Phd in BIOCHEMISTRY

email: bruno.casciaro@uniroma1.it
phone: 0649910994
building: CU027 Dipartimento Scienze Biochimiche "A. Rossi Fanelli"
room: 214

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name and Surname: BRUNO CASCIARO
Institutional Email: bruno.casciaro@uniroma1.it

Lab Phone: 0649910994

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

01-06-2021: Awarded the National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for sector 05/E1 (General Biochemistry) for the role of Associate Professor.

15/03/2024 – Present
Tenure-track Researcher (RTT) at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome. SSD: BIOS-07 (formerly BIO/10)

01/11/2021 – 14/03/2024
Fixed-term Researcher (Type A) at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome. SSD: BIO/10

20-01-2017: PhD in BIOCHEMISTRY (29th cycle)
Sapienza University of Rome
Thesis title: “Different approaches to optimize the antimicrobial properties of cationic peptides: substitution by non-coded amino acids and conjugation to nanoparticles”
Supervisor: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni, Department of Biochemical Sciences

23-07-2013: Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Sapienza University of Rome
Final grade: 110/110 cum laude
Thesis title: Esculentin 1-21, an antimicrobial peptide from amphibian skin, in the defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Supervisor: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni, Department of Biochemical Sciences

22-06-2011: Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences
Sapienza University of Rome
Thesis title: Role of the 5HT1A receptor in the pharmacology of major depression.
Supervisor: Prof. Giuseppina Ines Togna, Department of Pharmacology

WORK EXPERIENCE

01/12/2018 – 31/10/2021: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), CLNS@Sapienza
Research project: “Biochemical characterization of Natural Bioactive Compounds applied to Nanotechnologies for Drug Development and Delivery.”
Research activities carried out at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome.

01/09/2017 – 31/08/2018: Research Fellow
Sapienza University of Rome
Research topic: Delivery of antimicrobial and antiparasitic peptide-based drugs
Research activities carried out at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”.

01/02/2017 – 31/07/2017: Fellow, “Pasteur-Italia Cenci-Bolognetti Foundation”
Project: “Fighting microbial infections: a multidisciplinary strategy to develop short-sized native peptide-based antimicrobials.”
Research conducted at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni

01/04/2016 – 31/07/2016: Fellow, “Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation”
Project: “Development and preclinical testing of a novel antimicrobial peptide to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced lung infections.”
Research conducted at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni

01/04/2015 – 31/03/2016: Research Fellow
Sapienza University of Rome
Research topic: New strategies for the development of drugs against human pathogenic microorganisms.
Research conducted at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”.

01/02/2014 – 31/01/2015: Research Fellow
Sapienza University of Rome
Research topic: The biological, social and economic burden of caregivers assisting disabled patients and/or individuals with sensory deprivation.
Research conducted at the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”.

PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH PROJECTS

2018–2020 – Funded by the Istituto Pasteur Italia – Cenci Bolognetti Foundation
Development of novel peptide-based formulations and nano/bio-materials against pulmonary and ocular surface microbial infections.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

2017 – Funded by the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation
Frog skin-derived peptides for treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection and bronchial epithelial repair: advanced in vitro and in vivo characterization and development of polymeric nanoparticles for lung delivery.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

University Research Project 2016
Derivatives of a naturally-occurring peptide for the development of a novel "antibiotic therapy" against bacterial lung infections.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

University Research Project 2014 (prot. C26A14STJZ)
Derivatives of naturally-occurring peptides as novel drugs for treatment of P. aeruginosa lung infections: in vitro studies and preclinical testing.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

2014–2016 – Funded by the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation
Development and preclinical testing of a novel antimicrobial peptide to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced lung infections.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

2013–2016 – Funded by Istituto Pasteur Italia – Cenci Bolognetti Foundation
Fighting microbial infections: a multidisciplinary strategy to develop short-sized native peptide-based antimicrobials.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

University Research Project 2013 (prot. C26A13PBXJ)
Antimicrobial peptides as novel strategies for the treatment of lung bacterial infections and development of inhalable dry powders.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

University Research Project 2012 (prot. C26A12NPXZ)
Development of short-sized native peptides and their synthetic analogues for the treatment of mucosal surface-associated infections.
Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Maria Luisa Mangoni.

EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES

GUEST EDITOR of the Special Issue: “Nanotechnologies to improve the pharmacological profile of therapeutic peptides” – Current Protein and Peptide Sciences
Editorial: Casciaro B., Mangoni M.L. Curr Protein Pept Sci. 2020;21(4):332-333.
doi: 10.2174/138920372104200320110232

GUEST EDITOR of the Special Issue: “Development of Antimicrobial Peptides from Amphibians” – Antibiotics
Editorial: Mangoni M.L., Casciaro B. Antibiotics 2020, 9(11), 772.

Associate Editorial Board Member for Protein and Peptide Letters

Associate Editorial Board Member for Current Protein and Peptide Science

Journal Topic Editor for Biology

OTHER SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

Since 2017 – REVIEWER for the following indexed journals:
Journal of Molecular Liquids;
Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins;
Integrative Biology;
Current Protein and Peptide Science;
Microbial Pathogenesis;
Chemoecology;
Scientific Reports;
Antibiotics;
Plants;
Molecules;
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA);
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Since 2016 – Tutor for professional training and supervision of Master’s theses in microbiology/biochemistry.

2018 – SCIENTIFIC COORDINATOR
For a series of CME (ECM) seminars organized by the School of Specialization in Geriatrics, Sapienza University of Rome.

2020 – Author of entries for the TRECCANI Encyclopedia “Words of the 21st Century” (in press)
“ANZIANI”, Verrusio W., Casciaro B., Cacciafesta M.
“FRAGILITÀ”, Verrusio W., Casciaro B., Cacciafesta M.
“INVECCHIAMENTO”, Casciaro B., Verrusio W., Cacciafesta M.

SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=casciaro+b&sort=date

Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=56531941200

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1295-1084