RAFFAELE DE FRANCESCO

Raffaele De Francesco (RDF) obtained his doctoral degree in Biology from the University of Milano (1984). He subsequently carried out postdoctoral research at Emory University, Atlanta, USA (1985-88) and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany (1988-1990).

From 1991 to 2008, he worked at IRBM/Merck Research Laboratories in Rome (Italy), where he made fundamental contributions to the identification and validation of molecular targets that underpin the direct-acting antiviral therapies responsible for the cure of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

In 2008, he joined the Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare (INGM) in Milano, Italy, as head of the Virology Laboratory.
In December 2019, he was appointed Professor of General Microbiology in the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB) at the University of Milano.

RDF is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in the molecular virology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and for his major contributions to antiviral drug discovery. In recognition of his role in the development of highly effective HCV antivirals, he was awarded the Lennart Philipson Award in 2018.

His group’s research currently focuses on:
– Discovery of novel antivirals for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
– Mechanisms of innate antiviral response against hepatotropic viruses
– Translating molecular virology insights into new therapeutic strategies

RDF has more than 170 papers published in peer-reviewed journal and an H-index of 72 (Scopus) and is inventor in many international patents.