Skills (36)
Research experience
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Jan 2011–
presentResearch: Principal investigator
Università di Bologna · Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES) · Start-Up unit (AIRC)Italy · BolognaPI of a research unit supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (http://www.airc.it). Research activities: chemoinformatic and computer-aided drug design techniques for the discovery of new anticancer therapeutics. -
Jan 2009–
Dec 2010Research: Principal investigator
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia · Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche · Start-Up unit (AIRC)Italy · ModenaPI of a research unit supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (http://www.airc.it). Research activities: chemoinformatic and computer-aided drug design techniques for the discovery of new anticancer therapeutics. -
Jan 2008–
Dec 2008Research: Post-doc
Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia · Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche · Giulio RastelliItaly · ModenaWorked on the design of irreversible inhibitors of protein kinases using molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA free energy estimations -
Nov 2007–
Dec 2007Research: Research scientist
Molecular NetworksGermany · ErlangenSpent a short time at Mol-Net working on the stability of compound libraries and their reaction mechanisms -
Jan 2006–
Oct 2007Research: Post-doc
Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg · Computer-Chemie-Centrum · Johnny GasteigerGermany · ErlangenGot an Alexander von Humboldt fellowships and worked of enantioselective recognition mechanisms with chemoinformatic tools. -
Jun 2003–
Jun 2003Research: Research training
anterio consult & research gmbhGermany · MannheimHard training on Schrödinger software. Worked on computational elucidation of enantioselective recognition mechanisms (mainly chiral HPLC separations).
Education
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Jan 2003–
Dec 2005Aix-Marseille Université
Computational chemistry and bioactive molecules · PhDFrance · Marseille -
Sep 2001–
Jun 2002Université de Rennes 1
Theoretical chemistry and computer sciences · Master in theoretical chemistry and computer sciencesFrance · Rennes -
Sep 1997–
Feb 2002Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Physical and theoretical chemistry · Master in physical chemistryItaly · Modena
Other
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LanguagesItalian, English, French and low level of proficiency in German
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Scientific MembershipsAmerican Chemical Society, Italian Chemical Society, Alexander von Humboldt foundation, Italian Association for Cancer Research
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Journal RefereesChem-Bio Informatics Journal
Questions and Answers (4) View all
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Answer added in MHC3 Where can I buy immunoproteasome inhibitors?Of course! Please make a request of full-text from here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231223187_Immunoproteasome_in_cancer_and_neuropatholo... [more]
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Answer added in MHC3 Where can I buy immunoproteasome inhibitors?Do you need selective immunoproteasome inhibitors? (i.e. less or not active against the constitutive proteasome?) Otherwise you can just go for promi... [more]
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Answer added in Chemistry29 Are there any journals dealing with the design and development of software (and methods) for nature science (esp. chemistry)?Also the J Chem Inf Model (http://pubs.acs.org/journal/jcisd8) publishes a number papers with methodological background
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Answer added in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology11 Virtual screeningAs concerning database for freely available databases for virtual screening purposes we recently wrote a review that might be of help http://www.ncbi.... [more]
Publications (29) View all
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Article: Cross-talking metabolism and epigenetics in anti-cancer drug design.
Current pharmaceutical design 09/2012; · 4.41 Impact Factor -
Article: microRNA biogenesis pathway as therapeutic target for human disease and cancer.
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ABSTRACT: The deregulation of miRNAs expression and activity is frequently observed in a wide variety of human pathologies including cancer. Accordingly, growing evidence indicates that the targeting of microRNAs biogenesis and pathways is emerging as a central tool for the development of novel RNA-based drugs and therapies to defeat diseases in humans. In this review we describe the various strategies that can be used to target the microRNAs and specific RNA-binding proteins, involved in the regulation of their production, localization, stability and activity, in human cancer and cardiovascular diseases. We also focus on the efforts that are currently made to enhance the potency and stability of these therapeutic agents and their delivery to modulate in vivo microRNAs pathways. Finally, we present structural data on proteins that belong to the microRNA pathway for small molecules-based target therapy design.Current pharmaceutical design 09/2012; · 4.41 Impact Factor -
Article: Modulation of epigenetic targets for anticancer therapy: clinicopathological relevance, structural data and drug discovery perspectives.
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ABSTRACT: Research on cancer epigenetics has flourished in the last decade. Nevertheless growing evidence point on the importance to understand the mechanisms by which epigenetic changes regulate the genesis and progression of cancer growth. Several epigenetic targets have been discovered and are currently under validation for new anticancer therapies. Drug discovery approaches aiming to target these epigenetic enzymes with small-molecules inhibitors have produced the first pre-clinical and clinical outcomes and many other compounds are now entering the pipeline as new candidate epidrugs. The most studied targets can be ascribed to histone deacetylases and DNA methyltransferases, although several other classes of enzymes are able to operate post-translational modifications to histone tails are also likely to represent new frontiers for therapeutic interventions. By acknowledging that the field of cancer epigenetics is evolving with an impressive rate of new findings, with this review we aim to provide a current overview of pre-clinical applications of small-molecules for cancer pathologies, combining them with the current knowledge of epigenetic targets in terms of available structural data and drug design perspectives.Current pharmaceutical design 09/2012; · 4.41 Impact Factor -
Article: Rejuvenating sirtuins: the rise of a new family of cancer drug targets.
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ABSTRACT: Sirtuins are a family of NAD+-dependent enzymes that was proposed to control organismal life span about a decade ago. While such role of sirtuins is now debated, mounting evidence involves these enzymes in numerous physiological processes and disease conditions, including metabolism, nutritional behavior, circadian rhythm, but also inflammation and cancer. SIRT1, SIRT2, SIRT3, SIRT6, and SIRT7 have all been linked to carcinogenesis either as tumor suppressor or as cancer promoting proteins. Here, we review the biological rationale for the search of sirtuin inhibitors and activators for treating cancer and the experimental approaches to their identification.Current pharmaceutical design 09/2012; · 4.41 Impact Factor -
Article: Immunoproteasome in cancer and neuropathologies: a new therapeutic target?
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ABSTRACT: Immunoproteasome is an emerging biological target that constitutes a key element not only in antigen presentation but also in T cell and cytokine regulation as well as cellular homeostasis. Its inducible expression and different sensitivity, respect to standard proteasome, towards activity modulators renders it a potential therapeutic target for tumours and central nervous system diseases. In this review we report the cutting edge studies for understanding when immunoproteasome expression is induced and how it regulates pivotal pathways involved in tumours and neuropathologies, including apoptosis and inflammation. We emphasize its role as a new pharmacological target by describing the recent medicinal chemistry efforts aimed at design selective small-molecule modulators of both standard- and immuno-proteasome forms. Finally, we also present an in silico model of the human immunoproteasome structure by the major molecular differences with the 20S standard proteasome and discuss the perspective for the design of novel specific small-molecule modulators for the different proteasome isoforms.Current pharmaceutical design 09/2012; · 4.41 Impact Factor
