Camilla Bon

The research activity mainly dealt with the study and use of the leech (Phylum Anellida, Subclass Hirudinea) as a model animal, giving knowledge of breeding, manipulation and the body structure of this invertebrate. The main techniques learned during the internship activities are applicable in the field of microscopy, both optical and electronic, combined with various techniques in the field of molecular biology.

The research work carried out made it possible to investigate aspects of innate immunity, inflammatory responses, and regenerative processes (wound healing) in this animal model. In particular, the leeches’ responses to the presence of different types of environmental pollutants, such as PFAS, microplastics, and nanoplastics, were evaluated.

Teaching Responsibilities and Course Assignments within Degree Programs and Upper Secondary Schools

Academic Year 2024/2025

• Tutoring activity in “Animal Biology”
  Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences – University of Insubria
  26 hours
• Tutoring activity in “Animal Models and Techniques in Biomedical Research”
  Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences – University of Insubria
  12 hours

Academic Year 2023/2024

• Tutoring activity in “Animal Biology”
  Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences – University of Insubria
  26 hours
• Tutoring activity in “Animal Models and Techniques in Biomedical Research”
  Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences – University of Insubria
  12 hours

Academic Year 2022/2023

• Tutoring activity in “Animal Biology”
  Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences – University of Insubria
  26 hours + 10 hours of training
• Laboratory activities for upper secondary schools
  CTO Project DM 934 – 4U UNIVERSITY-LAB
  “Active guidance in the school-to-university transition”
  “Plant and Animal Biology” – University of Insubria
  8 hours

• 12th Course of Transmission Electron Microscopy: theoretical and practical bases, 2024-09-12
• 19th Course of confocal microscopy: theoretical and practical bases, 2024-09-11

2025

• Incomplete versus sustained innate-immune responses in the medicinal leech following chronic, environmentally relevant PFAS exposure - Accepted for publication, Environment & Health

N. Baranzini, A. Calisi, G. Marcolli, C. Bon, D. Rotondo, D. Gualandris, L. Pulze, A. Grimaldi, F. Dondero

• Inflammatory and oxidative responses to PET nanoplastics in the leech Hirudo verbana: a comparative analysis of acute and chronic exposure - Environmental Science: Nano

C. Bon, L. Pulze, S. Amoroso, E. Bertola, M. Barbaro, D. Tessaro, N. Baranzini, A. Grimaldi

• The exposure to polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics impairs wound healing and tissue regeneration in the leech Hirudo verbana - Microplastics

C. Bon, A. Maretti, L. Pulze, N. Paris, O. Santoro, S. Pragliola, L. Izzo, N. Baranzini, A. Grimaldi

2024

• Evaluation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toxic effects on the acute inflammatory response in the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana - Chemosphere

A. Calisi, N. Baranzini, G. Marcolli, C. Bon, D. Rotondo, D. Gualandris, L. Pulze, A. Grimaldi, F. Dondero

2023

• Step-by-Step Regeneration of Tentacles after Injury in Anemonia viridis—Morphological and Structural Cell Analyses - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

C. La Corte, N. Baranzini, M. Dara, C. Bon, A. Grimaldi, M.G. Parisi, M.G. Zizzo, M. Cammarata

2022

• The medicinal leech as an alternative experimental model to evaluate the harmful effects on organism health caused by the dispersion in the environment of polypropylene nano and microplastics - Fish and Shellfish

N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, C. Bon, L. Izzo, A. Grimaldi, 2022

2025 

• XXV Meeting of the Italian Society of Comparative and Developmental Immunobiology, Alessandria, Italy - Oral presentation.

Title: "Investigating the Impact of PET Nanoparticles on  the acute immune response in the medicinal  leech Hirudo verbana" 

C. Bon, N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, D. Tessaro, J. Vizioli, A. Grimaldi

2024

• LXIX Meeting of the Italian Embryological Group – Italian Society of Developmental and Cell Biology (GEI-SIBSC), Naples, Italy - Oral presentation.

Title: “Exploring the impact of PET nanoplastic dispersion in water on the activation of the innate immune response in Hirudo verbana”
C. Bon, N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, D. Tessaro, A. Grimaldi

• XXIV Meeting of the Italian Society of Comparative and Developmental Immunobiology, Modena, Italy - Oral presentation.

Title: “Effects of polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics on wound healing and tissue regeneration”
C. Bon, A. Maretti, N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, L. Izzo, S. Pragliola, A. Grimaldi

2023

• XXIII Meeting of the Italian Society of Comparative and Developmental Immunobiology, Naples, Italy - Oral presentation.

Title: “The medicinal leech as a valuable model to evaluate the effect of polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics on innate immune response activation”
C. Bon, N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, L. Izzo, A. Grimaldi

2025

• International Meeting on RNA & RNases, Bellaterra, Spain - Poster presentation

Title: “Tracking pollution-induced inflammation: HvRNASET2 enzyme from the medicinal leech as a potential immune biomarker”
C. Bon, G. Marcolli, M. Barbaro, L. Pulze, F. Acquati, A. Calisi, F. Dondero, N. Baranzini, A. Grimaldi

• International Meeting on RNA & RNases, Bellaterra, Spain - Poster presentation

Title: “HvRNASET2 from Hirudo verbana: a bioinspired enzyme for tissue regeneration”
G. Marcolli, L. Pulze, C. Bon, M. Barbaro, P. Campomenosi, F. Acquati, A. Grimaldi, N. Baranzini

2024

• LXIX Meeting of the Italian Embryological Group – Italian Society of Developmental and Cell Biology (GEI-SIBSC), Naples, Italy - Poster presentation

Title: “The medicinal leech as a model to study the effects of nano- and microplastics on tissue regeneration”
N. Paris, C. Bon, A. Maretti, N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, L. Izzo, S. Pragliola, A. Grimaldi
(Published as abstract in European Journal of Histochemistry, ISSN 1121-760X, Vol. 68, No. S1)

• LXIX Meeting of the Italian Embryological Group – Italian Society of Developmental and Cell Biology (GEI-SIBSC), Naples, Italy - Poster presentation

Title: “Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) induces a significant inflammatory response in the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana”
N. Baranzini, G. Marcolli, C. Bon, L. Pulze, D. Rotondo, D. Gualandris, A. Calisi, F. Dondero, A. Grimaldi
(Published as abstract in European Journal of Histochemistry, ISSN 1121-760X, Vol. 68, No. S1)

2022

• XXII Meeting of the Italian Society of Comparative and Developmental Immunobiology, Padua, Italy - Oral presentation.
  Title: “Hirudo verbana as a freshwater invertebrate model to assess the effects of polypropylene nano- and microplastic dispersion”
  N. Baranzini, L. Pulze, C. Bon, L. Izzo, A. Grimaldi
  (Published as abstract in Invertebrate Survival Journal – ISJ)