Giovannino Silvestri, PhD

My research program centers on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving therapeutic resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with a particular focus on FLT3-ITD–mutant AML, leukemia stem cells (LSCs), and the bone marrow microenvironment. I am deeply interested in how metabolic adaptations and hypoxic signaling within the bone marrow niche foster leukemic persistence and resistance to targeted therapies, and in leveraging this knowledge to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

A major line of my work investigates hypoxia-driven resistance to FLT3 inhibitors. Although FLT3 inhibitors such as gilteritinib and quizartinib improve outcomes, patients frequently relapse, with blasts persisting in the hypoxic bone marrow. In parallel, I am committed to building preclinical models that faithfully recapitulate the patient microenvironment and also contribute to the advancement of New Alternative Methods (NAMs), reducing reliance on animal testing.

Beyond AML, and an intensive training in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia RNA and stem biology, my research background spans immunology, virology and bacteriology, with prior work in influenza, COVID-19 and mycoplasma  immunopathogenesis. This foundation in viral-host interactions informs my current exploration of stress-adaptive responses in cancer, as both contexts demand understanding how cells survive under hostile microenvironments.

Ultimately, my long-term research goal is to translate mechanistic insights into therapeutic innovation. By dissecting the metabolic and microenvironmental regulation of FLT3-ITD and LSCs, and by advancing platforms for drug discovery, I aim to develop strategies that improve survival and reduce relapse in AML patients.

Certificate in Clinical Trials Operations by Johns Hopkins University. Certificate earned at November 1, 2023.

1. Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials
   Johns Hopkins University
   Taught by: Janet Holbrook, PhD, MPH, Ann-Margret Ervin, PhD, MPH, Stephan Ehrhardt, MD, MPH & Elizabeth A. Sugar, PhD
   Grade Achieved: 87.79%
2. Clinical Trials Data Management and Quality Assurance
   Johns Hopkins University
   Taught by: Janet Holbrook, PhD, MPH, Ann-Margret Ervin, PhD, MPH & David M. Shade, JD
   Grade Achieved: 86.08%
3. Clinical Trials Management and Advanced Operations
   Johns Hopkins University
   Taught by: Ann-Margret Ervin, PhD, MPH, Anne Shanklin Casper, MA & Sheriza Baksh, PhD
   Grade Achieved: 87.34%
4. Clinical Trials Analysis, Monitoring, and Presentation
   Johns Hopkins University
   Taught by: Janet Holbrook, PhD, MPH, Elizabeth A. Sugar, PhD & David M. Shade, JD
   Grade Achieved: 86.23%

Memberships:

2014-present   Member, American Society of Hematology (ASH).

2015-present   Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

2015-present   Member, The International CML Foundation (iCMLf)

2017-present   Associate Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

2025-present  Member of the Cancer Therapeutics research program at the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.

2025-present   Member of ISSNAF - the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation.

2025-present  IRB Member Review Board UMB/VA, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.

Honors and Awards:

2009, Best Graduate Award 2009, University of Calabria, Italy, awarded for distinguished  performance in biology.

2010-13, Ph.D. Student Fellowship, Italian Ministry of Health, University of Verona, Italy.

2012, 14^th ESH-iCMLf Travel Award, Baltimore, USA.

2014, 16^th ESH-iCMLf Travel Award, Philadelphia, USA.

2015, Nominated by Dr. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Baltimore, to partecipate in the AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science. This program rewards deserving graduate students, medical students, and postdocs working in the life sciences, Baltimore, USA.

2015, Award for Best poster presentation, University of Maryland, USA.

2015, American Society of Hematology Abstract achievement Award winner, Orlando, USA.  

2017, September Postdoc Appreciation Month, program in Oncology, University of Maryland, USA.

2018, Member Memory Board and Membership Testimonial, Selected from The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Chicago, USA.

2022, Silver Plaque Award given by the Mayor of Rende for scientific research career, Italy.

Grant Reviewer:

2021, Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC)

Funded Grants

1. Dr Silvestri  on March 11th, 2019 released an interview to an italian science magazine OGGIScienza.it that interviewed him to tell to the italian community the research he is performing in the United States of America. https://oggiscienza.it/2019/03/11/leucemia-mieloide-cronica/Chronic myeloid leukemia, the research to destroy cancer stem cells. Two directions of CML research: study drug-resistant cancer stem cells and develop new molecules to treat patients resistant to therapies by Luisa Alessio. 11 March 2019.

2. “From the historic center of Rende to the United States to fight on the front line against the Coronavirus. Giovannino Silvestri from Rende is also part of the team of scientists who have proposed a new therapeutic protocol for the treatment of Covid-19 to the Annunziata hospital in Cosenza.

   Raised in the ancient village of Oltre Campagnano, he has lived in the USA since 2013 and works as an associate researcher at the Institute of Human Virology of the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Born in 1984, he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Calabria in 2009 and three years later obtained his PhD from the University of Verona in biology and molecular and cellular pathology.

   In recent weeks his research work has focused on the Covid-19 pandemic which is unfortunately claiming thousands of victims all over the world. "To date, there is no known effective pharmacological treatment for which therapeutic alternatives are needed to alleviate and stop this pandemic due to a completely new virus," explains Silvestri. «The work of which I co-authored with Ennio Avolio, Teresa Pasqua and Giuseppe Palma, involves the use of the treatment of two drugs capable of acting together and mitigating the worsening of the lung disease, the now sadly famous syncytial pneumonia, caused by Sars-Cov-2 ”, underlines the researcher. «The treatment consists of a selective antagonist of peripheral H1 histaminergic receptors in combination with a specific inhibitor of one of the inflammatory cascades which, when activated, causes a strong perturbation of the immune responses with a typical pulmonary clinical picture of Covid-19», he highlights."This new therapeutic protocol - concludes Silvestri - could give an important turning point in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, especially in the early stages of the evolution of the pathology, that is, in avoiding or reducing the need for treatment in intensive care". https://www.quotidianodelsud.it/calabria/lintervista/salute-e-assistenza/2020/04/03/coronavirus-la-terapia-antivirus-dal-ricercatore-calabrese-negli-usa April 2022, Italy.
3. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a stem cell disorder once considered an eventual death sentence upon progression to the terminal acute/blastic cell phase, a  terrible clinical outcome that has improved with the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. A major continuing problem with treating CML is the persistence of drug-resistant leukemia stem/initiating cells (LS/IC).In the first issue of Blood Cancer Discovery, Silvestri and colleagues describe an incredibly in-depth mechanistic study using genetic and pharmacologic modulation of the miRNA MiR300 with and without treatment with activators of the serine-threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in human cells. In vitro studies and in vivo mouse models of patient-derived xenografts were used to address the need to target LS/ICs and restore immunity of impaired natural killer cells for attenuation of CML progression. Spotlight by Hal Broxmeyer. https://bloodcancerdiscov.aacrjournals.org/content/1/1/13. July 2020.

4. «To Giovannino Silvestri a brilliant mind who, with his research, gives hope and faith in science». These were the words imprinted on the silver plaque given by the mayor Manna to the transplanted biologist in Baltimore where he has lived for 10 years and works as an associate researcher at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland. In addition to the doctor's parents, the Assessors Annamaria Artese, Lisa Sorrentino and Fabrizio Totera took part in the ceremony. «It is an honor to have this illustrious citizen who, with his work, offers the possibility of treatment for patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia» said Mayor Marcello Manna. Dr Silvestri, during the stop forced by the pandemic, helped also to activate a treatment at the Cosenza hospital that avoids the complications of the consequences of pneumonia: “Although I have lived in America for some time - said Silvestri - where I came to work with Robert Charles Gallo, US academic, discoverer of the retroviral origin of AIDS in 1982, I am very fond of my roots and this is where I trained and graduated. I thank my city for this important recognition”.  https://www.ilpendolo.it/la-citta-di-rende-omaggia-il-concittadino-di-fama-mondiale-giovannino-silvestri/ October 2022, Italy.

5. 

6. A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland’s (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Center of Excellence of the Global Virus Network (GVN), published new findings that emphasize the crucial role of the urinary and genital tract microbiota in adverse pregnancy outcomes and genomic instability that originate in the womb during fetal development.

The study, published on July 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), established a new link between genomic instability, reduced fertility, and a protein from Mycoplasma fermentans, a kind of bacterium that commonly colonizes the urogenital tract in humans.

This research was spearheaded by Davide Zella, PhD,Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UMSOM’s IHV and Robert Gallo, MD, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-Founder and Emeritus Director of UMSOM’s IHV, and Co-Founder and Chair of the Scientific Leadership Board of the Global Virus Network.

"Our results not only broaden our understanding of the interplay between the urogenital tract microbiota and human reproductive health, but also shed light on the previously unidentified contribution of the human microbiota to genetic abnormalities," said co-lead author on the study Francesca Benedetti, PhD, Research Associate of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in UMSOM’s IHV.

“We aim to further explore the mechanisms underlying these findings and their potential implications for preventing and treating chromosomal abnormalities and genetic diseases,” said co-lead author Giovannino Silvestri, PhD, former Research Associate of Medicine in UMSOM’s IHV.

The human microbiota is known to affect metabolism, susceptibility to infectious diseases, immune system regulation, and more. One of these bacterial components, Mycoplasmas, have been linked to various cancers.

The research team has been studying one Mycoplasma protein, DnaK, which belongs to a family of proteins that safeguards other bacterial proteins against damage and aids in their folding when they are newly made, acting as a so-called ‘chaperone.’ However, while this protein is advantageous for bacteria, its effects on animal cells are less favorable. To this regard, the team had previously demonstrated that this DnaK is taken up by the body’s cells and it interferes with key proteins involved in preserving DNA integrity and in cancer prevention, such as the tumor suppressor protein p53.

https://ihv.org/news/2023-News/Researchers-from-the-Institute-of-Human-Virology-Discover-that-a-Bacterial-Protein-Causes-Genomic-Instability-and-Contributes-to-Reduced-Fertility-and-Birth-Defects.html   July 2023, USA.

2012, MicroFTIR stage and performing experiments at the Synchrotron Soleil, Paris, France.

2013, Organized laboratory planning and maintenance, University of Maryland, USA.   

2015, Mentor laboratory for The Nathan Schnaper Summer Intern Program (NSIP) in cancer Research at Universityof Maryland Baltimore Greenebaum CCC, Baltimore, USA  

2018-present, Postdoc Peer Mentor Program, University of Maryland, USA.

2018-present Judge, Undergraduate Poster Competition 2018, Stevenson University and Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, Baltimore, USA.Selected by the Collaborative Teaching Fellows Program to evaluate research posters of undergraduate students.

2019, Judge, 42^nd   Medical Research Day (MSRD), University of Maryland, USA.

2020, Judge, 43rd   Medical Research Day (MSRD), University of Maryland, USA.

2021, Judge, 44^nd   Medical Research Day (MSRD), University of Maryland, USA.

2022, Judge, 45^nd   Medical Research Day (MSRD), University of Maryland, USA.

2023, Judge, 46^nd   Medical Research Day (MSRD), University of Maryland, USA.

2024, Organizational Improv certificate, this badge is awarded based on enrollment and attendance in an Executive Education course offered by the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University, USA.

2024 , Editor Journal of AIDS and HIV Treatment.

2024, Editor Archive of Stem Cell and Therapy.

2024, Editor Frontiers in RNA Research.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giovannino_Silvestri

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0m29PJMAAAAJ&hl=en

https://publons.com/researcher/1434375/giovannino-silvestri-phd/

1. Morsi H., El Ayoubi H., Moratti E., Vezzalini M., Silvestri G., Stradoni R., Murineddu M., Gabbas A., Monne M. and C. Sorio.  High Resistance Rate of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) to Imatinib Myselate (IM) Might be related to Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type Gamma (PTPRG) Down-Regulation. Proceedings Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Epub: November 2011 (O).
2. Bellisola G., Cinque G., Vezzalini M., Silvestri G., Redaelli S., Gambacorti Passerini C., Wehbe K. and C. Sorio. Rapid identification of drug-resistance/sensitivity in leukemic cells by Fourier Transform InfraRed microspectroscopy (microFTIR) and unsupervised Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) Proceeding of the Synchrotron Radiation UserMeeting Oxford, UK, September 2012. (P).
3. Silvestri G*., Mirenda M., Vezzalini M., Moratti E., Laudanna C.and C. Sorio. Molecular mechanisms of the antiproliferative effect of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor-like Gamma (PTPRG):  BCR/ABL and LYN kinase as key targets. Proceeding of the 14^th ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML Biology and Therapy. Baltimore, Usa, September 2012 (P) (*): recipient of the iCMLF travel award.
4. Bellisola G., Cinque G., Vezzalini M., Moratti E., Silvestri G., Redaelli S., Wehbe K. and C. Sorio. Rapid identification of drug-resistance/sensitivity in leukemic cells by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (microFTIR) and unsupervised pattern recognition. Proceeding of the 14^th ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML Biology and Therapy. Baltimore, USA, September 2012 (P).
5. Bellisola G., Cinque G., Sandt C., Dumas P., Silvestri G. and C. Sorio. Oncosuppressive effect of direct transduction of receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase gamma (PTPRG) intracellular catalytic domains in K562 cells. Proceeding of the 15^th ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML Biology and Therapy. Estoril, Portugal, September 2013 (P).
6. Tomasello L., Silvestri G., Della Peruta M., Fiorini Z., Vezzalini M. and Claudio Sorio. Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type Gamma is an inhibitor of critical BCR/ABL driven pathways in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Societa’ Italiana di Cancerologia. Ferrara, Italy, September 2014 (O).
7. Bellisola G., Tomasello L., Fiorini Z., Silvestri G., Vezzalini M. and Claudio Sorio. Direct transduction of Receptor-Type Protein Tyrosine-Phosphatase Gamma (PTPRG) intracellular catalytic domains in K562 cells. Societa’ Italiana di Cancerologia. Ferrara, Italy, September 2014 (P).
8. Silvestri G*., Ellis J., Stramucci L., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Reid A., Milojkovic D., Apperley J., Baer M., Trotta R., and D. Perrotti. MicroRNAs as regulators of stem and progenitor CML cells function. Peer reviewed and printed in the Proceedings of the 2014 ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML-Biology and Therapy, Philadelphia (O).     (*): Invited Speaker.                                                                      
9. Silvestri G., Ellis J.J., Stramucci L., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Roy D-C., Hokland P., Milojkovic D., Reid A., Apperley J.F., Livak F.M., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and D. Perrotti. miR-300 acts as a tumor suppressor in Ph⁺ progenitors by Modulating the JAK2-SET/PP2A-B catenin interplay. Peer Reviewed and Published in Blood (Suppl.) dedicated to the 56^th ASH Annual Meeting 2014 (P).
10. Silvestri G*., Justin Ellis, Lorenzo Stramucci, Jason G Harb, Paolo Neviani, Guido Marcucci, Denis-Claude Roy, Peter Hokland, Dragana Milojkovic, Alistair Reid, Jane F. Apperley, Ferenc M. Livak, Maria R. Baer, Rossana Trotta, and Danilo Perrotti. miR-300 acts as a tumor suppressor in Ph⁺ progenitors by Modulating the JAK2-SET/PP2A-B catenin interplay. UMB Cancer Center Retreat, Baltimore, USA, May 18, 2015.(P)                             (*): Best Poster Presentation.
11. Silvestri G*., Stramucci L, Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Srutova K., Machova Polakova K., Roy D-C.,  Hokland P., Deininger MW., Bhatia R.,  Gambacorti-Passerini C., Milojkovic D., Reid A.G., Apperley J.F., Livak F., Baer M.R., Trotta R. and Perrotti D. Role of the MSC-derived exosomal and endogenous JAK2-SET/PP2A-beta-catenin-modulator miR-300 in leukemic stem/progenitor and NK cell proliferation and survival in CML. Peer reviewed and printed in the Proceedings of the 2015 ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML-Biology and Therapy, Estoril, Portugal (O).                                                                                              (*): Best scored Biology Abstract.
12. Silvestri G*., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Srutova K., Machova Polakova K.,   Roy D-C,  Hokland P., Deininger MW., Bhatia R.,  Gambacorti-Passerini C., Milojkovic D., Reid A.G., Apperley J.F., Livak F., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D. Role of the MSC-Derived Exosomal and Endogenous JAK2-SET/PP2A-Beta Catenin-Modulator Mir-300 in Leukemic Stem/Progenitor Proliferation and Survival in CML. Peer Reviewed and Published in Blood (Suppl.) dedicated to the 57^th ASH Annual Meeting 2015 (O). (*): ASH travel award.
13. Trotta R., Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Srutova K., Machova Polakova K.,  Roy D-C., Hokland P., Deininger M.W., Bhatia R.,  Gambacorti-Passerini C., Milojkovic D., Reid A.G., Apperley J.F., Livak F., Baer M.R., and Perrotti D. Role of the MSC-Derived Exosomal and Endogenous JAK2-SET/PP2A-Beta Catenin-Modulator Mir-300 in Leukemic Stem/Progenitor Proliferation and Survival in CML.  Proceeding of the AACR Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA) 2016 (P).
14. Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Marcucci G., Srutova K., Machova Polakova K.,  Roy D-C.,  Hokland P., Deininger M.W., Bhatia R.,  Gambacorti-Passerini C., Milojkovic D., Reid A.G., Apperley J.F., Livak F., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D. Role of Mir-300 in Leukemic Stem/Progenitor Proliferation and Survival in CML. Peer Reviewed and Published in the Haematologica (Suppl.) dedicated to the European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Meeting. Copenhagen, Danmark. 2016. (O).
15. Yu J.E., Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Livak F.M., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti, D. The Role of SETBP1 in Leukemia-Initiating Cell Survival and Self-Renewal in Adult Ph⁺ B-ALL. ESH-iCMLF ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML-Biology and Therapy, Houston TX Sept. 2016 (O).
16. Yu J.E., Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Sanada M., Yamaguchi T., Du Y., Westermarck J., Caligiuri M.A., Garzon R., Milojkovic D., Apperley J.F., Roy D-C., Marcucci G., Calabretta, B., Baer M.R., Trotta R. and Perrotti D. Potential Targeting Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Stem and Progenitor Cells By Modulating the CIP2A-SET-SETBP1 –Mediated Suppression of PP2A Activity Peer Reviewed and Published in Blood (Suppl.) dedicated to the 58^th ASH Annual Meeting 2016 (P).
17. P. Burda, N. Čuřík, K. Šrůtová, F. Savvulidi, G. Silvestri, H. Klamová, P. Pecherková, Ž. Sovová, J. Koblihová, T. Stopka, D. Perrotti, K. Machová Poláková Myc-dependent repression mechanism of the mir-150 transcriptional regulation in chronic myeloid leukemia. Peer Reviewed and Published in the Leukemia (Suppl.) dedicated to the European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Meeting. Madrid, Spain. 2017 (P).
18. Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Zhang B., Srutova K., Gambacorti-Passerini C., Pineda G., Jamieson C., Calabretta B., Stagno F., Vigneri P., Nteliopoulos  G., May P., Reid A.G., Garzon R.,  Roy D-C.,  Guimond M., Hokland P., Deininger M., Fitzgerald G., Harman C., Dazzi F., Milojkovic D., Apperley J.F., Marcucci G., Qi J., Fan X., Machova-Polakova K., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D.The BM Niche Uses Mir-300 As a Biological Rheostat to Selectively Control Stem Cell-Driven Malignant Hematopoiesis and Innate Anti-Cancer Immunity. UMB CCC Retreat, September 2017 (P).
19. Silvestri G*., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb JG, Neviani P., Zhang B., Srutova K., Gambacorti-Passerini C., Pineda G., Jamieson C., Calabretta B., Stagno F., Vigneri P., Nteliopoulos  G., May P., Reid A.G., Garzon R.,  Roy D-C.,  Guimond M., Hokland P., Deininger M., Fitzgerald G., Harman C., Dazzi F., Milojkovic D., , Apperley J.F., Marcucci G., Qi J., Fan X., Machova-Polakova K., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D.The BM Niche Uses Mir-300 As a Biological Rheostat to Selectively Control Stem Cell-Driven Malignant Hematopoiesis and Innate Anti-Cancer Immunity. ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML-Biology and Therapy, Estoril, Portugal Oct. 2017 (O). (*): selected for Key note lecture.
20. Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Zhang B., Srutova K., Gambacorti-Passerini C., Pineda G., Jamieson C., Calabretta B., Stagno F., Vigneri P., Nteliopoulos G., May P., Reid A.G., Garzon R., Roy D-C.,  Guimond M., Hokland P., Deininger M., Fitzgerald G., Harman C., Dazzi F., Milojkovic D.,  Apperley J.F., Marcucci G., Qi J., Fan X., Machova-Polakova K., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D.The Bone Marrow Niche Uses Mir-300 As a Biological Rheostat to Selectively Control Stem Cell-Driven Malignant Hematopoiesis and Innate Anti-Cancer Immunity. Peer Reviewed and Published in Blood (Suppl.) dedicated to the 59^th ASH Annual Meeting 2017 (O).
21. Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Ellis J., Yu J., Harb J.G., Neviani P., Zhang B., Srutova K., Gambacorti-Passerini C., Pineda G., Jamieson C., Calabretta B., Stagno F., Vigneri P., Nteliopoulos G., May P., Reid A.G., Garzon R.,  Roy D-C.,  Guimond M., Hokland P., Deininger M., Fitzgerald G., Harman C., Dazzi F., Milojkovic D., Apperley J.F., Marcucci G., Qi J., Fan X., Machova-Polakova K., Baer M.R., Trotta R., and Perrotti D. The tumor suppressor activity of miR-300 is detrimental for leukemia development but required for leukemia stem cell maintenance. Proceeding of the AACR Annual Meeting, Chicago, 2018 (P).
22. Trotta R., Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Guimond M., Marcucci G., Fan X., Baer M.R., and D. Perrotti. Bone marrow microenvironment-induced miR-300 expression impairs natural killer cell proliferation and anti-tumor activity. Proceeding of the AACR Annual Meeting Chicago, 2018 (P).
23. Trotta R., Silvestri G., Stramucci L., Guimond M., Marcucci G., Fan X., Baer M.R., and D. Perrotti. Bone marrow microenvironment-induced miR-300 expression impairs natural killer cell proliferation and anti-tumor activity. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 81():63, DOI: 10.1097/01.qai.0000558015.84504.53, April 2019.
24. Silvestri G. et al. The 14q32.31 MIR300 DLK1-DIO3 oncosuppressor induces CML and AML cancer stem cell quiescence and inhibits NK cell Immunity. 21st ESH-iCMLf International Conference on CML-Biology and Therapy, Bordeaux, France, September. 2019 (O). (*): selected abstract.
25. Giovannino Silvestri, Rossana Trotta, Lorenzo Stramucci, Shuzhen Wang, Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld, Bin Zhang, Klara Srutova, Gabriel Pineda, Catriona Jamieson, Fabio Stagno, Paolo Vigneri, Georgios Nteliopoulos, Martin Guimond, Peter Hokland, Michael W Deininger, Francesco Dazzi, Dragana Milojkovic, Jane Apperley, Guido Marcucci, Xiaoxuan Fan, Maria R Baer, Bruno Calabretta, Danilo Perrotti. A 14q32.31 Genomic-Imprinted DLK1-DIO3 microrna promotes Leukemogenesis By Inducing Stem Cell Quiescence and Inhibiting NK Cell Anti-Cancer Immunity. Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology. (2019) 134 (Supplement_1): 4141.
26. Francesca Benedetti*, Giovannino Silvestri*, Saman Saadat, Frank Denaro, Olga S. Latinovic, Harry Davis, Sumiko Williams, Josph Bryant, Chozha V. Rathinam, Robert C. Gallo, Davide Zella. Characterization of a Mycoplasma DnaK Transgenic Mouse. World Microbe Forum, online worldwide, June 2021. *equally contributed.
27. Aditi Chatterjee, Moaath K. Mustafa Ali, Christopher M. Bailey, Yuchen Liu, Donald Small, Catherine C. Smith, Elie Traer, Yin Wang, Giovannino Silvestri and Maria R. Baer.  Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators overcome FLT3 inhibitor resistance in acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3-ITD and NRAS mutations through sphingosine kinase 1/AKT pathway downregulation. ASH Annual Meeting Orlando, 2025. 

Editorial Board

• Editor Journal of AIDS and HIVTreatment.
• Editor Archive of Stem Cell and Therapy.
• Associate Editor RNA modifications and RNA therapeutics (Frontiers in RNA Research).
• Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Molecular and Cellular Oncology (specialty section of Frontiers in Oncology and Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology)
• Review Editor  on the Editorial Board of MDPI Journals. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/submission_reviewers.
• Guest  Editor, Special issue in Cells,  Stem Cells and Metabolism in AML: mechanisms, models, and therapeutic opportunities.

Peer review activities for international journals 

• Genes
• Cancers
• Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Journal of Cellular Physiology 
• Oncotarget
• Frontiers in Oncology
• Healthcare
• Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
• Vaccines
• Pharmaceuticals
• Blood
• International journal of cancer
• Cellular Signaling
• BioMed Research International
• Journal of Blood Medicine
• BioEssays
• Pathogens
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences

• Journal of AIDS and HIV treatment