[1] De Palma obtained a master's degree in biology from the University of Turin in 1999 after defending his thesis on the cytostatic effects of type-I interferons on cancer cells.

He then obtained a PhD in 2004 in the laboratory of Luigi Naldini, where he studied the effet of bone marrow-derived cells on tumor angiogenesis, and performed post-doctoral work at the Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, further dissecting the role of macrophages and their potential use as a target for gene therapy in the treatment of cancer.

[6] He also identified expression of Angiopoietin 2 as an adaptive resistance mechanism upon anti-angiogenic treatment by VEGF inhibitors in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer.

[10][11] De Palma and colleagues also explore the role of extracellular vesicles in cancer progression and resistance to therapy.

[16][17] In 2013, De Palma was awarded with the Leenaards Scientific Prize for his research on anti-angiogenic therapies and cancer immunotherapy.