Interview with Ilaria Fregno, PhD student at IRB

Servizio relazioni internazionali e mobilità

15 Ottobre 2015

laria Fregno, from the University of Padua, has received a SEMP Mobility for Traineeships grant that allowed her to perform her master thesis at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (affiliated to USI) in the laboratory of Dr. Maurizio Molinari (Protein Folding and Quality Control). The cooperation proved to be very successful, so that Ilaria is now a PhD student at IRB.

Let’s hear from Ilaria the highlights of her interesting experience.

Hi Ilaria, thank you for accepting our invitation for this inter- view. Please tell us something about yourself.

“I am Ilaria Fregno and I was born in Verona. I obtained my bachelor degree in Health Biotech and master degree in Pharmaceutical Biotech at the University of Padua. Now I am a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Maurizio Molinari at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona.”

Why did you choose Switzerland for your Erasmus/SEMP internship?

“During my Master studies I’ve found out about the Laboratory of Dr. Maurizio Molinari between the Erasmus destinations. The possibility to perform my master thesis in Molinari Lab was very stimulating to me: Molinari group is focused on the study of molecular mechanisms regulating chaperone-assisted protein folding and the quality control processes. Since I was really interested in this research field, I thought that this was a great opportunity for my scientific training. Last but not at least, another reason drove me to this destination: the country where IRB is located. Switzerland is an advanced country with strong interest in research and science. 

Summing up, my choice depended on the strong interest for the subject and on my huge desire to work in an international and excellent laboratory in Switzerland.”

What was the internship about? Please describe a typical day at the office. How was the working environment?

“During my internship I studied the fate of wild type and disease-related variants of Myelin Protein Zero. This protein is expressed in peripheral nervous system. Several mutations in the myelin protein zero gene (MPZ) have been identified as the cause of various forms of demyelinating neu- ropathies in human. A typical day in the lab was divided between work at the bench, study, scientific discussions and seminars organized by the Institute. The working environment was great, highly professional and stimulating.”

In which way has this period abroad enriched you, both professionally and personally?

“I think that working in an international laboratory with people coming from different countries, everyone with his experience and knowledge, was very important for my scientific and personal training. This experience gave me the possibility to grow both professionally and personally.”

What does your research activity at IRB focus on?

“The lab of Dr. Molinari is focused on the study of the molecular mechanisms regulating chaperone-assisted protein folding and the quality control processes determining whether a polypeptide can be secreted, should be retained in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), or should be transported across the ER membrane for degradation. A thorough knowledge of these processes will be instrumental to identify drug targets and/or to design therapies for diseases caused by inefficient functioning of the cellular protein factory, resulting from expression of defective gene products (e.g., rare genetic disorders), or elicited by pathogen.”

What would you say to other students wishing to benefit from this kind of grants?

“I would say that this is a great opportunity. Switzerland is a wonderful country!”

Please describe your experience in 3 keywords.

“Amazing, Enriching, Extraordinary”