Federico De Ponti

I obtained my MSc in Medical Biotechnology (2018-2020) at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (Milan, Italy) under the supervision of Prof. Matteo Iannacone, where I investigated the role of Kupffer cells in the restoration of intrahepatically primed T cells.

I then moved to Belgium to pursue a PhD (2020–2025) at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (Ghent University) under the supervision of Prof. Charlotte Scott. My doctoral research focused on the origin, identites, and functions of lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs) in acute and chronic liver injury.

In March 2026, I joined the laboratory of Prof. Leila Akkari as a postdoctoral fellow. My current research focuses on macrophage functions in liver and brain cancers, with the ultimate goal of overcoming their immunosuppressive features and unleashing their therapeutic antitumor potential.