Professor of Clinical Pathology, University of Ferrara, Italy.
Dr. Francesco Di Virgilio received his Medical Degree at the University of Padova in 1979. After 15 months in the Army as a Medical Officer, he moved to the University College London (UCL) to work in the laboratory of Dr. Bastien Gomperts. In 1984 he returned to Padova to take a position as “Ricercatore” (Assistant Professor). In 1986 he moved to Columbia University (New York) to work in the laboratory of Dr. Samuel Silverstein, At the end of 1987, he returned to Padova to take the position of Associate Professor, and finally, he moved to the University of Ferrara where he became Professor of General Pathology, in 1994, and then in 2006 Professor of Clinical Pathology. His main research interests are inflammation and cancer, with particular emphasis on the role played by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and purinergic receptors.