Professor Lorenza Putignani earned her degree in Chemistry from Sapienza University of Rome, followed by a PhD in Microbiology and Epidemiology and a specialization in Clinical Pathology from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the same university. She subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Infection and Immunity at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK, where she focused on the biochemistry of anaerobic protozoa and contributed to the discovery and characterization of a mitosome-like respiratory structure in the parasite Cryptosporidium spp. Upon returning to Italy, Professor Putignani spent four years in the Molecular Microbiology Unit at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI) “Lazzaro Spallanzani” in Rome. Her research focused on nutritional deficiency and bacterial starvation models in Proteobacteria, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa. During this period, she also served as a Biosafety Expert. She subsequently established an independent research group at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital (IRCCS) in Rome. Initially working under the scientific guidance of Dr. Donato Menichella and subsequently of Professor Bruno Dallapiccola, she headed the Parasitology Unit and later founded the Microbiomics Unit, with the aim of translating microbiological research into diagnostic and clinical applications. During her tenure at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, she also led the Metagenomics Research Unit and subsequently the Microbiome