Area of Interest: presently interested in the study of genetic and environmental factors involved in the onset of complex neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, Amiotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), according to the following research lines:

- Neurotoxins that may play a role in neurodegenerative disorders: we are focussing our attention on some neurotoxic metals, able to induce oxidative damage.

- Identification of “a battery of assays” for the detection of oxidative damage at peripheral level in of subjects at risk to develop AD, or with pre-pathogenic conditions (i.e. Mild Cognitive Impairment subjects, Down syndrome patients, young mothers of DS children).

- Studies aimed to primary prevention in subjects with pre-pathogenic conditions of neurodegenerative diseases.

- Studies on susceptibility genes (i.e. folate gene polymorphisms).

- Reduction of toxicity of conjugated nanoparticles for drug delivery.

Lucia has participated in several projects funded by National Research Council, Italian Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, Italian Ministry of Work, Italian Ministry of Defence, British Council/CRUI, UE (Step: Biomonitoring of Human populations exposed to pesticides, Environment: Induction of Aneuploidy by Environmental Chemicals, and Env & Health: Genetic polymorphism and biomonitoring of styrene).

Evaluator for the European Commission Research Directorate-General 'Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources' Programme Directorate B.I.1 - 'Health, Food and Environment', Key Action 4: Environment and Health. Member of the Technical Working Group on Integrated Monitoring (Subgroup Heavy metals) under the framework of the European Environment and Health strategy, EU.

Lucia has published 62 scientific articles in the field of genotoxicology and cytogenetics, in addition to 150 abstracts and proceedings of national and international meetings. She was a Member of the Executive of the Italian Society of Genetics and actually is Secretary-Treasurer of the Italian Society of Environmental Mutagenesis (SIMA). Referee for many international Journals.