Application of complementary methods beyond standard pathology to investigate spontaneous and induced diseases in laboratory animals.
The aim of this project is to apply complementary methods to the traditional pathological routine examination of spontaneous and induced diseases of laboratory animals used in preclinical studies, in particular during toxicological safety assessment and exploratory studied, in order to shed light into the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying these conditions.
The routine pathological examination of toxicological studies traditionally relies on the evaluation of standard H&E-stained tissue sections to identify specific treatment-related findings, and only rarely additional pathological methods (histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, TEM, molecular biology) are undertaken to further investigate the pathogenesis of spontaneous or induced lesions of unclear nature. The application of a broader pathological approach is advisable to better characterize the disease that affect laboratory animals and gain an increased knowledge about their pathogenetic mechanisms.
The PhD candidate will be trained in all the technical aspects concerning necropsy of laboratory animals (including mice, rats, rabbits, and dogs), sampling of tissues for different methods of examination (histology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, bacteriology, molecular biology, etc), trimming procedures of the collected organs, processing of tissues for paraffin embedding, sectioning of histological sections, histochemical and immunohistochemical/immunofluorescence stainings (manual and automated methods). In addition, he will be trained in the histological evaluation of all the tissues, and interpretation of the immunostainings, will learn to use the softwares to read digitalized slides, acquire histological images, and perform digital image analysis.
The PhD candidate will participate in the network’s training activities and work placements in the laboratories of the participating academic and industrial partners. Furthermore, he will be asked to extend his training in abroad institutions to learn emerging technologies used in the field of toxicological and investigative pathology.
Simone Canesi obtained his degree in Veterinary Biotechnology in 2021 with honours from the University of Milan (UNIMI) with a thesis focused on epigenetics modifications and quality of the bovine seminal material in relation to the age of the breeder.
From January to September 2022, he was a research fellow in Mouse and Animal Pathology Laboratory (MAPLAB). Since October 2022 he is a PhD candidate in Veterinary Animal Science following the research project entitled: “Application of complementary methods to classical pathology for the evaluation of spontaneous and induced diseases in laboratory animals”. His research activity is carried out at the MAPLAB (Fondazione Unimi, Milano, Italy) and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS) of the University of Milan (UNIMI).
Publications: Orcid ; Scopus ; IRIS-AIR
Supervisor Dr. Camilla Recordati
