Born and raised in Catania, she got her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2021 at the University of Catania. In 2023, at the same University, she got her master’s degree in Chemical Sciences (Biomolecular curriculum) with the thesis “A novel approach to measure the Diffusion Coefficient of biomolecules: the case of Insulin”. During her thesis internship she better studied the SPR technique and protein oligomerization and aggregation processes. On 27/11/2023 she obtained her professional training as a chemist.
Nowadays she is a PhD student in Chemical Sciences at the University of Catania under the supervision of Prof. Grasso Giuseppe. Her research project, with the title “A novel method to investigate the Diffusion Coefficient of proteins: focus on Misfolding Diseases”, focuses on the study of conformational changes and aggregation processes involved in misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease. Since September 2024 to March 2025, she was host at the “Biometal and Biological Chemistry” research group of Strasbourg University, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Faller Peter. There she delved into protein oxidation processes and the relative techniques useful for its study and characterization. She is the author of 3 articles and 1 communication. In 2025 she was reviewer of 1 paper for Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry.
[02/04/2025]
Thesis title: A novel method to investigate the Diffusion Coefficient of proteins: focus on Misfolding Diseases
Keywords: Proteins, Conformational changes, Aggregation, Misfolding diseases, Diffusion coefficient.
Abstract: Protein abnormal conformational change and aggregation are two processes at the basis of misfolding diseases, such as neurodegenerative ones. Many techniques can be used to study these phenomena. This project develops a new SPR-based method to determine the Diffusion coefficients (D) of proteins involved in conformational diseases. The D value, related to the hydrodynamic radius, provides insights into the protein's conformation and aggregation state, helping to understand the mechanisms of protein misfolding and dys-homeostasis in these diseases.
Stay abroad: from 12/09/2024 to 13/03/2025, Institute of Chemistry, Strasbourg.
