Scientific interests:

My Ph.D. project deals with a particular folding of DNA, the G-quadruplex structure. Guanine-rich portions of DNA can fold into G-quadruplex structure based on guanine tetrads that stacked on each other. Among numerous G-rich portions, those in the telomere and in the promotorial sequence of proto-oncogene are interesting in cancer research. Stabilization of G-quadruplex structures in these sites means stop of telomerase and polymerase respectively.

In particular my project focuses on G-rich promotorial sequences KIT1 and KIT2 of c-KIT oncogene. This is a gene involved not only in different human cancers, such as Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumor, but also in different canine cancers, like mastocytoma. Indeed my project is in collaboration with a group of veterinary medicine. For this reason I have started with the characterization of G-quadruplex folding of both canine and human sequences and with the evaluation of possible ligands for this structure. One of the aim of this project is to develop the comparative oncology using domestic dog as a model to have a better insight into the molecular mechanism of human c-kit dependent cancers.

Professional skills:

For my project I’m using instruments based on light absorbance and emission like

-          Circular Dichroism

-          Fluorometer

-          Spectropolarimeter

-          Light Cycler

and gel electrophoresis

Tutoring Activity

Publications:

Congresses/Workshops:

•          IV International Meeting on G-quadruplex Nucleic Acids

from Structure to Chemistry and Biology – July 1- 4, 2013 Singapore

•          Nuove Prospettive in Chimica Farmaceutica NPCF8 –

Parma, 9-10 Giugno 2014

Hobbies:

I play violin