I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technologies from the University of Cagliari (Italy) in 2015. During my master’s thesis, I worked under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Maccioni in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Kikelj (University of Ljubljana- Slovenia) in the context of the ERASMUS project. My project aimed at the synthesis of new compounds with antibacterial activity. During this period, I acquired knowledge in organic synthesis, purification, structural characterization, and the design of new compounds. After my graduation, I decided to leave Italy and come to Germany to expand my research experience in an international environment. I obtained my PhD in 2020 working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Klebe from the Philipps University Marburg. During that time, I was a fellow in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN European Training Network AEGIS (Accelerated Early staGe drug dIScovery) and collaborated with both academic and industrial international partners in the context of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). There I gained new research experience in the field of crystallography and structure determination with a special focous in fragment-based drug discovery. I particurarly learned new techniques such as protein expression and purification, crystallization, soaking, data collection at synchrotron light sources and data processing. After my doctoral degree, I sought to expand my previous knowledge in the protein field and combine them with the world of RNA biochemistry.
Since 2020 I am a postdoctoral researcher working on the validation of the RNA helicase eIF4A as a broad-spectrum antiviral and pathogenic target, first in the working group of Prof. Dr. Heine and since June 2022 in the working group of Prof. Dr. Grünweller. My current research activities are focused on the characterization of eIF4A-variants both in human and in pathogens and on the development of new eIF4A inhibitors in the context of the LOEWE center DRUID (Novel Drug Targets against Poverty-related and Neglected Tropical Infectious Diseases- https://www.loewe-druid.de/en). For this, I combine experimental methods such as mutagenesis, protein expression and purification, helicase assay, Thermal Shift Assay (TSA) and cell-based assay (dual luciferase reporter assay- DLA and toxicity assay- WST-1) with virtual docking techniques. I am a passionate scientist with experience in the whole process from hit to lead identification.
