ANDREA ILARI



email: andrea.ilari@cnr.it
phone: 0649910910
building: CU027
room: T10

  • Family name, First name: Ilari, Andrea

  • Date of birth: 17 December 1968

  • Nationality: Italian

Author Identifiers

  • ORCID: 0000-0002-7754-399X

  • Scopus Author ID: 6601938545

  • Web of Science ResearcherID: T-5501-2017

EDUCATION

  • 1998 – PhD in Biophysics, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
    Dissertation:

    • Metal-binding proteins:
      (a) Sorcin (SOluble Resistance-related Calcium-bInding proteiN), a penta-EF-hand calcium-binding protein involved in calcium-mediated intracellular signal transduction
      (b) Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of ferritin from Listeria innocua

  • 1993 – Master’s Degree in Chemistry, summa cum laude, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
    Thesis:
    Heme–protein interactions in horse spleen myoglobin and homodimeric hemoglobin from Scapharca inaequivalvis: fluorescence and optical absorption studies of proteins reconstituted with Zn-protoporphyrin IX

CURRENT POSITION

  • 2007 – present
    First Researcher (Senior Scientist)
    Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM)
    National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Rome

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

  • 2001 – 2007 – Researcher, IBPM–CNR, Rome

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

  • 1999–2001 – Research Fellowship
    Crystallization of macromolecules in microgravity, IBPM–CNR, in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI)

  • 1999 – Research Fellowship
    Structural dynamics of nitrite reductase, CNRS – Laboratoire de Cristallographie et Cristallisation des Macromolécules Biologiques, Marseille (France)

  • 1998 – Postdoctoral Fellowship
    Resistance-related proteins of Mycobacteria, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pavia (Italy)

SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Master’s Students (2007–2023)

  • Annarita Fiorillo, Francesco Di Chiaro, Alessandra Cipollone – Chemistry

  • Stefano Mocci, Flavio Cennamo – Genetics and Molecular Biology

  • Sabrina Marsella – Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies
    (Sapienza University of Rome)

PhD Students (2014–2023)

  • Lorenzo Antonelli, Aasia Bibi, Eris Bidollari, Gabriella Angiulli
    PhD in Biochemistry, Sapienza University of Rome

Postdoctoral Fellows (2021–2023)

  • Anastasia Liuzzi, Cécile Exertier – IBPM–CNR, Rome

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

  • 2021–2023
    Lecturer, Structures and Interactions Between Biomolecules
    (Integrated course: Structural Biology for Drug Design)
    MSc in Advanced Biotechnologies (LM-9), University of Teramo

ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS (SELECTION)

  • 2023 – 4th AIC–BMM Meeting, Fiesole – Scientific & Organizing Committee

  • 2022 – 3rd AIC–BMM Meeting, Fiesole – Scientific & Organizing Committee

  • 2021 – 2nd AIC–BMM Meeting (online) – Scientific & Organizing Committee

  • 2019 – Fifth AIC–GE3C Meeting, Naples – Scientific Committee

  • 2019 – Cryo-EM in Structural Biology, Rome – Scientific & Organizing Committee

  • 2018 – 3rd Joint AIC–SILS Conference, Rome – Scientific & Organizing Committee

  • 2014 – Crystal (Cl)year, Turin – Scientific Committee

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • 2020–present – Councillor, Biological Macromolecules Section, AIC

  • 2015–present – Member, CNR Commission for the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)

  • 2015–2020 – Member, Institute Council, IBPM–CNR

  • 2015–present – Principal Investigator, Biocrystal Facility
    https://biocrystalfacility.it

  • 2014–present – Member, PhD Committee in Biochemistry, Sapienza University of Rome

MEMBERSHIP OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

  • Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC)

  • Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIB)

  • COST Action CA21111 OneHealthDrugs (since 2023)

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Research Fields

Andrea Ilari’s research focuses on structural biology, integrating protein crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, biochemistry, biophysics, and structure-based drug design to elucidate protein function in physiological and pathological contexts.

Main Research Topics

  1. Structure–function relationships in flavohemoglobins and truncated hemoglobins

  2. Sorcin: calcium signaling, cardiac physiology, and multidrug resistance in cancer

  3. Dps cage-like proteins for DNA protection and nanoparticle synthesis

  4. Proteins of the trypanothione metabolism in Leishmania

  5. Structure-based drug design targeting Trypanothione Reductase

  6. Zinc transport proteins in pathogenic bacteria

  7. Sigma-1 receptor in neurodegenerative diseases

RESEARCH PROJECT COORDINATION (SELECTION, 2014–2024)

  • PNRR ITACA.SB – RU Leader & WP6 Leader, IBPM–CNR

  • FISR PROLEISH – Research Unit Coordinator

  • XChem (Diamond Light Source, UK) – Project Coordinator

  • iNEXT-ARIA – Project Coordinator

  • Ricerca Finalizzata 2016 – Huntington Disease Project, RU Coordinator

PATENTS

  • Pyrrolyl hydroxamates for the prevention and/or treatment of bacterial infections
    Italian Patent No. 0001412640 (granted 2014)

BIBLIOMETRIC INDICATORS

  • Scopus: 103 publications; 4,271 citations; H-index = 38

PUBLICATIONS

  • 98 peer-reviewed scientific articles (1995–2023)

  • Corresponding author indicated by #

  • First/senior author indicated by *

(full list retained as provided)

BOOK CHAPTERS (SELECTION)

  • Ilari A., Savino C. A Practical Approach to Protein Crystallography. Methods in Molecular Biology

  • Colotti G., Ilari A. Sorcin. Encyclopedia of Signaling Molecules

  • Ilari A., Colotti G. New Chemical Scaffolds to Target Trypanothione Metabolism

  • Ilari A. et al. SARS-CoV-2: Structural Biology Perspectives. Zanichelli


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