Synthesis of Therapeutically Active Biomolecules

In the DF are active several research groups that work on the design and synthesis of peptides and peptido-mimetics as:

  1. receptors binding candidates,
  2. antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral agents,
  3. in diagnostic and nanomedicine applications.

Several research groups work on the synthesis of nucleic and peptido-nucleic acids to obtain therapeutically active aptamers, bioprobes or novel biopolymers.


Research groups

  • Modilabs: Peptides and Peptidomimetics
Studies on peptides, peptido-mimetics, and conformationally-restrained non coding amino acids.
 
Research Team:
 
  • PS-MEDCHEM
The research activity is devoted to the design and synthesis of novel biologically active peptidic and peptidomimetic derivatives. The main fields of interest are the synthesis and structure-activity relationships study of anti-cancer and antiviral agents, NCX modulators, protease inhibitors and protease-activated receptors (PARs) ligands. In recent years the group's interest has been also focused to the development of molecular hybrids that can release H2S enzymatically and not, and to the design of inhibitors of the enzymes involved in the physiological production of such gaseous mediator.
 

Research Team:

  • MIMALUVA
Synthesis and structural characterization of phosphorammidites, the building blocks of nucleosides and non-nucleosides. Insertion of specific modifications in short fragments of nucleic acids aimed at the development of biological activities and at the study of molecular recognition mechanisms in which the selected nucleic acids intervene.
 
Research Team:
 
  • SynBioLab

Laboratorio di progettazione e sintesi di biomolecole

Design and synthesis of variously modified nucleic and peptide-nucleic acids. Variously modified DNA and PNA are realized as potential aptamers, as functional bioprobes, nano materials and as building blocks for the construction of new polymeric biomaterials.

 
Research Team:
FALANGA Andrea Patrizia (Post-doc Fellowship)
 
  • HybridBioSystems

The research activities of the HybridBioSystems group are focused on the design and implementation of organic/inorganic hybrid systems for diagnostic purposes and targeted delivery of drugs. Hybrid devices are obtained from nanostructured inorganic materials due to precise chemical functionalization and bio-engineering processes with small organic molecules or modified nucleosides. The systems design aims to obtain portable diagnostic devices (POCs) or the development of novel nanocarriers for the targeted release of drugs.

Research Team:

TRAMONTANO Chiara (PhD student)
 
Sito web: HybridBioSystems
  • PepNanoMed
Development of peptide-based devices for diagnostic therapeutical and nanomedical applications.
  1. Development of theranostic selective targets based on bioactive peptides. Labeled peptides for application in nuclear medicine and MRI. Development of nanodevices with antibacterial and antiviral properties. Synthesis and structural characterization of nanostructures functionalized with peptides.
  2. Studies of biomolecular interactions through NMR and computational methodologies
  3. Characterization of peptides for intracellular transport and their use for the development of nanocarriers and nanosystems active in drug delivery and theranostic compounds.
  4. Intrinsically disordered peptides
  5. Design, synthesis and characterization of PNA and modified PNA for targeting and imaging of RNA/DNA
  6. Identification of new peptide-based compounds as inhibitors of protein-protein through the screening of libraries and biochemical and biophysical characterization of protein-protein interactions through spectroscopic techniques.
 
Research Team:
  • APTACAT G4

APTACAT G4

  1. Design, synthesis and study of the chemical-physical and biological properties of aptamers and analogues forming G-quadruplex structures with anticoagulant, antiproliferative or antiviral activity. 
  2. Design, synthesis and study of the chemical-physical properties of G-quadruplex structures with catalytic activity aimed at the development of biosensors.
  3. Design and synthesis of RNA analogues for the regulation and study of miRNAs involved in medulloblastoma and multiple myeloma.
Research Team:
BENIGNO Daniele (fellow)
 
Website: APTACAT G4