Each OU is coordinated by a responsible and is constituted by tenured and contract personnel. Tenured personnel is constituted by professors, associate professors, researchers, technicians, and administrative staff, devoting part of their time to BIOPHARMANET-TEC. Contract personnel is hired on demand, and it is mostly made of post doctoral fellows, research fellows and technicians. OPERATIONAL UNITSITERESPONSIBLECOMPETENCES AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIESDrug DiscoveryFood and Drug Department Viale delle Scienze 27/a 43124 ParmaSilvia Rivara silvia.rivara@unipr.it 0521.905059– EGFR inhibitors – Endocannabinoid metabolism inhibitors and lipidic compounds related – Compounds active on the melatoninergic metabolism – Antibacterial compounds – Compounds active on the CNS – Carbohydrates synthesis and modifications – Compounds anti-miR and anti-gene – Chiarality and chiroptic methods – Novel surfactants for the development of gene-delivery systems and gene therapy. – Design and synthesis of bioactive molecules for the modulation of the gene expression. – Synthesis of bioactive peptides and peptide carriers. – Studies on the interaction molecules/biopolymers.Drug Delivery e Process ChemistryFood and Drug Department Viale delle Scienze 27/a 43124 ParmaPatrizia Santi patrizia.santi@unipr.it 0521.905069– Administration of drugs through transdermal, oral and ocular way. – Preparation of solid and semisolid pharmaceutical forms and their evaluation with regard to mechanic properties, bio adhesion, release and biological tissues passage. – Physic and chemical enhancement to improve drug transportation. – Pharmaceutical use of supercritical fluids. – Chemistry of material for pharmaceutical use. – Natural polymers for tissue engineering. – Study of the mechanisms for the design and control of automated machines used in the pharmaceutical sector. – Granular flow.PharmacologyFood and Drug Department Viale delle Scienze 27/a 43124 ParmaFranco Bernini f.bernini@unipr.it 0521.905039– In vitro studies on the intracellular metabolism of cholesterol. – Studies in in vivo experimental models for the evaluation of the reverse transportation of cholesterol. – Ex vivo studies on the capability of animal serum to promote cholesterol efflux. – In vitro, ex vivo and in vivo evaluation of the functional alteration due to mesenteric ischemic/reperfusion, stenosis and colitis. – Study of the gastric secretion in experimental models of gastro-duodenal ulcers induced by NSAIDs or ethanol. – In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the gastric secretion and markers for mucosal cytoprotection. – In vivo study of analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of natural and synthetic products, their mechanism of action involving the evaluation of the ratio between tolerated dose and lethal dose. – Evaluation of the nutritional and protective effect after administration of complex aliments and their components. Study of the toxicological effects in vivo of food contaminants. – In vivo e ex vivo evaluation of pharmacological modulation of platelet aggregation by antithrombotic agents and definition of their tolerability. – Development of agents active on the Eph-ephrin system as potential chemotherapeutics.Experimental medicine and surgeryDipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Via Volturno 39 43125 ParmaRoberta Alfieri roberta.alfieri@unipr.it 0521.903768– Proliferation assays and cellular viability. (MTT, flow cytometry, thymidine incorporation) – Gene expression studies, signal transduction studies and protein analysis through Northern blotting, Western- blotting and RT- PCR – Transportation and cellular metabolism measure through radioisotope use – Studies of the mechanisms of cellular death and autophagy. – Evaluation of single cell DNA damage (Halo assay). – Gene cloning, transfection and gene silencing. – Evaluation in murine model.Biochemistry and molecular biologyDipartimento di Bioscienze Viale delle Scienze 23/a 43124 ParmaStefano Bettati Stefano.bettati@unipr.it 0521.905646– Functional genomic (transcriptomic and phenotypic analysis) applied to the characterization of compounds of pharmacological and toxicological interest. – Set up of assays based on gene engineering and DNA recombinant technology to identify xenoestrogen compounds (both agonist and antagonist) and to shape amyloid pathologies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae – Production of detoxified recombinant proteins, such as engineered peptide immunogens endowed with self-adjuvant properties, to be used as vaccines. – Proteomic and differential proteomic analysis of biological samples with and without drugs. – Functional and spectroscopic characterization of proteins of pharmaceutical interest. – Expression and purification of proteins of pharmaceutical interest. – Modified hemoglobin as blood surrogate. – Blood and plasma chemical and biochemical analysis. – Design and validation of protein ligands through an integrated in silico/experimental approach. – Enzyme immobilization in nanoporous silica gel for the development of biosensors and bioreactors. – Cloning and expression of fluorescent proteins (green fluorescent protein and variants – GFPs), and fusion products between target proteins and GFPs, to be used in high resolution fluorescent microscopy.
