The full interview with Professor Francesco Cucca on a recent discovery published in Nature is now available online

The full interview with Professor Francesco Cucca, Full Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Sassari and Principal Investigator of an innovative research project carried out in collaboration with the CNR-Irgb, is now available on the institution’s official social media channels.

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature under the title “Reduced cyclin D3 expression in erythroid cells protects against malaria”, led to the identification of a genetic variant capable of hindering the growth of the parasite responsible for malaria.

Through genome analysis, researchers identified a DNA variant that alters the characteristics of red blood cells by reducing the activity of the CCND3 gene. This modification creates a cellular environment that is unfavorable to the proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum.

This represents a highly significant scientific achievement, opening new perspectives for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. The discovery also provides insights from an evolutionary perspective: the spread of this genetic variant in Sardinia is likely linked to the selective advantage it once conferred against a disease that was historically endemic to the island.

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