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Chronic inflammatory diseases represent a significant burden on public health, intertwining complex immune responses and metabolic pathways. Recent studies have revealed the critical role of immune–metabolic crosstalk in conditions such as obesity, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and immune-mediated inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These interactions, particularly involving macrophage polarization, stromal–immune cell interactions, and lipid metabolism, highlight the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach to fully understand the mechanisms underlying disease progression. By exploring these connections, researchers can identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers that may offer insights into managing these chronic conditions more effectively.
Advancements in this field have illustrated how metabolic dysregulation influences immune cell function and vice versa, underscoring the potential for integrated treatment strategies. Understanding these relationships can facilitate the development of targeted interventions that address both metabolic and immune components simultaneously. Such integrative approaches represent a significant shift towards personalised medicine, which considers individual metabolic profiles alongside immune responses, enhancing treatment efficacy.
This Collection welcomes original research and reviews pertaining to, but not limited to, the following areas:
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
Submit your manuscript to this collection through the participating journal.
Journal
Inflammation is a comprehensive resource for the latest international advances in experimental and clinical research on inflammation.
Valentina is Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa. She also serves as Consultant in ImmunoRheumatology at the Pisa University Hospital. Valentina completed her clinical training in Clinical Immunology and Allergy in 2015 and obtained her PhD in Immunology in Italy in 2016. She then obtained a second PhD in Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology at Queen Mary University of London supported by Arthritis Research UK (Clinical Research Fellowship). In 2019, she joined the Department of Rheumatology in Birmingham supported by a NIHR Clinical Fellowship and in 2022 she moved to the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (University of Oxford) as Senior Research Fellow. From 2024 she holds a tenure track position at University of Pisa (Italy). She is honorary fellow at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford (UK).
At the University of Pisa, Dr Pucino is a member of the Research and Business Engagement board of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. She is also a member of the board of the PhD program in Translational Sciences within the University of Pisa.
She is Associate Editor for Frontiers Immunology and Inflammation (Springer-Nature). She published more than 40 peer review papers in high impact factor journals in the field of immunology, metabolism and rheumatology including Cell, Lancet and Nature. Valentina is a member of the Italian and British Society of Immunology, Italian and British Society of Rheumatology, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), and she is an EMEUNET (Emerging EULAR Rheumatology Network) committee member. She serves as a reviewer for several high impact journals and grant schemes. She has been involved in the organization and served as chair of the European Rheumatology Congress (EULAR).
Her research focuses on investigating immunometabolic pathways regulating immune responses in health and immune-mediated inflammatory disorders using bioinformatic tools and organoid cultures alongside clinical activity. She is supported by national and international grants including a FOREUM grant. Her group currently includes 1 PhD student, 4 technicians, 2 clinical fellows, and 1 research nurse. She collaborates with national and international leaders in the field of inflammation and cell metabolism, and she holds an honorary contract with the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham.