RAFFAELE DE FRANCESCO
defrancesco@ingm.org
+39 02 00 660 336
+39 02 00 660 216
Raffaele De Francesco (RDF) earned a degree in Biology from the University of Milan. Subsequently, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University, Atlanta, U.S.A., and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany. Between 1991 and 2008, Raffaele De Francesco worked at I.R.B.M./Merck Research Laboratory in Rome (Italy), where he contributed to the identification of molecular targets that became the basis of today’s curative therapies against chronic hepatitis C virus. In 2008, he joined INGM as a Group Leader and responsible for the Virology laboratory. In December 2019, RDF has been appointed as Professor of General Microbiology in the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB) at the University of Milano.
RDF is internationally recognized primarily for his pioneering work on the molecular virology of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and for his key contributions to antiviral drug discovery. In recognition of his contribution to the development of highly effective HCV antivirals, RDF won the 2018 Lennart Philipson Award.
His current research focuses on:
– Discovery of novel antivirals for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
– Mechanisms of innate immunity against hepatotropic and emerging viruses
– Translating molecular virology insights into new therapeutic strategies
RDF has more than 160 papers published in peer-reviewed journal and an H-index of 71 (Scopus) and is inventor in many international patents.
