Prof. Dr. Antonio Brunetti

Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy

Dr. Antonio Brunetti is a Professor in Endocrinology at the University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Italy. He graduated in medicine and specialized in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Catania, Italy. In 1992 he obtained the PhD degree in Endocrine and Metabolic Sciences from the University of Naples, Italy, while he was working at the Division of Diabetes & Endocrine Research, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), USA. During his PhD programme at UCSF, Prof. Brunetti led and was the principal investigator of a series of studies that helped to clarify most of the molecular mechanisms involved in insulin action and the regulation of insulin receptor gene expression in muscle, liver and fat.

Over the past 15 years his research activity has mostly focused on the molecular genetics of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, followed by the discovery of a novel mechanism for insulin resistance in a subset of diabetic patients. These studies have helped to identify critical components of the transcriptional machinery that governs insulin receptor gene expression, indicating that defects in the architectural factor HMGA1 (the most important among these components) may cause “HMGA1opathy”, a novel insulin resistance subphenotype observed in patients with either rare forms of insulin resistance or common type 2 diabetes. The results obtained from these studies have provided insights into previously unexplored aspects of insulin resistance and have been presented in various international conferences and published in leading peer reviewed journals.

His current research includes the study of chronic inflammation and hypoxia in fat and their role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance in the effort to identify new biological targets and biomarkers of early disease. The actual researching activity is also centered on the study of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the identification of early predictors of GDM and glucose intolerance during pregnancy.

From 2008 to 2016 he coordinated the PhD programme in Endocrine-Metabolic and Nutritional Sciences at the University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro. Currently he is a member of the PhD programme in Biomarkers of chronic and complex diseases, and Director of the Operative Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria “Mater Domini”, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Italy. At national and international levels, he has served as member of multiple editorial boards, and is an active member of various professional societies.

Updated 25 August 2023