ASSOCIATE
francescacanuto(AT)cnr.it
publications: Orcid
personal details and research activity: People
Curriculum Vitae
I graduated from the University of Turin with degrees in Natural Sciences and Plant Biotechnology. I initially worked on the gene regulation of the honey bee immune response following viral infections and attacks by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, and subsequently focused on the diagnosis of plant pathogens transmitted by insect vectors, such as Xylella fastidiosa and the phytoplasma associated with Flavescence Dorée disease. During my PhD, completed at the University of Bordeaux (France), I worked on the identification of receptors involved in the early stages of infection of the insect vector Euscelidius variegatus by the phytoplasma associated with Flavescence Dorée disease. During the first two years of my postdoctoral research, my work focused on the use of RNA interference (RNAi)-based techniques for the control of hemipteran insect pests affecting crops, with particular emphasis on Scaphoideus titanus and Halyomorpha halys. In this context, I investigated the selection of promising target genes and the in vitro synthesis of dsRNA molecules, as well as their plant-mediated delivery; I also assessed the potential off-target effects of these insecticidal dsRNA-based approaches on beneficial organisms present in the compartment of application.