Biosketch: Daniela Colucci is a Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology in the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bologna, under the supervision of Professor Cristina Giuliani. Her research focuses on the genetic mechanisms underlying human longevity, with emphasis on the evolutionary and biodemographic factors shaping key variants across populations. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Bari, followed by a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Evolution at the University of Bologna, specializing in genomics and anthropology. Daniela conducted her thesis research at the GBCM Laboratory of CNAM in Paris under the supervision of Professor Jean-François Zagury, gaining expertise in bioinformatics, GWAS, rare variant analysis, phasing and imputation. During this international research experience, she worked on a population-based study aimed at identifying genetic factors associated with human longevity through the comparison of the genetic profiles of French and Italian centenarians, offering new insights into the genetic peculiarities of these long-lived groups. An important component of the project was the analysis of the human HLA system, performed to further characterize the genetic structure of the studied populations. As a part of the Age-It Spoke 1 program, she currently investigates the genetic mechanisms of human longevity, focusing on the evolutionary and biodemographic factors shaping key variants like APOE across populations, as well as its DNA methylation variability, using a multidisciplinary approach combining molecular biology and bioinformatics.
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