People

Maria Laura Bolognesi

Head of Laboratory

MARIA LAURA BOLOGNESI obtained a Master in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the Alma Mater - University of Bologna in 1990, and in Pharmacy in 1992. In 1991 she joined Sigma Tau Pharmaceutical Industries, Rome, as a Research Scientist. In 1996, she earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Bologna under the mentorship of Prof. Carlo Melchiorre. After postdoctoral studies at University of Minnesota in Prof. Philip Portoghese’s laboratory, she returned to the University of Bologna, where she is currently Full Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Director of the B2F2 PhD program, Vice-Director of Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research in Health Sciences & Technologies, and Rector Delegate for Latin America International Relations.

In 2009, she was selected as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and an Enseignante invitée at the Université de Caen Normandie in 2018.For the 2014-2017 period, Maria Laura was awarded a Special Visiting Researcher scholarship by the Brazilian government through Brazil’s Science without Borders program.

She is currently an Associate Editor of Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and sits on the editorial committees of several medicinal chemistry journals, such as ChemMedChem, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Chemical Biology and Drug Design, Future Medicinal Chemistry, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. Maria-Laura also serves on the Advisory Board of the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry.

Her research spans the design, synthesis and pharmacological investigation of small molecules in the neurodegenerative and neglected tropical disease therapeutic areas. She has a track record of more than 175 publications in high-ranked journals (h index = 45, May 2021), including patents and patent applications, and more than 70 invited talks worldwide.

Elisa Uliassi

Junior Assistant Professor

elisa.uliassi3@unibo.it

Elisa Uliassi received her Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in 2012 and her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2016 from the University of Bologna under the supervision of Professor M. L. Bolognesi. As part of her Ph.D. program, from 2014 to 2015, she was a visiting PhD student in Dr. K. A. Jacobson’s group at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, US). After defending her PhD on April 2016, she was a Temporary Research Fellow (assegnista di ricerca) in the Bolognesi’s group until 2018. At present, she is Junior Assistant Professor (fixed-term) at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the University of Bologna. Her research focuses on developing small molecules as chemical probes and preclinical candidates in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and neglected tropical diseases. She has been the recipient of Profutura research prize for young researchers (2014) and Maria Nelly Pigini award for the best poster presented at 33^rd Camerino-Cyprus Symposium (2016).

Eleonora Diamanti

Junior Assistant Professor

eleonora.diamanti2@unibo.it

Eleonora Diamanti was trained as medicinal chemist and did her Ph.D. with Prof. Piomelli (IIT, Genova) working one year with Prof. Aggarwal in Bristol on the total synthesis of a natural product to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 2016, she joined the Hirsch group as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Groningen and she then moved to the Helmholtz institute (HIPS, Saarbrücken) focusing on the design and synthesis of anti-infective agents. Since 2023, she is RTDA at the University of Bologna working on research projects to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem.

Lorna Piazzi

Project Manager of TClock4AD (Targeting Circadian Clock Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease) project

lorna.piazzi@unibo.it

Lorna Piazzi received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science in 2002 from the University of Bologna (IT) under the supervision of Professor P. Valenti. In 2000 she spent one year at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen (DK) expanding her knowledge on NMR studies. After four years as Temporary Research Fellow, she started her academic career as Research Assistant in the Department of Pharmaceutical Science (University of Bologna). Her research was focused on design and synthesis of small molecules as candidates in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and neglected tropical diseases. She has been the recipient of the first Profutura research prize for young researchers (2002).

Since 2011 she has worked in management areas in scientific centres such as ICIQ, Tarragona (ES) and IIT, Genova (IT).

Now she is the project manager of TClocK4AD (targeting Circadian Clock Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease) project.

TClocK4AD is a joint doctoral programme funded within Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks that aims to train doctoral candidates thorough an international consortium of universities, research institutions, SMEs, a hospital, a patient association and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond.

The project, exploiting the unique expertise of the consortium, pursues to develop new drugs associated to circadian clock for Alzheimer’s disease.

Anna Marta Pasieka

Postdoctoral Researcher

annamarta.pasieka@unibo.it

Anna Pasieka received her Master’s degree in Pharmacy in March 2016 in Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University in Kraków. In October 2016 she started PhD studies in Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She obtained her PhD degree with distinction in Pharmaceutical Sciences in October 2021 under the supervision of Professor Barbara Malawska. In her PhD thesis she was focused on new multifunctional ligands with potential activity in Alzheimer’s disease. During her PhD studies, she was awarded a COST STSM within the Action CA15135 “Multi-target paradigm for innovative ligand identification in the drug discovery process (MuTaLig)”. She spent three months at the University of Barcelona performing the biological evaluation of antiaggregating properties for the multifunctional compounds. She was PI of the research project titled “New multifunctional drug-like ligands focusing on molecular targets associated with the symptoms and causes of Alzheimer's disease” funded by National Science Center in Poland. After graduation, for one year she worked as medicinal chemist in the biopharmaceutical company Molecure SA in Warsaw. Since November 2022 Anna is a postdoc in the Bolognesi’s group and works in the FISR research project “PROLEISH (PROTACs to treat leishmaniasis)”.

Greta Bagnolini

Postdoctoral Researcher

Greta Bagnolini graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in March 2016 at the University of Bologna, with a master thesis on the design of multitarget ligands to study Alzheimer’s disease. In 2017, she joined Prof. S.L. Ciurli’s group as research fellow, funded by CIRMMP, and she worked on a chemical biology approach for the study of urease activity. Soon after, she started her PhD studies in Biocomputational, Biotechnological, Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Science at the University of Bologna, in affiliation to the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), as part of Professor A. Cavalli’s group. She received her PhD degree in March 2021. Her scientific interest was the exploitation of synthetic lethality as paradigm to develop effective anticancer treatments against pancreatic cancer. To this aim, she designed small molecules as inhibitors of the RAD51-BRCA2 protein-protein interaction, to be used in combination with PARP inhibitors. The project was funded by the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (AIRC). During her PhD, she joined Prof. A.K.H. Hirsch’s group at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), division of Drug Design and Optimisation (DDOP). Here she worked on the application of dynamic combinatorial chemistry on RAD51 as hit identification strategy. In September 2021, she joined Dr. A.E. Hargrove’s group at Duke University as postdoctoral research fellow. The group pioonered the field of RNA targeting and recognition using small molecules. Her scientific interest was the development of scaffold-based libraries to target non-coding RNAs involved in pathologies, including viral infections and cancer. In 2022, she was awarded with the HIPS EuroPhD Certificate. Since June 2023, she is a postdoc research fellow in the Bolognesi Medchem Lab. Her current scientific research regards the design of RIBOTACs, small molecules targeting RNA degradation. The project is currently funded by PNRR. She is a current member of the communication team of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Division (DCF) of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI).

Bianca Martinengo

Ph.D Student

bianca.martinengo2@unibo.it

Bianca Martinengo obtained her MSc degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in November 2020 at the University of Bologna (110/110), with a master thesis on the design of multi-target directed ligands MTDLs) to study neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease) (Prof. Anna Minarini's group).

In January 2022 she started her PhD in Biocomputational, Biotechnological, Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences at University of Bologna in Prof. Maria Laura Bolognesi's group. Her project focuses on the design of sustainable and greener approaches for the synthesis of new bioactive compounds as potential treatment for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) starting from food waste. In this context, cashew nut-shell liquid (CNSL) from Anacardium occidentale, is an inedible and inexpensive oil obtained as by-product during cashew nut processing. It mainly consists of bioactive phenolic lipids (anacardic acids, cardanols, cardols, 2-methylcardols), which represent an interesting molecular scaffold.

During her PhD (March - August 2023), she joined Dr. Daniele Castagnolo's group, at the University College London (UCL) in Dr. Daniele Castagnolo's group, at University College London (UCL), working on the biocatalytic derivatization of natural lipids, building blocks and CNSL derivatives, using unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) and other oxidative enzymatic systems.

Currently, she is spending a 6-months traineeship (October 2023 - March 2024) at Lipinutragen Srl (spin-off of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR) under the supervision of Dr. Carla Ferreri. Here, she is working on lipidomic analysis and she is studying liposomes as drug vesicles, for the encapsulation and delivery of CNSL (natural and technical mixtures), in order to evaluate its biological properties in vitro (e.g. antioxidant activity).

PhD project title: "Sustainable production of nutraceuticals and bioactives from food waste: application to Cashew Nut-Shell Liquid"

Supervisor: Prof. Maria Laura Bolognesi

Co-supervisors: Dr. Eleonora Diamanti, Dr. Daniele Castagnolo, Dr. Carla Ferreri

Viviana Mitarotonda

Ph.D Student

viviana.mitarotonda2@unibo.it

Viviana Mitarotonda obtained her MSc degree in April 2021 in Pharmacy at the University of Bari with 110/110 discussing an experimental thesis in pharmaceutical chemistry entitled “Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of dual ligand CB2/HDAC”.

In January 2022 she started a II Level Master Course at the University of Pavia in “Design and development of drugs” and spent a six month Traineeship period at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) in the Drug Design and Optimization (DDOP) department under the supervision of the Prof Dr Anna K. H. Hirsch focusing on the synthesis and characterization of novel Human Antigen R (HuR) protein ligand.

Actually, since March 2023, she started her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at University of Bologna. Her PhD activities are planned in the framework of Spoke 7 - Neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation, within the PNRR extended partnership (PE) 12 titled “A multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease (MNESYS)”, and she is focused on the design and development of PROteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC) directed to specific neuroinflammatory targets as a possible therapeutic treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

PhD project title: "Identification of PROTACs (PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras) directed at targets involved in neuroinflammation"

Federico Sdei

Ph.D Student

federico.sdei2@unibo.it

Federico Sdei obtained his MSc degree in Chemical Sciences at University of Perugia with 110/110 in 2022, working on a Medicinal Chemistry Thesis. The aim of thesis was the identification of E3 ligases overexpressed in CNS for the rational design of selective PROTACs. Following the graduation, he spent the next year in Pharmaceutical Company named Takeda to work as QA coordinator.

Actually, since March 2023, he's involved in a RNNP project called "Targeting RNA for degradation with small molecules: development of ribonuclease targeting chimeras (RIBOTACs)". These small molecules are very challenging compounds given the exploitation of a chemistry that use a MoA came out in the last two decades, degrading desired targets. The chosen target is human microRNA-21 (miR-21), a well-known protooncogene, marker of fibrosis, and molecular link between inflammation and various diseases. The goal of this project is to synthesize compounds that are able to have biological activity, through SAR studies we will have an optimization and modeling of the compounds, including through computational approaches that allow further studies of the interaction between the RNA-related pocket into which the compound will be able to degradate the target.

Ela Radosevic

Ph.D student

ela.radosevic2@unibo.it

Ela Radošević obtained a Master in Organic and Physical Chemistry at University of Zagreb in November of 2020 discussing an experimental thesis entitled “Asymmetric allylic dearomatization reaction in potential kinase inhibitor synthesis”. In September of 2020 she joined a CRO company Fidelta Ltd. as a Research Scientist in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry where she worked until October 2023.

Since November of 2023 she started her cotutelle PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at University of Bologna with agreement with University of Madrid and IMDEA Nanociencia Institute within the TClock4AD project. She will be working on designing and developing Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) for targeted degradation of protein kinases implicated in regulating circadian rhythm in Alzheimer's disease.

PhD project title: Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras for targeted degradation of protein kinases regulating circadian rhythm in AD

Supervisor: Prof. Maria Laura Bolognesi

Co-supervisors: Prof. José Carlos Menéndez Ramos, Dr. Valle Palomo

Dionysis Kampasis

Ph.D student

dionysios.kampasis2@unibo.it

Dionysis obtained his B.Sc. with honors at the Department of Pharmacy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2021. He then proceeded to pursue a Master’s degree in Drug Design and Development at the same university, discussing an experimental thesis entitled “Design and Synthesis of Novel 2-Aryl-Quinazoline-4-one derivatives as potential Tankyrase Inhibitors with Anticancer Activity”. After having successfully completed his Master’s in 2023, he is currently enrolled in a cotutelle PhD program at the University of Bologna in agreement with the University of Lisbon, within the TClock4AD Doctoral Network. His work is focused on the design and synthesis of Multi-Target Directed Ligands (MTDLs) that modulate and alleviate circadian clock dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease.

PhD Title: “Circadian Polypharmacology in AD: Discovery of Multitarget-Directed Ligands”

Supervisor #1: Dr. Elisa Uliassi

Supervisor #2: Prof. Rita Guedes