Profile

Born in Palermo on 22 December 1965, she graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Palermo after completing a classical secondary education. Her interest in the ecological processes governing biological systems subsequently led her to obtain a second degree in Natural Sciences under the scientific supervision of Professor Silvano Riggio. During these formative years, she began her research career at the University and developed extensive fieldwork experience, obtaining the qualifications required to work as a professional scientific diver. This enabled her to conduct underwater observations, sampling and research activities, including at considerable depths.

In 1993, she joined the Italian National Research Council (CNR), initially focusing on sustainable fisheries management and subsequently specialising in the ecology of the early life stages of fish. Her scientific career developed at the intersection of marine ecology, environmental processes and the sustainable use of biological resources, providing the foundation for an increasingly interdisciplinary approach to research.

Alongside her scientific activities, she progressively developed expertise in the design, management and implementation of regional, national and European research projects. This experience enabled her to mobilise external resources, undertake advanced training abroad and obtain a PhD in Spain. She subsequently specialised in the ecological and molecular study of the early developmental stages of bony fish, focusing on the biological relationships and environmental processes that shape the dynamics of marine species.

In 2007, she was appointed as a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the Maghreb countries, contributing to research on the larval stages of small pelagic fish. This international assignment strengthened her experience in scientific cooperation, capacity building and the development of collaborative research initiatives across the Mediterranean. She has participated in numerous national and international oceanographic campaigns, frequently assuming scientific leadership and coordinating research planning, multidisciplinary teams and field operations.

Her career at the CNR has been characterised by progressive scientific and managerial responsibilities. In 2010, she was appointed as a Researcher, in 2020 as a Senior Researcher and, in 2023, she successfully competed for the position of Research Director at the Institute for the Study of the Mediterranean (ISMed-CNR). Throughout this period, she established and coordinated research groups and contributed to the career stabilisation of eight researchers, six of whom have subsequently become Senior Researchers, as well as two technologists and three technical staff members. These achievements reflect her commitment to developing scientific capabilities, supporting professional growth and building research teams able to address complex scientific challenges.

A significant dimension of her professional experience has been the ability to translate scientific ideas into funded projects, research infrastructure and lasting institutional capacity. Through projects for which she has overseen the entire lifecycle, she has secured approximately €40 million in external funding for the Institution. These resources have supported the establishment of scientific laboratories, the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and the training and professional development of research personnel. Her approach to project development extends beyond the acquisition of funding: it seeks to transform external resources into durable scientific assets, technological capabilities and professional expertise that strengthen the Institution over time. This experience has also consolidated her understanding of the economic, financial, organisational and strategic dimensions of research management.

Her research interests have progressively expanded beyond marine ecology towards the application of biological knowledge to human health and environmental innovation. Investigating the adaptive mechanisms of marine organisms led her to explore the potential applications of marine collagenases in tissue regeneration. Working with researchers and medical professionals, she contributed to the development of innovative approaches to cell therapy, founded the CNR spin-off Abiel Biotech and patented novel formulations for regenerative medicine.

The resulting patented technologies, initially focused on type 2 diabetes, were designed to enable the extraction and preservation of viable, functional cells from donated organs for subsequent therapeutic use. This approach offers the potential to regenerate organ function without necessarily requiring the transplantation of an entire organ and to obtain sufficient cells from a single donated organ for the treatment of multiple patients. This experience brought her into close contact with the challenges and opportunities of translating scientific discoveries into practical applications, strengthening her expertise in intellectual property, technology transfer and the relationship between public research and private investment.

Abiel Biotech subsequently developed into an innovative start-up, received international recognition and attracted private investment. In recognition of her scientific discovery, she also received a national award from the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), recognising her as Italy’s best female researcher. The establishment and development of the spin-off provided direct experience in business organisation, innovation management and the coordination of stakeholders from scientific, clinical, institutional, industrial and financial backgrounds. It also reinforced her conviction that scientific excellence can generate broader value when accompanied by effective organisational strategies, technology transfer and dialogue with society and the productive sector.

A defining feature of her professional approach has been the progressive development of structured forms of interdisciplinarity. Through the organisation and coordination of research facilities and teams, she has moved beyond the parallel involvement of different disciplines towards collaborative models in which researchers contribute jointly from the earliest stages of the scientific process. In this approach, research questions, methodologies and objectives are developed collectively, allowing different forms of knowledge to interact in a structured and productive manner.

This model has connected biological and ecological sciences with environmental, medical, technological, economic, historical, artistic, anthropological and social expertise. The dialogue between art and science represents a particularly meaningful expression of this approach, creating opportunities to connect ecosystem research with the evolution of communities, cultures and production systems. Such integration makes it possible to interpret environmental transformations within their broader social, economic and cultural contexts and to develop more comprehensive responses to complex challenges.

Her commitment to research has also been accompanied by sustained engagement in science communication, public outreach and education. She established a group dedicated to inclusive science communication and founded a multimedia, inclusive biodiversity museum, developing approaches designed to make scientific knowledge accessible to people with different cultural backgrounds, educational experiences, generations and abilities. These activities reflect her understanding of scientific communication as an integral component of research, essential to strengthening the relationship between science and society and increasing the public value of scientific knowledge.

Alongside her research and management responsibilities, she has maintained an active commitment to university teaching and the training of future professionals. Qualified to teach ecology at university level, she has supervised undergraduate dissertations, internships, placements and doctoral research projects. She currently teaches, as an Associate Professor, courses on the ecological and digital transition within economics-related university programmes and science education within the degree programme in Primary Teacher Education.

Her professional trajectory brings together scientific research, international cooperation, institutional development, external funding, human resources management, technological innovation and public engagement. This combination of experiences has shaped a leadership approach grounded in scientific excellence, the responsible integration of different areas of expertise, the development of people and the capacity to translate research outcomes into lasting institutional value.

ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4896-5114
Scopus Author ID: 6603217171

github profile: http://angelacuttitta.github.io/angelacuttitta

Publications

Scientific products:        

6 brevetti, 75 pubblicazioni su riviste isi, 71 pubblicazioni su riviste con comitato di redazione nazionale e articoli comunicazioni in atti di convegni internazionali, 31 astract-poster-comunicazioni-articoli in atti di convegni nazionali, 14 contributi in volume, 74 rapporti tecnici e rapporti finali di progetti, 7 lavori dattiloscritti

Most representative patent

Bertuzzi F., Cuttitta A., Ghersi G., Mazzola S., Salamone M., Seidita G. 2010. Collagenasi ricombinanti di C. Histolyticum e metodo per la loro produzione. Brevetto industriale n° RM2009A000661.

Last 3 years:

Di Natale M., Bennici C., Biondo G., Masullo T., Monastero C., Tagliavia M., Torri M., Costa S., Ragusa M.A., Cuttitta A., Nicosia A. 2019 – Aberrant gene expression profiles in Mediterranean sea urchin reproductive tissues after metal exposures. Chemosphere, Vol. 216, 48-58 pp.

Torri, M., Corrado, R., Falcini, F., Cuttitta, A., Palatella, L., Lacorata, G., Patti, B., Arculeo, M., Mifsud, R., Mazzola, S. “Planktonic stages of small pelagic fishes (Sardinella aurita and Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Central Mediterranean Sea: the key role of physical forcings and implications for fisheries management”(2018) Progress in Oceanography, 162, pp. 25-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.pocean.2018.02.009

Patti, B., Zarrad, R., Jarboui, O., Cuttitta, A., Basilone, G., Aronica, S., Placenti, F., Tranchida, G., Armeri, G.M., Buffa, G., Ferreri, R., Genovese, S., Musco, M., Traina, A., Torri, M., Mifsud, R., Mazzola, S.“Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) early life stages in the Central Mediterranean Sea: connectivity issues emerging among adjacent sub-areas across the Strait of Sicily” (2018) Hydrobiologia, 821 (1), pp. 25-40. Cited 3 times. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-017-3253-9

Cuttitta, A., Torri, M., Zarrad, R., Zgozi, S., Jarboui, O., Quinci, E.M., Hamza, M., Abdulfatah, E., Haddoud, D., El Turki, A., Ramadan, A., Missaoui, H., Mifsud, R., Bonomo, S., Mazzola, S., Patti, B. “Linking surface hydrodynamics to planktonic ecosystem: the case study of the ichthyoplanktonic assemblages in the Central Mediterranean Sea” (2018) Hydrobiologia, 821 (1), pp. 191-214. Cited 3 times. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-017-3483-x

Bonomo, S., Placenti, F., Zgozi, S., Torri, M., Quinci, E.M., Cuttitta, A., Genovese, S., Mazzola, S., Aronica, S., Barra, M., El Turki, A., Hamza, M., Uheshi, O., Bara, M., Assughayer, M., Bonanno, A. “Relationship between coccolithophores and the physical and chemical oceanography of eastern Libyan coastal waters” (2018) Hydrobiologia, 821 (1), pp. 215-234. Cited 5 times. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-017-3227-y

Zaccone, R., Azzaro, M., Azzaro, F., Caruso G., Caroppo, C., Decembrini, F., Diociaiuti, T., Fonda Umani, S., Leonardi, M., Maimone, G., Monticelli, L.S., Paranhos, R., Placenti, F., Cuttitta,  A., Patti, B., La Ferla, R. “Trophic structure and microbial activity in a spawning area of Engraulis Encrasicolus” (2018) Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume 207, 31 July 2018, Pages 215-222 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.04.008

Nicosia, A.; Mikov, A.; Cammarata, M.; Colombo, P.; Andreev, Y.; Kozlov, S.; Cuttitta, A.; Nicosia, A.; Mikov, A.; Cammarata, M.; Colombo, P.; Andreev, Y.; Kozlov, S.; Cuttitta, A. The Anemonia viridis Venom: Coupling Biochemical Purification and RNA-Seq for Translational Research. Marine Drugs 2018, 16, 407, doi:10.3390/md16110407. 5. 

Nicosia, A.; Bennici, C.; Biondo, G.; Costa, S.; di Natale, M.; Masullo, T.; Monastero, C.; Ragusa, M.A.; Tagliavia, M.; Cuttitta, A. Characterization of translationally controlled tumour protein from the sea anemone Anemonia viridis and transcriptome wide identification of cnidarian homologues. Genes 2018, 9, doi:10.3390/genes9010030. 6. 

Ragusa, M.A.; Nicosia, A.; Costa, S.; Cuttitta, A.; Gianguzza, F. Metallothionein gene family in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: Gene structure, differential expression and phylogenetic analysis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2017, 18, doi:10.3390/ijms18040812. 8. 

Ragusa, M.A.; Costa, S.; Cuttitta, A.; Gianguzza, F.; Nicosia, A. Coexposure to sulfamethoxazole and cadmium impairs development and attenuates transcriptional response in sea urchin embryo. Chemosphere 2017, 180, 275–284, doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.04.030. 9.

Nicosia, A.; Cuttitta, A.; Gianguzza, F.; Ragusa, M.A. An intronic cis-regulatory element is crucial for the alpha tubulin Pl-Tuba1a gene activation in the ciliary band and animal pole neurogenic domains during sea urchin development. PLoS ONE 2017, 12, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170969.

Nicosia A., Bennici C., Biondo G., Costa S., Di Natale M., Masullo T., Monastero C., Ragusa M.A., Tagliavia M., Cuttitta A. Characterization of Translationally Controlled Tumour Protein from the Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis and Transcriptome Wide Identification of Cnidarian Homologues. 2018 – Genes, 9, 30; doi:10.3390/genes9010030. 

Cuttitta A, Ragusa MA, Costa S, Bennici C, Colombo P, Mazzola S, Gianguzza F, Nicosia A. (2017). Evolutionary conserved mechanisms pervade structure and transcriptional modulation of allograft inflammatory factor-1 from sea anemone Anemonia viridis. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2017 Aug;67:86-94.

Musco M, Cuttitta A, Bicchi E, Quinci EM, Sprovieri M, Tranchida G, Giaramita L, Traina A, Salvagio Manta D, Gherardi S, Mercurio P, Siragusa A, Mazzola S. Benthic Foraminifera as bio-indicators of anthropogenic impacts in coastal environments: Acqua dei Corsari area case study (Palermo, Italy). Mar Pollut Bull. 2017 Jan 30. pii: S0025-326X(17)30043-7. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.032.

Costa S, Nicosia A, Cuttitta A, Gianguzza F, Ragusa MA. An Intronic cis-Regulatory Element Is Crucial for the Alpha Tubulin Pl-Tuba1a Gene Activation in the Ciliary Band and Animal Pole Neurogenic Domains during Sea Urchin Development. PLoS One. 2017 Jan 31;12(1):e0170969. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170969.

Bulati, M., Longo, A., Masullo, T., Vlah, S., Bennici, C., Bonura, A., Salamone, M., Tagliavia, M., Nicosia, A., Mazzola, S., Colombo, P., Cuttitta, A. Partially Purified Extracts of Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis Affect the Growth and Viability of Selected Tumour Cell Lines. (2016) BioMed Research International, 2016, art. no. 3849897. DOI: 10.1155/2016/3849897

Nicosia, A., Costa, S., Tagliavia, M., Maggio, T., Salamone, M., Adamo, G., Ragusa, M.A., Bennici, C., Masullo, T., Mazzola, S., Gianguzza, F., Cuttitta, A. The nucleic acid-binding protein PcCNBP is transcriptionally regulated during the immune response in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkia. (2016) Cell Stress and Chaperones, 21 (3), pp. 535-546. DOI: 10.1007/s12192-016-0681-9

Tagliavia, M., Nicosia, A., Salamone, M., Biondo, G., Bennici, C.D., Mazzola, S., Cuttitta, A. Development of a fast DNA extraction method for sea food and marine species identification (2016) Food Chemistry, 203, pp. 375-378. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.02.095

Nicosia A, Maggio T, Costa S, Salamone M, Tagliavia M, Mazzola S, Gianguzza F, Cuttitta A. Maintenance of a Protein Structure in the Dynamic Evolution of TIMPs over 600 Million Years. (2016) Genome biology and evolution, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1056-1071. DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw052

Tagliavia, M., Cuttitta, A. Exploiting translational coupling for the selection of cells producing toxic recombinant proteins from expression vectors. (2016) BioTechniques, 60 (3), pp. 113-118. DOI: 10.2144/000114387

Falco F, Barra M, Cammarata M, Cuttitta A, Jia S, Bonanno A, Mazzola S, Wu G. Amino acid composition in eyes from zebrafish (Danio rerio) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) at the larval stage. Springerplus. 2016 Apr 26;5:519. doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-2137-1.

Angela Cuttitta Sergio Bonomo, Salem Zgozi, Angelo Bonanno, Bernardo Patti, Enza Maria Quinci, Marco Torri, Mohamed Hamza, Abdul Fatah, Daw Haddoud, Akram El Turki, Abdul Bari Ramadan, Simona Genovese and Salvatore Mazzola. The influence of physical and biological processes on the ichthyoplankton communities in the Gulf of Sirte (Southern Mediterranean Sea). Marine Ecology An Evolutionary Perspective. 2016.DOI: 10.1111/maec.12362

Masullo, T., Armata, N., Pendolino, F., Colombo, P., Celso, F.L., Mazzola, S., Cuttitta, A. Low-Cost Synthesis of Smart Biocompatible Graphene Oxide Reduced Species by Means of GFP (2016) Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 178 (3), pp. 462-473. DOI: 10.1007/s12010-015-1887-5Cuttitta, A., Quinci, E.M., Patti, B., Bonomo, S., Bonanno, A., Musco, M., Torri, M., Placenti, F., Basilone, G., Genovese, S., Armeri, G.M., Spanò, A., Arculeo, M., Mazzola, A., Mazzola, S.Different key roles of mesoscale oceanographic structures and ocean bathymetry in shaping larval fish distribution pattern: A case study in Sicilian waters in summer 2009. (2016) Journal of Sea Research, 115, pp. 6-17. DOI: 10.1016/j.seares.2016.04.005

Projects

RESEARCH PROJECTS AND RELATIVE SCIENTIFIC ROLE over the last 3 years

• Definition of a EUROMARINE Strategic Agenda to support Blue Growth sectors through the Enhancement of Human resources: a focus on fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood processing (EHUSEA).
  Angela Cuttitta e Dino Patti Referenti e Capofila del progetto €. 7.300,00
• Referente e responsabile scuinetifico del Progetto Diamerter. Accordo Bilaterale Italia-Libano CNR7CNRS Biennio 2018-2019
  DNA IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION OF MEDITERRANEAN FISHERIES RESOURCES (DIAMETER)  €. 12.000,00
• ERA-Nets WORKING GROUP, COFASP, BlueBio BLUE BIOECONOMY COFUND
  using biotechnology to develop smart, efficient, traceable food systems and create synergies between aquaculture and fisheries (genetic assessment and digitalisation).
  Angela Cuttitta e Dino Patti Referenti WP5 .2 – 3  €. 10.000,00
• Progetto Centro internazionale di studi avanzati su ambiente ed impatti su ecosistema e salute umana “CISAS” cofinanziato dal Cipe (Comitato interministeriale di programmazione economica) sul Fondo integrativo speciale per la ricerca (Fisr).
  Costo totale del progetto: €. 8.700.000,00
  Angela Cuttitta Referente e Coordinatore WP4: Ecosystem and contaminants, €. 700.000,00
• PO Cooperazione transfrontaliera Italia-Tunisia 2007-2013 PS1.1.002 DIVIN, “Développement des Interventions innovants sur les Varietés des cépages pour l’INtégration italo-tunisienne ” (DIVIN) Programma: P.O. Italia-Tunisia 2007-2013.
  Costo totale del progetto: € 600.000,00
  Quota CNR: € 200.000,00

SCIENTIFIC RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOLLOW-UP PROJECTS OF DIVULGATION AND TRAINING

• Osservatorio Regionale della Biodiversità Siciliana marina e terrestre (ORBS)
  Committente: Regione Siciliana, Dipartimento dell’Ambiente.Programma: PO
  Programma: PO FESR Sicilia 2007-2013
• Programma di formazione plurisettoriale “Scienze per la Diplomazia – DIPLOMAzia” – Progetto “DIPLOMA” – CUP: B56J13000320006