Maria De Santis

Education

• 2026: Full Professor of Rheumatology (area 06/D3 – MED/16)
• 2021 – 2024: Assistant Professor in Rheumatology (RTD-B), Humanitas University
• 2010 – 2015: Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Type A Research Grant), BIOMETRA Department, University of Milan
• 2008: PhD in Clinical Proteomics, University of Verona
• 2004: Residency in Rheumatology, Università Cattolica, Rome
• 2000: MD, Università Cattolica, Rome

Academic Appointments

• Associate Professor of Rheumatology, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele
• President of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs in Nursing Science, Humanitas University
• Member of the PhD Board in Applied Clinical Research, Humanitas University
• Member of the Boards of the Residency Schools in Clinical Immunology and Allergology, and in Rheumatology, Humanitas University
• Head of the Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Section, Unit of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano

Awards and Honors – National and International Research

• 2023 – 2024: Principal Investigator for Humanitas in clinical studies included in the Horizon 2023, Project No. 10109505, SQUEEZE Project
• Co-Principal Investigator of a clinical study funded by the PNRR – 2023 Call – PNRR-MCNT1-2023-12378434.
• Co-Principal Investigator of a clinical study funded by a GILS grant – 2023 Call.
• 2026: Eustar Database Improvement Grant

1. Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis, autoantibodies, organ involvement, and treatment.
2. Adaptive and innate immune responses in arthritis, response to therapies and vaccines.
3. Identification of biomarkers through proteomics in biological fluids relevant to rheumatology.

She is a member of the Scientific Committee of SCLERONET, the network of Scleroderma Units in Milan supported by the patient association GILS – Gruppo Italiano per la Lotta alla Sclerodermia. She has been included in the scientific board for pharmacological research identified by the Mario Negri Institute (coordinating center of the rare diseases network) and has actively contributed to the development of the PDTA – Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Care Pathways for the diagnosis and treatment of Systemic Sclerosis.

1. Tonutti A, Motta F, De Angelis R, Cipolletta E, Ferri C, Bajocchi G, Bellando-Randone S, Bruni C, Orlandi M, Zanframundo G, Foti R, Cuomo G, Ariani A, Rosato E, Lepri G, Girelli F, Zanatta E, Bosello SL, Cavazzana I, Ingegnoli F, Cacciapaglia F, Murdaca G, Abignano G, Pettiti G, Della Rossa A, Caminiti M, Iuliano AM, Ciano G, Beretta L, Bagnato G, Lubrano E, De Andres I, Idolazzi L, Saracco M, Agnes C, Campochiaro C, Fornaro M, Lumetti F, Spinella A, Magnani L, De Luca G, Codullo V, Visalli E, Iandoli C, Gigante A, Pellegrino G, Pigatto E, Lazzaroni MG, De Lorenzis E, Mennillo G, Di Battista M, Pagano-Mariano G, Furini F, Vultaggio L, Parisi S, Peroni CL, Bianchi G, Fusaro E, Sebastiani GD, Govoni M, D’Angelo S, Cozzi F, Franceschini F, Guiducci S, Dagna L, Doria A, Giuggioli D, Riccieri V, Salvarani C, Iannone F, Matucci-Cerinic M, Selmi C, De Santis M; First-line diagnostic tests to intercept primary heart involvement in systemic sclerosis: clinical associations from the SPRING-SIR registry. on behalf of SPRING-SIR (Systemic Sclerosis PRogression INvestiGation group of the Italian Society for Rheumatology). Eur J Clin Invest 2025. DOI: 10.1111/eci.70094.
2. Motta F, Tonutti A, Isailovic N, Ceribelli A, Costanzo G, Rodolfi S, Selmi C, De Santis M. Proteomic aptamer analysis reveals serum biomarkers associated with disease mechanisms and phenotypes of systemic sclerosis. Front Immunol. 2023 Sep 11;14:1246777. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1246777. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37753072.
3. De Santis M, Motta F, Isailovic N, Clementi M, Criscuolo E, Clementi N, Tonutti A, Rodolfi S, Barone E, Colapietro F, Ceribelli A, Vecellio M, Luciano N, Guidelli G, Caprioli M, Rezk C, Canziani L, Azzolini E, Germagnoli L, Mancini N, Lleo A, Selmi C. Dose-Dependent Impairment of the Immune Response to the Moderna-1273 mRNA Vaccine by Mycophenolate Mofetil in Patients with Rheumatic and Autoimmune Liver Diseases. Vaccines 2022, 10, 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/ vaccines10050801. PMID: 35632557
4. Pieroni M*, De Santis M*, Zizzo G, Bosello S, Smaldone C, Campioni M, De Luca G, Laria A, Meduri A, Bellocci F, Bonomo L, Crea F, Ferraccioli G. Recognizing and treating myocarditis in recent-onset systemic sclerosis heart disease: potential utility of immunosuppressive therapy in cardiac damage progression. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014 Feb;43(4):526-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.07.006; PMID: 23932313
5. De Santis M, Bosello SL, Capoluongo E, Inzitari R, Peluso G, Lulli P, Zizzo G, Bocci M, Tolusso B, Zuppi C, Castagnola M, Ferraccioli G. A vascular endothelial growth factor deficiency characterises scleroderma lung disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012 Sep;71(9):1461-5. DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200657; PMID: 22402140