Phd in LIFE SCIENCE

Thematic area: Pharmaceutical chemistry
SSD: CHIM/08

Brief resume: Graduation in Drug Chemistry and Technology in July 2023. Fellowships “Lazio Disco” during the years 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023.
One-year experience in laboratory as undergraduate student. During my thesis period I have been focused over the design and synthesis of compounds active against the target enzyme nsp13 of SARS-CoV-2. In particular, I developed molecules with different scaffolds which showed activity against this target, and this research stimulated me to expand my knowledge and to apply for this PhD.

Brief description of my project: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred significant advancements in the field of drug research, particularly in the development of innovative treatments. Extensive investigations have been conducted to identify new viral targets for the purpose of eradicating the virus. During my thesis work, I focused on the design and synthesis of nsp13 inhibitors. Nsp13, a crucial enzyme in SARS-CoV-2, plays a vital role in virus replication and transcription by exhibiting unwinding and ATPase activities and it may serve as an innovative target to develop broad-spectrum antiviral agents. In my PhD project, I intend to continue my exploration of nsp13 as a viral target, as it may also hold relevance for other human coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, given its high conservation across various species. I would also like to explore other viral targets and develop molecules active against these. I also plan to study molecular dynamics and molecular docking, with the aim of refine the design and synthesis of these molecules.