Mariacarmela Allocca

Mariacarmela Allocca has a diverse work experience in the field of biomedical research. Mariacarmela started their career as a Research Assistant at the University of Naples Federico II, where they contributed to the identification of insulin signaling pathways and studied the role of a specific gene in beta cell survival/proliferation. Mariacarmela then joined TIGEM as a Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellow and Teaching Assistant, where they focused on gene replacement and gene transfer strategies for retinal diseases. Their work at TIGEM involved successfully testing AAV-mediated gene transfer as a therapeutic strategy for Stargardt's disease.

After TIGEM, Allocca worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, where they conducted research on induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-based therapy for retinal diseases and characterized new animal models of blinding diseases. Mariacarmela demonstrated that retina-derived iPS cells could be a better source of photoreceptors for cell-based therapy and characterized a novel genetic model of retinal neovascularization.

Allocca then joined MIT's Biological Engineering Department as a Staff Scientist, where they focused on studying DNA alkylation repair in vivo using mouse models. Their research at MIT included determining the mechanisms of cell death in alkylation-induced photoreceptor degeneration and identifying strategies to slow the degeneration in specific tissues.

Next, Allocca joined Casebia Therapeutics as a Senior Scientist, Team and Project Lead. In this role, they initiated and led a project aiming at developing a treatment for an inherited retinal disease using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Mariacarmela also evaluated targets for gene editing and therapeutic strategies, managed direct reports, and collaborated with cross-functional teams.

Currently, Allocca works at Editas Medicine as the Director of Preclinical Sciences. Their responsibilities include overseeing the design and implementation of preclinical research studies for ophthalmology and other disease area programs, managing resources for in-house and remote studies, and leading the development of therapeutic programs using genome editing. Mariacarmela is also the head of the EDIT-103 program, focusing on the development of therapeutics to treat genetic diseases.

Throughout their career, Allocca has demonstrated a strong focus on ophthalmology and genetic diseases, utilizing their expertise in gene editing and in vivo research to advance therapeutic strategies for these conditions.

Mariacarmela Allocca completed their education at the University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy. Mariacarmela earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine (Human Genetics) from 2003 to 2008. Their thesis focused on Gene Therapy Strategies for Inherited Photoreceptor Diseases. Prior to their Ph.D., they obtained a Laurea/M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology with honors from the same university from 1997 to 2003. Additionally, they have obtained several certifications in various fields including Clinical Trials, Drug Development, National and International Patent Law, and Medical Genetics from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, University of Texas, University of Milan, and University of Bologna.