndrome Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 146 (5), pp. 1165–1179, 2020.
Immune dysregulation in patients with RAG deficiency and other forms of combined immune deficiency Journal Article
In: Blood, 135 (9), pp. 610–619, 2020.
2019
Lentiviral haemopoietic stem/progenitor cell gene therapy for treatment of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome: interim results of a non-randomised, open-label, phase 1/2 clinical study Journal Article
In: Lancet Haematol, 6 (5), pp. e239-e253, 2019.
Lentiviral gene therapy corrects platelet phenotype and function in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 144 (3), pp. 825–838, 2019.
RAG gene defects at the verge of immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation Journal Article
In: Immunol Rev, 287 (1), pp. 73–90, 2019.
2018
Efficacy of lentivirus-mediated gene therapy in an Omenn syndrome recombination-activating gene 2 mouse model is not hindered by inflammation and immune dysregulation Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 142 (3), pp. 928–941, 2018.
Autonomous role of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome platelet deficiency in inducing autoimmunity and inflammation Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 142 (4), pp. 1272–1284, 2018.
Neutrophils drive type I interferon production and autoantibodies in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome Journal Article
In: J Allergy Clin Immunol, 142 (5), pp. 1605–1617, 2018.
2016
Intestinal microbiota sustains inflammation and autoimmunity induced by hypomorphic RAG defects Journal Article
In: The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 213 (3), pp. 355–375, 2016, ISSN: 1540-9538.
2015
Lentiviral-mediated gene therapy restores B cell tolerance in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patients Journal Article
In: The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 125 (10), pp. 3941–3951, 2015, ISSN: 1558-8238.
2013
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein-mediated actin dynamics control type-I interferon production in plasmacytoid dendritic cells Journal Article
In: J Exp Med, 210 (2), pp. 355–374, 2013.
Lentiviral hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome Journal Article
In: Science, 341 (6148), pp. 1233151, 2013.
2012
Anti-CĐ3ε mAb improves thymic architecture and prevents autoimmune manifestations in a mouse model of Omenn syndrome: therapeutic implications Journal Article
In: Blood, 120 (5), pp. 1005–1014, 2012.
2000
Đefects in ŦCIRG1 subunit of the vacuolar proton pump are responsible for a subset of human autosomal recessive osteopetrosis Journal Article
In: Nat Genet, 25 (3), pp. 343–346, 2000.
1995
X-linked thrombocytopenia and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome are allelic diseases with mutations in the WASP gene Journal Article
In: Nat Genet, 9 (4), pp. 414–417, 1995.
via Olgettina 60, Milan, Italy – c/o Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy -San Raffaele Hospital
- anna.villa@irgb.cnr.it
+39 02 26435273