Francesco De Rango (FDR) graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of Calabria. He got
his Ph.D. in Molecular Bio-Pathology at the University of Calabria on January 2006 with a
dissertation on the genetic analysis of longevity entitled “Association studies in the population and linkage analysis in families to identify genetic factors in human longevity”.
From 2006 to 2022 he was a researcher at the Department of Cell Biology, now the Department of
Ecology, Biology and Earth Sciences, of the same university, where he carries out research activities at the Genetics Laboratory. Since October 2022 has been Associate Professor (BIO18-Genetics) at the University of Calabria.
Scientific activity
His present research interest is focused on the role of genetic variability in some complex traits, with a special interest to aging and human longevity.
For many years he has been part of a network of national and international collaborations aimed at experimenting new multidisciplinary, statistical, demographic and genetic approaches for the study of aging and longevity.
He is expert in designing and developing databases. In particular, he has designed several databases for collected clinical and genetic data gathered in different European and national projects. He also participated to the campaigns aimed at monitoring demographic dynamics of the elderly population in Calabria. The current research of FDR is focused on the analysis of large datasets of SNPs related to human aging.
FDR has participated in several national and international research projects:
• 2000-2003: Research fellow with the INRCA of Ancona. Statistical analysis of phenotypic data obtained from samples of old subjects recruited in Calabria and Marche.
• 2002-2004: ECHA Project (European Challenge for Healthy Aging), FP4 Key Action 6: The ageing population and disabilities, 6.2 Determinants of healthy ageing and of well-being in old age Proposal N. QLRT-2001-00128.
• 2004-2009: GEHA Project (GEnetics of Healthy Aging), FP6 Priority 1: Life Sciences, Genomics and Biotechnology for Health, Proposal N°: FP6-503270.
• 2007-2013: PON Ricerca e Competitività Projectcod. 01-00937: Modelli sperimentali biotecnologici integrati per lo sviluppo e la selezione di molecole di interesse per la salute
dell'uomo.
• 2009-2011 PRIN 2009CB4C9F: L'influenza della variabilità del DNA mitocondriale sulla longevità umana: analisi di sequenze complete nei semisupercentenari.
• 2011-2016: IDEAL (Integrated research on DEvelopmental determinants of Aging and Longevity), FP7 HEALTH.2010.2.2.2-1: Role of early-life developmental processes in longevity determination.
Teaching activity
• Course of Formal Genetics and Population Genetics and Course of Genetics of Hemoglobinopathies
from 2006 to 2010 for CDL in Biological Sciences;
• Genetics Course from 2010 to 2013 for CDL in Biology;
• Genetics Course from 2013 to 2023 for the CDL in Natural Sciences;
• Genetics Course 2022/2023 for CDL in Biology.
He is a referee for international scientific journals and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the international scientific journal Frontiers in Genetics. He is co-author of 47 papers on international journals (h-index: Scopus = 21), and numerous presentations at conferences and supervisor of numerous Bachelor's and Master's degree theses.
