Dr. Staquicini earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil. She completed her postdoctoral research training at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was mentored by Dr. Renata Pasqualini and Dr. Wadih Arap, renowned pioneers in the field of phage display technology for translational applications in cancer biology and drug development. Dr. Staquicini’s research focuses on the application of phage display to identify receptor-guided transport pathways for the safe delivery of particles, agents, and vaccines through the lung alveolar surface. She has published three articles in this field including two peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals related to the development of vaccine candidates for COVID-19. The work resulted in two patents licensed to biotechnology companies for further development. She has also achieved success in publishing original peer-reviewed manuscripts on molecular theranostics, targeted drug development, and molecular parasitology. In addition to her independent projects, she has a long-standing collaborative program with Dr. Pasqualini and Dr. Arap in pulmonary delivery, vaccine development, and ligand-directed drug delivery and imaging for the management of human diseases. Dr. Staquicini mentors graduate students, staff, and postdoctoral trainees in the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Publications
- Staquicini DI, Tang FHF, Markosian C, Yao VJ, Staquicini FI, Dodero-Rojas E, Contessoto VG, Davis D, O’Brien P, Habib N, Smith TL, Bruiners N, Sidman RL, Gennaro ML, Lattime EC, Libutti SK, Whitford PC, Burley SK, Onuchic JN, Arap W, Pasqualini R. Design and proof of concept for targeted phage-based COVID-19 vaccination strategies with a streamlined cold-free supply chain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 July 27 118(30). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2105739118. PubMed PMID: 34234013.
- Staquicini DI, Barbu EM, Zemans RL, Dray BK, Staquicini FI, Dogra P, Cardó-Vila M, Miranti CK, Baze WB, Villa LL, Kalil J, Sharma G, Prossnitz ER, Wang Z, Cristini V, Sidman RL, Berman AR, Panettieri RA Jr, Tuder RM, Pasqualini R, Arap W. Targeted Phage Display-based Pulmonary Vaccination in Mice and Non-human Primates. Med (N Y). 2021 Mar 12;2(3):321-342. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8049167.
- Staquicini FI, Hajitou A, Driessen WH, Proneth B, Cardó-Vila M, Staquicini DI, Markosian C, Hoh M, Cortez M, Hooda-Nehra A, Jaloudi M, Silva IT, Buttura J, Nunes DN, Dias-Neto E, Eckhardt B, Ruiz-Ramírez J, Dogra P, Wang Z, Cristini V, Trepel M, Anderson R, Sidman RL, Gelovani JG, Cristofanilli M, Hortobagyi GN, Bhujwalla ZM, Burley SK, Arap W, Pasqualini R. Targeting a cell surface vitamin D receptor on tumor-associated macrophages in triple-negative breast cancer. Elife. 2021 Jun 1;10 PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8169110.
- Sharma G, Hu C, Staquicini DI, Brigman JL, Liu M, Mauvais-Jarvis F, Pasqualini R, Arap W, Arterburn JB, Hathaway HJ, Prossnitz ER. Preclinical efficacy of the GPER-selective agonist G-1 in mouse models of obesity and diabetes. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Jan 29;12(528) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7083206.
- Sauter IP, Madrid KG, de Assis JB, Sá-Nunes A, Torrecilhas AC, Staquicini DI, Pasqualini R, Arap W, Cortez M. TLR9/MyD88/TRIF signaling activates host immune inhibitory CD200 in Leishmania infection. JCI Insight. 2019 May 16;4(10) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6542632.
- Staquicini DI, D’Angelo S, Ferrara F, Karjalainen K, Sharma G, Smith TL, Tarleton CA, Jaalouk DE, Kuniyasu A, Baze WB, Chaffee BK, Hanley PW, Barnhart KF, Koivunen E, Marchiò S, Sidman RL, Cortes JE, Kantarjian HM, Arap W, Pasqualini R. Therapeutic targeting of membrane-associated GRP78 in leukemia and lymphoma: preclinical efficacy in vitro and formal toxicity study of BMTP-78 in rodents and primates. Pharmacogenomics J. 2018 May 22;18(3):436-443. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6824482.
- D’Angelo S, Staquicini FI, Ferrara F, Staquicini DI, Sharma G, Tarleton CA, Nguyen H, Naranjo LA, Sidman RL, Arap W, Bradbury AR, Pasqualini R. Selection of phage-displayed accessible recombinant targeted antibodies (SPARTA): methodology and applications. JCI Insight. 2018 May 3;3(9) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6012512. 8. Staquicini DI, Rangel R, Guzman-Rojas L, Staquicini FI, Dobroff AS, Tarleton CA, Ozbun MA, Kolonin MG, Gelovani JG, Marchiò S, Sidman RL, Hajjar KA, Arap W, Pasqualini R. Intracellular targeting of annexin A2 inhibits tumor cell adhesion, migration, and in vivo grafting. Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 26;7(1):4243. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5484684.