The scientific activity of Dr. Giampietri focuses on molecular mechanisms controlling cell death, proliferation and autophagy in normal and pathological conditions both in humans and in experimental models. More in detail these issues have been addressed in: a) male and female gonads (particularly fetal and post-natal germ cells); b) heart; c) skeletal muscle stem cell compartment; d) endothelial cells from large vessels; e) fibroblasts; f) human cancer cell lines (from melanoma, prostate cancer, hepatocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma). g) glial cells (Schwann cells). Dr. Giampietri has contributed to clarify different roles of the well-known anti-apoptotic cellular-Flice Like Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP) in several in vitro and in vivo models. Dr Giampietri has been involved in the production of a c-FLIP transgenic mouse model and she has identified novel un-expected functions of c-FLIP in autophagy modulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress response and lipid accumulation. Dr Giampietri studies have been carried out through cellular and molecular biology techniques as well as confocal immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. More recently Dr Giampietri is focusing on nerve-cancer cross-talk in melanoma and cholangiocarcinoma models with a particular focus on the role played by Schwann cells.