Valentina Russo

CURRENT POSITION

Associate professor in Veterinary Anatomy

Department: 

Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology

University of Teramo  | UNITE

Italy

Email: vrusso@unite.it

ABOUT

Associate professor in Veterinary Anatomy and Internal Tutor of  ESR3: Effect of dietary on mammalian spermatozoa membrane lipid remodeling

EDUCATION and ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

• October 2015-Present Associate Professor in Veterinary Anatomy (SSD-VET/01), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo.

• October 2001-2015 Academic Researcher in Veterinary Anatomy (SSD-VET/01), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo.

• July 1997-September 2001 Scientific Technician for Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo.

• 1996 Licence to practise the Veterinary Profession.
  

• 1996 Degree in Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy (110/110 cum laude). 

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The research carried out by Prof. Valentina Russo focuses on Reproductive Biology and, in recent years, on the study of amniotic stem cells in Livestock Mammals. In particular, the main fields of study developed are:

      BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION

1. Study on the epigenetic and telomeric reprogramming and on chromatin remodelling during post-natal oogenesis and in in vitro grown oocytes.
2. Evaluation of the existing correlation between ovarian follicle growth and angiogenesis of the follicular wall determined by the expression of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF).
3. Cryobiology applied to the oocyte.
4. Biology of the male gamete.

    AMNIOTIC STEM CELLS AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE.

1. Isolation, characterization and amplification of amniotic epithelial and fluid stem cells (AECs and AFCs).
2. Evaluation of AFC and AEC in vitro differentiating ability using, in particular, for the tenogenic differentiation the co-culture technique.
3. Assessment of AFC and AEC regenerative potential in allo and xeno- transplantation in experimentally induced tendon lesions in sheep and in equine superficial digital flexor tendon spontaneous defects
4. Study of AFC and AEC survival, mitotic and differentiative ability, and epigenic stability in vitro and in vivo.