Permanent staff: Prof. Fiorella Meneghetti

Research associates: Dr. Matteo Mori (post-doc fellow), Dr. Samuele Ciceri (PhD student).

Description

The research activity concerns the structural investigation of pharmaceutically relevant molecules and of "drug-receptor" complexes by means of X-ray diffraction techniques, using the instrumentation available through scientific collaborations, as well as synchrotron sources. Particular attention is devoted to the delicate processes of macromolecular crystallography.

Ongoing research projects

1. Crystallographic analysis of new inhibitors of enzymes involved in the production of siderophores of the genus Mycobacteria. X-ray analysis of the complexes between the new potential drugs and the target, to obtain data on the structural requirements for the development of new potent and selective molecules.
2. Structural studies of new metal complexes with bispidine derivatives. The analysis of changes in the structure of the ligands upon metal coordination allows to obtain structure-activity relationships correlated to the catalytic efficiency.
3. Supramolecular chemistry: structural studies of new co-crystals to disclose new intermolecular interaction topologies.
4. Structural characterization of polymorphs to gain fundamental information for a rational choice of the most suitable solid form for the development of a new drug.
5. Design and synthesis of new GnRh antagonists.

ERC panels
PE5_1 Structural properties of materials
PE5_18 Medicinal chemistry
LS1_8 Structural biology
LS1_9 Molecular mechanisms of signalling processes
LS7_7 Pharmacology and toxicology