Development and Territory
The Laboratory promotes and supports research activities aimed at the molecular characterization of complex biological systems, applying a holistic approach to develop innovative diagnostic pathways. These activities are carried out in collaboration with other IZSAM laboratories and national and international research institutions.
The Laboratory provides genomics, transcriptomics, and metagenomics services in line with the mandate of national and international reference centers. It ensures the coordination of activities related to the study of genes (genomics) and their functions (functional genomics); the DNA transcripts (RNA) through transcriptomics; the proteins (proteomics); the metabolites within a biological system (e.g., microorganism-host, contaminant-environment, contaminant-food), and the molecular interactions (interactomics).
The laboratory develops and applies innovative biomolecular methods to analyze the function of microorganisms, enhancing the capacity to trace infection and contamination sources as well as the transmission pathways of pathogens. It also promotes and coordinates research into innovative analytical approaches using Big Data and advanced computational paradigms.
The Laboratory comprises the following units:
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Daniela Morelli
Head
She is Head of the Development and Territory Laboratory at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZS Teramo), where she is responsible for defining medium- and long-term objectives, planning human, technical and financial resources, and setting priorities in research, international cooperation, and technical assistance at both national and international level.
She is Head of the Development and Territory Laboratory at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZS Teramo), where she is responsible for defining medium- and long-term objectives, planning human, technical and financial resources, and setting priorities in research, international cooperation, and technical assistance at both national and international level.
She coordinates the diagnostic sections of IZS Teramo that provide diagnostic support, technical advice and assistance for the surveillance and control of animal diseases, as well as for the microbiological control of food of animal and plant origin, serving national health authorities, farmers, and other non-health-related institutions.
She also oversees the departments affiliated with the Laboratory, dedicated to the development and research of innovative biomolecular methods and to the bioinformatics analysis of next-generation sequencing data for the detection, identification and characterisation of pathogens responsible for animal diseases, zoonoses, and foodborne contamination.
Since 2017, she has been Head of the National Reference Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases (CESME), where she coordinates research and operational activities related to diagnostics, emergency plans, surveillance programmes, and operational protocols for the prevention and control of both existing exotic animal diseases in Italy and those at risk of introduction.
She holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Perugia and a Master’s in Animal Health from the Royal Veterinary College in London, United Kingdom.
From 2017 to 2022, she served as Head of the National Reference Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology, Planning, Information and Risk Analysis (COVEPI) and from 2012 to 2018, she was Head of the FAO Reference Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology based at IZS Teramo.
From 1990 to 2022, her main area of work was research and development of surveillance systems to support the governance and implementation of veterinary activities at national and international level. She has designed and managed numerous training courses focused on the development and strengthening of zoonosis surveillance systems in Mediterranean countries.
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Local branch in Pescara
Go to the UnitThe Pescara local branch is located at 118B Via Raiale, in a building owned by the Municipality, with a surface area of approximately 460 square metres.
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Go to the UnitThe Unit develops bioinformatics tools for pathogen characterisation and advanced machine learning models to predict pathogen phenotypes from genomic data. These resources are made available through the national bioinformatics platform of the National Reference Centre GENPAT, a key tool for genomic surveillance of pathogenic microorganisms within a One Health framework.
The Unit primarily develops open-source software components, which are shared with the scientific community.Local branch in Avezzano
Go to the UnitThe Avezzano local branch is located in the heart of the region's territory with the highest concentration of protected areas. For this reason, necropsy diagnostics are primarily focused on wildlife. Among its institutional duties, serological testing plays a key role within disease control and eradication programmes for sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as in monitoring plans for equine and swine species. The branch also provides important support to the hygiene and safety inspection of meat from both domestic animals and game through trichinella testing.
Molecular Biology and Omic Technologies
Go to the UnitThe Unit is responsible for sequencing and genomic analysis of microorganisms, conducting 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomics studies from biological samples, as well as transcriptomics research. It develops and validates protocols for bacterial and viral genome sequencing and performs genotype analysis of the prion protein (PrP) in sheep. The Unit works in collaboration with the Bioinformatics Unit to update the CRN platform for the genomic sequences of pathogenic microorganisms, contributing to the database and supporting the development of new bioinformatics tools for pathogen surveillance.
Local branch in Campobasso
Go to the UnitThe Campobasso local branch is located at 155 Via Garibaldi, in a building owned by the Institute with a surface area of approximately 700 square metres.