Patrizio Blandina si é iscritto alla facoltá di Medicina e Chirurgia dell'Università di Firenze nel 1970 e si é laureato nel 1976. In questa Univrsitá ha lavorato sia come medico che come ricercatore di base, specializzandosi in Tossicologia Clinica. Nel 1984 ha ottenuto un incarico di docente presso il Dipartimento di Farmacologia della Mount Sinai School of Medicine di New York (U.S.A.) sostenuto da una borsa di studio pagata da Fogarty International-N.I.H. Ha trascorso otto anni a New York, diventando prima professore assistente e poi professore associato di farmacologia presso la Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Rientrato in Italia nel 1992, è stato nominato Professore di Farmacologia presso la Facoltá di Farmacia dell'Università di Firenze. Il ruolo dell'istamina nella fisiopatologia è sempre stato tra i suoi principali interessi scientifici, ed è attualmente impegnato nello studio del ruolo dell'istamina neuronale nei processi di memoria.
CURRICULUM VITAEPlace and date of birth: Genova (I), July 7, 1951Education:1976: Universitá degli Studi di Firenze (I) Medical Degree magna cum laude1981: Universitá degli Studi di Firenze (I) Specialization in Toxicology, magna cum laudeProfessional experience:1976-78 Assistant Professor (temporary) of Pharmacology, Universitá di Firenze (I), School of Medicine.1976-84 Clinical Assistant Professor of Toxicology, Toxicological Unit, Universitá di Firenze (I)1978-81 Postdoctoral Fellow of C.N.R (Italian National Research Council), Dept of preclinical and clinical Pharmacology, Universitá di Firenze (I).1981-88 Assistant Professor (tenure) of Pharmacology, Universitá di Firenze (I), School of Medicine.1984-94 while on leave of absence from Universitá di Firenze Fogarty International center-N.I.H. fellow (84-86) Visiting Assistant Professor (87-90) Visiting Associate Professor (91-94)at the Department of Pharmacology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (U.S.A)1985-94 Member of the Institutional Review Board of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (U.S.A)1989-98 Faculty of the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY (U.S.A.)1988-01 Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Universitá di Firenze (I)1991- Faculty of the Graduate School in Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universitá di Firenze (I)2001-07 Dean of the Students of the School of Pharmacy, Universitá di Firenze (I)2001 – Professor of Pharmacology, Universitá di Firenze (I) School of Pharmacy2007- Member of the Ethical Board of ASL8 (City Hospital of Arezzo-Italy)Honors:1977 C.N.R. (Italian Research Council) Fellowship (Biological Sciences) 1982 N.A.T.O. Fellowship (Medical Sciences) 1984 Fogarty International Center-N.I.H. Fellowship (Biological Sciences)Other activitiesDr. Blandina engaged in the teaching of students of the School of Medicine (Mt Sinai and Universitá di Firenze), the School of Pharmacy (Universitá di Firenze). Currently, he teaches Neuropharmacology and Clinical Therapy to students of the Schools of Pharmacy and of Medicine (University of Florence). Moreover, he teaches Pharmacology in the postgraduate (Specialization) Schools of Toxicology, Pharmacology, and Hospital Pharmacy of the University of Florence.He is vice-director of the Postgraduate (Specialization) School of Pharmacology and Toxicology.He engaged directly in the training of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows at Mt.Sinai Medical School, and is now engaged in training the students of the Graduate School of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Florence. He directly supervised several doctoral PhD thesis (7 in the last 9 years). Dr. Blandina served in the Institutional Review Board of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (U.S.A), which evaluates the safety and ethics of proposals for human research, and is currently engaged in the equivalent Board of the City Hospital of Arezzo (Italy).Dr. Blandina acts as reviewer for several international journals, including Physiol Rev, J Neurosci, Eur J Neurosci, Brain Res, Behav Brain Res, Biochem Pharmacol, J Pharmacol Exp Ther, J Physiol, Br J Pharmacol, Neuroscience, Learn&Mem,.Dr. Blandina acts as reviewer for grant agencies such as National Science Foundation (USA), Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, Wellcome Trust Foundation (UK).Dr. Blandina is Treasurer and Council Member of the European Histamine Research Society, and member of several scientific societies, including Societá Italiana di Farmacologia, Society for Neuroscience, Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, NY Academy of Science. He was in the Organizing Committee of the XXXVI Meeting of the European Histamine Research Society, in Florence (2007).Dr. Blandina acted as a member of the Scientific Committee or the International Advisory Board of the Annual Meetings of the European Histamine Research Society hold in Turku (F) in 2001, Noordwijkerhout (NL) in 2002 Eger (H) in 2003, Köln (G) in 2004, Bled (SLO) in 2005, Delphi (GR) in 2006, Florence (I) in 2007, and Stockholm (S) in 2008.Dr Blandina is author of more than 70 papers (Pubmed) in international peer-reviewed journals (among these: one paper in Nature, one in J Neurosci, two in J Physiol (London), two in Trends Pharmacol Sci, six in Eur J Neurosci, six in J Pharmacol Exp Ther, two in J Neurochem, one in Am J Physiol, three in Br J Pharmacol, 2 in Learn&Mem). He is first or last author of 37 papers. Dr Blandina was invited as seminar speaker at several Institutions including Cornell University (Dept Pharmacology), New York (USA); Columbia University (Dept Neurobiology), New York (USA); Heinrich Heine Universität (Dept Physiology), Düsseldorf (G), Mount Sinai Med Sch (Dept Pharmacology, and Dept Physiology), New York (USA); Universität of Köln (Dept Theoretical Surgery), Köln (G); Neuroscience Research, Global Pharmaceutical Res Develop, Abbott Lab, Abbott Park, IL (USA); Neurology and GI Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline, Harlow, Essex, (UK); Dept. of Chemical Research, UCB, Chemin du Foriest, Brain-l’Alleud (B); University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Cenrter, Lexington, KY (USA); Albany Medical College, Center for Neuropharmacology & Neuroscience, Albany, NY (USA).10-YEAR TRACK RECORDSelected ARTICLES Bongers G, Sallmen T, Passani MB, Mariottini C, Wendelin D, Lozada A, Marle A, Navis M, Blandina P, Bakker RA, Panula P, Leurs R. The Akt/GSK-3beta axis as a new signaling pathway of the histamine H(3) receptor. J Neurochem 103:248-58, 2007Passani MB, Giannoni P, Bucherelli C, Baldi E, Blandina P. Histamine in the brain: beyond sleep and memory. Biochem Pharmacol 73(8):1113-22, 2007.Bucherelli C, Baldi E, Mariottini C, Passani MB, Blandina P. Aversive memory reactivation engages in the amygdala only some neurotransmitters involved in consolidation. Learn Mem 13: 426-430, 2006Cenni G, Blandina P, Mackie K, Nosi D, Formigli L, Giannoni P, Ballini C, Della Corte L, Mannaioni PF & Passani MB Differential effect of cannabinoid agonists and endocannabinoids on histamine release from distinct regions of the rat brain. Eur J Neurosci 24: 1633-1644, 2006Baldi E., Bucherelli C., Schunack W., Cenni G., Blandina P., Passani MB. The H3 receptor protean agonist proxyfan enhances the expression of fear memory in the rat. Neuropharmacology 48: 246-251, 2005Passani MB, Lin JS, Hancock A, Crochet S, Blandina P. The histamine H3 receptor as a novel therapeutic target for cognitive and sleep disorders. Trends Pharmacol Sci 25: 618-625, 2004Giovannini MG, Efoudebe M, Passani MB, Baldi E, Bucherelli C, Giachi F, Corradetti R, Blandina P. Improvement in fear memory by histamine-elicited ERK2 activation in hippocampal CA3 cells. J Neurosci. 23:9016-23, 2003Cangioli I, Baldi E, Mannaioni PF, Bucherelli C, Blandina P, Passani MB. Activation of histaminergic H3 receptors in the rat basolateral amygdala improves expression of fear memory and enhances acetylcholine release. Eur J Neurosci. 16(3):521-8, 2002.Bacciottini L, Passani MB, Giovannelli L, Cangioli I, Mannaioni PF, Schunack W, Blandina P. Endogenous histamine in the medial septum-diagonal band complex increases the release of acetylcholine from the hippocampus: a dual-probe microdialysis study in the freely moving rat. Eur J Neurosci 15:1669-80, 2002Passani M.B., Cangioli J., Baldi E., Bucherelli C., Mannaioni P.F. and Blandina P. 2001conditioning, and in-vivo inhibition of cholinergic transmission in the rat basolateral amygdala. Eur J Neurosci 14:1522-32, 2001Cecchi M, Passani MB, Bacciottini L, Mannaioni PF, Blandina P. Release of cortical acetylcholine by stimulation of histamine H1 receptors in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis: a dual-probe microdialysis study. Eur J Neurosci 13, 68-78, 2001Giorgetti M, Bacciottini L, Giovannini MG, Colivicchi MA, Goldfarb J, Blandina P. Local GABAergic modulation of acetylcholine release from the cortex of freely moving rats. Eur J Neurosci 12:1491-1498, 2000Giovannini MG, Bartolini L, Bacciottini L, Greco L, Blandina P. Effects of histamine H3 receptor agonists and antagonists on cognitive performance and scopolamine-induced amnesia. Behav Brain Res 144, 147-155, 1999Giovannini MG, Ceccarelli I, Molinari B, Cecchi M, Goldfarb J, Blandina P. Serotonergic modulation of acetylcholine release from cortex of freely moving rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 285:1219-1225, 1998Leurs R., Blandina P., Tedford C. and Timmerman H. Therapeutic potentials of histamine H3 receptor agonists and antagonists. Trends Pharmacol Sci 19, 177-183, 19985 selected BOOK CHAPTERS Passani MB, Blandina P, Browman KE, Fox GB. Cognitive functions, ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease. In: The Third Histamine Receptor: Selective ligands as novel therapeutic agents in CNS disorders. Ed.: Vohora D, Taylor & Francis (CRC Press) Boca Raton, Fla (USA). 2008 in press.Blandina P, Passani MB. Central histaminergic system interactions and cognition. In: Neurotransmitter interactions and cognitive functions Ed.: Levin E.D., pp. 98:149-63, Birkhåuser Verlag, Berlin (Germany) 2006.Passani MB, Cangioli J, Blandina P The influence of histamine on memory. In Histamine: Biology and Medical Aspects. Ed.: Falus A, Grosman N, Darvas Zs, pp.290-299, Karger, Basel (CH), 2004.Passani MB, Bacciottini L, Cangioli J, Giovannelli L, Mannaioni PF, Blandina P. Histaminergic modulation of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. In: Histamine Research in the New Millenium. Ed.: Watanabe T, Timmerman H, Yanai K, pp.45-50, Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam (NL), 2001.Blandina P, Bacciottini L, Giovannini MG, Mannaioni PF. H3 receptor modulation of the release of neurotransmitters in vivo. In: The histamine H3 receptor, a target for new drugs (Pharmacochemistry Library Vol.30). Ed.: Leurs R, Timmerman H, pp.27-40, Elsevier, Amsterdam (NL), 1998.5 INVITED LECTURES AT INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS Histamine H3 receptor as a novel target for cognitive disorders; interactions of the histaminergic system with other systems. XXV Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum. Chicago (USA) Jul 9-13, 2006.Histamine in the brain: beyond sleep and memory. Annual meeting of American Society or Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Experimental Biology, Advancing the biomedical frontier. San Francisco (USA) Apr 1-5, 2006.Histaminergic neurons, attention and learning. 16th Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Prague (Czech Republic), Sep 20-24, 2003.Histamine and memory. 2nd International Symposium on Molecular Medicine. Vadodara (India), Jan 20-23, 2002.Histaminergic modulation of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. International Sendai Histamine Symposium. Sendai (Japan) Nov 22-25, 2000
Legenda
Patrizio Blandina was educated at the University of Firenze, Italy, where he studied medicine. He joined as MD student the Pharmacology department at the University of Firenze and received his degree in 1976. In these years he worked both as a physician and as a basic scientist, and specialized in Clinical Toxicology. In 1984 he took a faculty position at the Department of Pharmacology of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York (U.S.A.) supported by a Fogarty International center-N.I.H. fellowship. He spent almost eight years in New York, becoming first Assistant Professor then Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He returned to Italy in 1992, and was appointed Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Pharmacy of the University di Firenze. The role of histamine in pathophysiology has always been among his main scientific interests, and he is currently involved in learning the role of neuronal histamine in memory processes.
