Prof. Della Bella started her professional research experience in the Lab of Cellular Immunology and Immunogenetics where her research interest was mainly devoted to the study of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In 1999 she moved to the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, where from 2001 to 2011 she directed the Lab of Immunology and launched the Lab of Flow Cytometry. There, she developed new methods for the culture and flow cytometric analysis of human dendritic cells that she applied to the study of these cells in several physiologic and pathologic conditions, including pregnancy, chronic viral infections and cancer. In 2011 she moved to the Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, at Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, where she joined the UCEI. Prof. Della Bella serves as associate editor of Frontiers in Immunology (section: Inflammation). She is Secretary of the European Society for Clinical cell Analysis (ESCCA) since 2014, and has been member of the Executive Board of the Italian Society of Clinical and Experimental Cytometry (SICiCS) (2005-2010).
Education and training
1987 Medical Degree, University of Milan
1987-1990 Specialty Degree in Allergology and Clinical Immunology, University of Milan
1990-1994 PhD in Internal Medicine, University of Milan
1994-1999 Specialty Degree in Internal Medicine, University of Milan
Career
Associate Professor in General Pathology and Immunology at the University of Milan, where she directed the Laboratory of Immunology at Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies from 2001 to 2011. Then she moved to the Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, at Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, where she is Senior Staff Scientist in the Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, leading the Research groups on Endothelial Cells and Dendritic Cells.
Research activity
Her current research activity is mainly focused on:
– Role of vascular endothelium in the pathogenesis of thromboembolic disease;
– Biology of circulating human endothelial progenitor cells, and their role in the tumor microenvironment;
– Immunobiology of dendritic cells in human cancer and their interaction with other immune cells.
She is author of more than 70 research papers and reviews published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, and more than 130 communications in national and international meetings. Her H-index is 25.
Editorial and Reviewer activity
Associate Editor of Frontiers in Immunology (section: Inflammation); formerly Guest Associate Editor for the same journal, since 2015. Review Editor of Frontiers in Medicine (section: Innovative Therapies), since 2016. Editor of Advances in Medicine, from 2013 to 2017. She holds reviewer activity for prestigious scientific journals, including Lancet, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Leukocyte Biology, PLoS ONE. She is also referee for the evaluation of research projects and products on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research.
Professional Societies
Silvia Della Bella is Secretary of the European Society for Clinical cell Analysis (ESCCA) since 2014 and she has been member of the Standing Committee on teaching and education of the same Society since 2012. She has been member of the Executive Board of the Italian Society of Clinical and Experimental Cytometry (SICiCS) (2005-2010). She is also member of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC), Italian Society for Cytometry (GIC), Italian Society of Immunology, Clinical Immunology and Allergology (SIICA), Italian Society of Pathology and Translational Medicine (SIPMeT).
Academic duties
Member of the Steering Committee and Erasmus Programme Delegate of the International Medical School.