Fagherazzi Paolo, Ph.D.

What was your research journey before joining Sedlackova lab?

My first experience in a molecular biology lab was at the University of Ferrara in Italy. At the time, my main goal was to learn as many commonly used molecular biology techniques as possible. The lab, led by Dr. Giuseppe Valacchi, provided me with valuable hands-on experience across a wide range of methods and a background in redox biology. There, I was immediately drawn to the organized “chaos” of tools, instruments, and solutions that characterize most scientific laboratories. Even more intriguing was to witness firsthand how the scientific data I had encountered in publications was generated.   So, I decided that a single experience after the master's wasn’t enough. I pursued a Ph.D. in the Czech Republic under the lead of prof. Eva Bartova, focusing on how mutations in p53, a well-known transcription factor, influence the cellular response to DNA damage. During my doctoral studies, I also completed an internship in Dr. Michela Di Virgilio’s lab in Berlin, where I investigated the role of circular RNAs during antibody diversification in immune cells. This was a great opportunity to broaden both my laboratory skills and my familiarity with a variety of experimental approaches.

Later, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Hana Polasek-Sedlackova while she was establishing her lab at the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Given her strong background and research focus, I knew it would be an excellent environment for a postdoctoral experience. In March 2024, I joined her lab.

What are you currently working on? Why do you find your project/work fascinating?

As part of my postdoctoral research in the Sedlackova laboratory, I have contributed to the development and validation of an AI-based DNA fiber analysis workflow (qAID). To stay closely aligned with core biological research, my primary focus is on elucidating how specific origin firing factors coordinate to regulate the initiation of DNA replication. What I find most compelling about scientific research is the opportunity to delve deeper into complex questions and uncover unexpected insights, often opening new doors that weren’t anticipated at the outset.


What do you do when you are not in the lab?