Biography

Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum

OS graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome Sapienza (1990); Board certified in Nuclear Medicine at the University of Rome Sapienza; PhD in Functional Radioisotope Imaging at the University of Rome Sapienza (2000); 2009 Board certified in Radiology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.

From 1998 to 2001 he has been Assistant Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the University of L’Aquila; Visiting Professor at the University of California Davis, Sacramento U.S.A. (1999). OS has been Associate Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” from 2001 to 2006. Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” from 2011 to 2013. Full Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” from 2007 to date. He was elected Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in 2013. Chief of Nuclear Medicine Department, Policlinico Tor Vergata Hospital from 2001. OS is an International Leader in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging.

He is author of more than 400 scientific publications: more than 200 full papers, the most of them published in listed scientific journals (Eur J Nucl Med, J Nucl Med, N Engl J Med, Radiology, Gut, Ann Oncol, Am J Gastroenterol, Crit Care Med, Nucl Med Commun, Am J Gastroenterol, J Neurol, Cancer Biother Radioph, Clin Nucl Med, Word J Surg, Anticancer Res, Coronary Artery Dis, J Cardiovasc Surg, Int J Oncol, etc.) and more of 214 abstracts in international and national meetings. H-index 34. More than 4,000 citations.

Chairman to the following Conferences of the European Association of Nuclear Medicines (EANM): 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012. Chairman to the Joint Congress of the EANM and of the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine & Biology 1998. Chairman to the Society of Nuclear Medicine Congress 2002. Moderator to the IV and V National Conference of the Italian Medicine Association Nuclear, 1998 and 2000. Scientific adviser of the Swiss Cancer Research and the Switzerland Alloy against the Cancer.

Member of the Editorial Board of the “European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging”, Journal of Nuclear Medicine”, “American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging” “Journals of Nuclear Medicine Communications”, “Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals”, “Current Medical Imaging Reviews and Expert Review of Medical Devices”

Research Activity

OS established an innovative section within the Department of Biomedicine and Prevention whose mission is to provide state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic patient studies, further clinical and basic science nuclear and molecular research, and serve as an important educational resource both within the University and community. Research activity of OS has brought considerable contributions in the field of molecular imaging in oncological and non-oncological patients. The results of his studies contributed to the drafting of guidelines for diagnosis or treatment of various diseases such as Alzheimer disease and prostate cancer. Specifically, He is author or co-authors of numerous important papers concerning the study of cerebral glucose metabolism in patients affected by dementia or the bio-distribution and pitfalls of 18F-choline PET/CT in prostate cancer patients.

Orazio Schillaci is Full Professor of nuclear Medicine in the Department of Biomedicine and Prevention of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

• Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
• Chief of Nuclear Medicine Department, Policlinico Tor Vergata Hospital
• Director of School of Specialization in Nuclear Medicine
• Director of the course “Nuclear Medicine”, single-cycle Master’s Degree in “Medicine and Surgery”
• Director of the course “Scienze tecniche mediche applicate” Master’s Degree in “Scienze delle professioni sanitarie tecniche diagnostiche”
• Director of the 1st level Master in “Radiofarmaci: gestione, preparazione e assicurazione di qualità”
• Member of the PhD course in ” Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine”
• Member of the Editorial Board of the “European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging”, Journal of Nuclear Medicine”, “American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging” “Journals of Nuclear Medicine Communications”, “Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals”, “Current Medical Imaging Reviews and Expert Review of Medical Devices”

Professional Memberships
President of AIMN (“Associazione Italiana di Medicina Nucleare ed Imaging Molecolare”) (https://www.aimn.it/)
Scientific adviser of the Swiss Cancer Research and the Switzerland Alloy against the Cancer

Research
OS is author of more than 400 scientific publications: more than 200 full papers, the most of them published in listed scientific journals (Eur J Nucl Med, J Nucl Med, N Engl J Med, Radiology, Gut, Ann Oncol, Am J Gastroenterol, Crit Care Med, Nucl Med Commun, Am J Gastroenterol, J Neurol, Cancer Biother Radioph, Clin Nucl Med, Word J Surg, Anticancer Res, Coronary Artery Dis, J Cardiovasc Surg, Int J Oncol) and more of 214 abstracts in international and national meetings.

H-index 34. More than 4,000 citations.

Main research areas: Main research lines: molecular imaging and fusing with hybrid machines (SPECT/TC and PET/TC) in cardiology, oncology, neurology and in the study of flogistic-infectious processes; scintigraphy with analogues of somatostatin markers in neuroendocrine tumors; receptor scintigraphy with FP-CIT and metabolic PET with FDG in Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism; study of brain metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease; vital myocardial research with radioisotopic techniques; diabetic foot study with radioisotopic techniques; characterization of flogistic and infectious processes with FDG-PET; staging and restaging of patients with ca. prostate with F-18 choline; early evaluation of response to FDG-PET therapy in patients with malignant lymphomas; study of adrenergic myocardial infarction with radioisotopic techniques; use of molecular imaging techniques in brain tumors and in senology.

Active Research Programs
Project “PICASO”, a “Personalised Integrated Care Platform”  Grant Agreement No. 689209

 Other Activities

• Evaluator of research projects of various national and international institutions and organizations.
• Member of Health Commissions for the “Regione Lazio” and for the Ministry of Health.
• Responsible for national and international research projects, eligible for funding on the basis of competitive announcements, including Horizon 2020 of the European Union.

Selected Publications

• Filippi L, Schillaci O, Bagni O. 90Y-radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma from a theranostic perspective: towards a personalized approach. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2018 Aug 7.
• Nudi F, Nudi A, Biondi-Zoccai G, Schillaci O. Bridging the Atlantic gap in clinical guidelines for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. J Nucl Cardiol. 2018 Jun;25(3):780-784.
• Chiaravalloti A, Castellano AE, Ricci M, Barbagallo G, Sannino P, Ursini F, Karalis G, Schillaci O. Coupled Imaging with [18F]FBB and [18F]FDG in AD Subjects Show a Selective Association Between Amyloid Burden and Cortical Dysfunction in the Brain. Mol Imaging Biol. 2018 Aug;20(4):659-666.
• Chiaravalloti A, Barbagallo G, Ricci M, Martorana A, Ursini F, Sannino P, Karalis G, Schillaci O. Brain metabolic correlates of CSF Tau protein in a large cohort of Alzheimer’s disease patients: A CSF and FDG PET study. Brain Res. 2018 Jan 1;1678:116-122.
• Chiaravalloti A, Ursini F, Fiorentini A, Barbagallo G, Martorana A, Koch G, Tavolozza M, Schillaci O. Functional correlates of TSH, fT3 and fT4 in Alzheimer disease: a F-18 FDG PET/CT study. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 24;7(1):6220.
• Schillaci O, Fontana S, Monteleone F, Taverna S, Di Bella MA, Di Vizio D, Alessandro R. Exosomes from metastatic cancer cells transfer amoeboid phenotype to non-metastatic cells and increase endothelial permeability: their emerging role in tumor heterogeneity. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 5;7(1):4711.
• Calabria F, Chiaravalloti A, Cicciò C, Gangemi V, Gullà D, Rocca F, Gallo G, Cascini GL, Schillaci O. PET/CT with 18F-choline: Physiological whole bio-distribution in male and female subjects and diagnostic pitfalls on 1000 prostate cancer patients: 18F-choline PET/CT bio-distribution and pitfalls. A southern Italian experience. Nucl Med Biol. 2017 Aug;51:40-54.
• Schillaci O, Urbano N. Personalized medicine: a new option for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging in the third millennium. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2017 Apr;44(4):563-566.
• Calabria FF, Chiaravalloti A, Jaffrain-Rea ML, Zinzi M, Sannino P, Minniti G, Rubello D, Schillaci O. 18F-DOPA PET/CT Physiological Distribution and Pitfalls: Experience in 215 Patients. Clin Nucl Med. 2016 Oct;41(10):753-60.
• Calabria FF, Chiaravalloti A, Calabria EN, Grillea G, Schillaci O. 18F-DOPA PET/CT and MRI Findings in a Patient With Multiple Meningiomas. Clin Nucl Med. 2016 Aug;41(8):636-7.
• Chiaravalloti A, Di Biagio D, Tavolozza M, Calabria F, Schillaci O. PET/CT with (18)F-choline after radical prostatectomy in patients with PSA ≤2 ng/ml. Can PSA velocity and PSA doubling time help in patient selection? Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2016 Jul;43(8):1418-24.
• Filippi L, Scopinaro F, Pelle G, Cianni R, Salvatori R, Schillaci O, Bagni O. Molecular response assessed by (68)Ga-DOTANOC and survival after (90)Y microsphere therapy in patients with liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumours. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2016 Mar;43(3):432-40.
• Raimondi L, De Luca A, Amodio N, Manno M, Raccosta S, Taverna S, Bellavia D, Naselli F, Fontana S, Schillaci O, Giardino R, Fini M, Tassone P, Santoro A, De Leo G, Giavaresi G, Alessandro R. Involvement of multiple myeloma cell-derived exosomes in osteoclast differentiation. Oncotarget. 2015 May 30;6(15):13772-89.
• Chiaravalloti A, Pagani M, Micarelli A, Di Pietro B, Genovesi G, Alessandrini M, Schillaci O. Cortical activity during olfactory stimulation in multiple chemical sensitivity: a (18)F-FDG PET/CT study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2015 Apr;42(5):733-40.
• Alessandrini M, Pagani M, Napolitano B, Micarelli A, Candidi M, Bruno E, Chiaravalloti A, Di Pietro B, Schillaci O. Early and phasic cortical metabolic changes in vestibular neuritis onset. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e57596.
• Schillaci O. Use of dual-point fluorodeoxyglucose imaging to enhance sensitivity and specificity. Semin Nucl Med. 2012 Jul;42(4):267-80.
• Schillaci O. The importance of standardized interpretation of molecular breast imaging with dedicated gamma cameras. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2012 Jun;39(6):967-70.
• Schillaci O, Calabria F, Tavolozza M, Caracciolo CR, Finazzi Agrò E, Miano R, Orlacchio A, Danieli R, Simonetti G. Influence of PSA, PSA velocity and PSA doubling time on contrast-enhanced 18F-choline PET/CT detection rate in patients with rising PSA after radical prostatectomy. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2012 Apr;39(4):589-96.
• Schillaci O, Chiaravalloti A, Pierantozzi M, Di Pietro B, Koch G, Bruni C, Stanzione P, Stefani A. Different patterns of nigrostriatal degeneration in tremor type versus the akinetic-rigid and mixed types of Parkinson’s disease at the early stages: molecular imaging with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT. Int J Mol Med. 2011 Nov;28(5):881-6. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2011.764. Epub 2011 Aug 2. PubMed PMID: 21811760.

Teaching – link to Didattica web

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

• Scienze Tecniche Mediche Applicate
  Scienze Mediche E Chirurgiche, Corso Avanzato 2 – Course of “Scienze Delle Professioni Sanitarie Tecniche Diagnostiche” (Corso Di Laurea Magistrale Dm.270/04)
• Diagnostica Per Immagini E Radioprotezione       
  Prevenzione Dei Servizi Sanitari E Assistenza Infermieristica, Scienze Umane E Psicopedagogiche – Course of “Tecniche Di Neurofisiopatologia” (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)
• Apparecchiature E Tecniche Generali: Medicina Nucleare
  Tecniche Di Diagnostica Per Immagini 1 – Course of “Tecniche Di Radiologia Medica, Per Immagini E Radioterapia” (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)
• Principi Generali Della Strumentazione Medico-nucleare
  Fisica Applicata Alla Strumentazione – Course of “Tecniche Di Radiologia Medica, Per Immagini E Radioterapia” (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)
• Tecniche Di Imaging Medico
  Tecniche Di Medicina Nucleare E Programmazione Sanitaria -Course of “Tecniche Di Radiologia Medica, Per Immagini E Radioterapia” (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)
• Radiofarmaci E Radiochimica
  Radiobiologia, Radioprotezione E Radiofarmaci – Course of Tecniche Di Radiologia Medica, Per Immagini E Radioterapia (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)
• Sicurezza Nell’allestimento Dei Radiofarmaci
  Radiobiologia, Radioprotezione E Radiofarmaci – Course of Tecniche Di Radiologia Medica, Per Immagini E Radioterapia (Corso Di Laurea Dm.270/04)