PROJECTS 2026
TERRATWIN: 7 Dimensions Digital Twin of the complex interplay between the climate, marine and land biodiversity including social-economic factors
PI: STEFANNI SERGIO (Partner)
European Project
01/01/2026 - 31/12/2028
Other BEOM Partners: Locatello, Modica, Leone
PROJECTS 2024-2025
Ocean-Robocto: Unveiling Octopus CollaborativE hunting with fish through ANimal-ROBOt interaCTiOns
PI: Piero Amodio (Coordinator)
Extra-European Project
01/05/2024 - 30/04/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
COSMIC: COntrolled Space MIcroecological system supporting eCopoiesis
PI: Piero Amodio (Partner)
National Project
12/10/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
ZooCELL: The evolution of cellular phenotypes in animal diversity: multidisciplinary training in 3D cellular reconstruction, multimodal data analysis and science outreach
PI: ARNONE MARIA IMMACOLATA (Partner)
European Project
01/01/2024 - 31/12/2027
Other BEOM Partners: NO
GRAIL: Golgi Ribbon Architecture in Development and Differentiation
PI: ARNONE MARIA IMMACOLATA (Coordinator)
National Project
28/09/2023 - 27/09/2025
Other BEOM Partners: Ferraro, Benvenuto, Ristoratore
NeuroEvoFun: Dissecting the neurosecretory brain-gut axis function and evolution: from regulome and cell identity to cellular crosstalk
PI: ARNONE MARIA IMMACOLATA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/03/2026
Other BEOM Partners: Annunziata, Benvenuto, S. D'Aniello
SEASIGHT: From the sea for the sight: Identification of novel rna molecules to tackle retinal diseases
PI: SABRINA CARRELLA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/08/2024 - 31/10/2025
Other BEOM Partners: S. D'Aniello, Mirra
MITO SEAS: Mitochondrial Dynamic Modulators from the Seas
PI: SABRINA CARRELLA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/10/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
Development of an innovative combinatorial therapy to tackle age-related macular degeneration
PI: SABRINA CARRELLA (Partner)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
MITOXYMIRs: OxymiRs modulation as gene-independent therapeutic approach in rare mitochondrial diseases
PI: SABRINA CARRELLA (Coordinator)
European Project
10/10/2023 - 30/09/2025
Other BEOM Partners: NO
OxymiRs modulation as gene-independent therapeutic approach in primary mitochondrial diseases -Access to Services
Euro-BioImaging SEELIFE (European)
2025
OxymiRs modulation effect on in vitro model of Aged-macular degeneration (AMD) - Access to Services
PI: CARRELLA SABRINA
Human Technopole National Facility Access (National)
2025
Unraveling Sex Determination in Bivalves: An Integrative Single-Cell Analysis during the Early Embryo Development of Mytilus galloprovincialis
PI: ENRICO D’ANIELLO (Partner)
National Project
28/09/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
Functional and molecular characterization of the circadian clock in the Antarctic key species Euphausia superba
PI: D'ANIELLO SALVATORE (Partner)
National Project
06/11/2024 - 01/09/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
MICRO REPRO: Impact of microplastics and associated contaminants on reproduction and development: a comparative and multidisciplinary study on mechanisms of action and protective strategies
PI: ALESSANDRA GALLO (Partner)
National Project
22/03/2022 - 22/03/2025
Other BEOM Partners: Locatello, Locascio
IMPAVID: Exploring the IMpact of gene Presence-Absence VarIation on mussel reproDuctive fitness and larval survival
PI: ALESSANDRA GALLO (Partner)
National Project
05/10/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
NuForSpe: New nutraceutical formulations to improve sperm quality in different animal species
PI: ALESSANDRA GALLO (Partner)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
SECRETS: Secreted compounds in Echinoderms chemical communication
PI: LEONE SERENA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
NeuroMITilus: Unraveling the role of mitochondria in coping with Hypoxia/Reoxygenation stress in Mytilus galloprovincialis nervous system - Access to Services
PI: SERENA MIRRA (Partner)
Euro-BioImaging SEELIFE (European)
2025
BIODIVERSITY2DRUGS (B2D): Peptide Biodiversity: Advancing Human Health Through Nature's Pharmacological Treasures
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Partner)
European Project
01/04/2025 - 31/03/2028
Other BEOM Partners: Leone, Ponte, Locatello
DEEPVEN: Deep venoms: characterization, evolution and biotechnological potential of mesophotic corals venom from Calabria
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/01/2021 - 30/09/2024
Other BEOM Partners: Ferraro, Leone, Ponte
SEDNA-Pp: Whales as ecosystem sentinels: climate-induced changes on migration and feeding behavior in a pristine habitat model
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Partner)
National Project
05/10/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: Stefanni
TRADE: TRophic Adaptation and plasticity Drivers in marine Ecosystems
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: Locatello
EUVEN: European Venom Network (COST ACTION)
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Coordinator)
European Project
01/11/2023 - 31/10/2024
Other BEOM Partners: Leone
VENOVATE: A Venom-Based Discovery Pipeline for Innovation, Medicine and Sustainable Commercialization (COST Innovators Grant)
PI: MODICA MARIA VITTORIA (Partner)
European Project
01/11/2025 - 31/10/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
SEANERGIES SBEP II: Cell-cultured octopus production through sustainable marine biomass valorization
PI: PONTE GIOVANNA (Partner)
European Project
31/08/2025 - 30/08/2028
Other BEOM Partners: NO
FIASCO: Illuminating range shifts through evolutionary FIASCO: contrasting FaIling And Successful ColOnizations in replicated wild populations
PI: RAFFINI FRANCESCA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
GENOA: Genetic Nature Observation and Action (COST ACTION)
PI: RAFFINI FRANCESCA (Partner)
European Project
4/10/2024 - 03/10/2028
Other BEOM Partners: NO
DeuteroNoise: Characterization of maritime noise in different european basins and its impact on ecological relevant deuterostome invertebrates
PI: RISTORATORE FILOMENA (Partner)
European Project
01/12/2022 - 31/05/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
PhyloPycno2: Phylogenomics of sea spiders and evolution of arthropods r-opsins
PI: SABROUX ROMAIN (Coordinator)
National Project
22/05/2025 - 21/05/2028
Other BEOM Partners: S. D'Aniello
EuFish European: European fisheries enhancement through "Omic" characterization and innovative seafood production from underutilised fish species
PI: SORDINO PAOLO (Partner)
National Project
14/11/2022 - 13/11/2026
Other BEOM Partners: Romeo
DIGI4ECO: Digital Twin-sustained 4D ecological monitoring of restoration in fishery depleted areas
PI: STEFANNI SERGIO (Partner)
European Project
01/03/2024 - 28/02/2028
Other BEOM Partners: Locatello
EARTH CRUISERS: EARTH’s CRUst Imagery for investigating SEismicity, volcanism and marine natural Resources in the Sicilian offshore
PI: STEFANNI SERGIO (Partner)
National Project
01/06/2018 - 16/05/2022
Other BEOM Partners: NO
D4BLOND: Drone for Biodiversity assessment with imaging, fLow cytOmetry aNd eDNA
PI: STEFANNI SERGIO (Coordinator)
National Project
01/05/2024 - 30/09/2025
Other BEOM Partners: NO
SeNSOR: Smart eDNA/eRNA bioSampler for studying seasOnal biodiveRsity on the Amendolara Seamount
PI: STEFANNI SERGIO (Coordinator)
National Project
01/01/2021 - 14/10/2024
Other BEOM Partners: NO
NEMERTE: NEuroactive MEtabolites and plastics: Re-evaluations Trough a model Elasmobranch
PI: TERZIBASI TOZZINI EVA (Coordinator)
National Project
11/09/2024 - 10/12/2025
Other BEOM Partners: Sirakov, Raffini
SHARKAGE: Evolution of longevity in sharks
PI: TERZIBASI TOZZINI EVA (Partner)
National Project
05/10/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: NO
NONOSENS: The NONO killifish Aphanius fasciatus as ecophysiological SENtinel of vulnerable coastal habitatS
PI: TERZIBASI TOZZINI EVA (Coordinator)
National Project
01/12/2023 - 28/02/2026
Other BEOM Partners: Sirakov, Sordino
Reference: Anna Palumbo
Laboratory equipped for studies of the biochemistry of marine organisms including adaptive responses and immune system.
It includes an area for analysis of proteins and nucleic acids, and classic and basic biological laboratory equipments.
Systems for the experimentation
- UV Spectrophotometer UV, recording spectra of UV/visible and enzyme kinetics.
- electrophoresis on polyacrylamide and agarose gel.
- Centrifuges.
- Chromatography.
Analysis
- Measure of the response of marine organisms (adult and embryonic and larval stages) to environmental factors.
- Morphological characterization and evaluation of biochemical parameters (doses of enzyme activities, evaluation of the cellular redox state).
- Gene Expression, proteins and post-translational modifications induced by stress.
- Purification and biological characterization of proteins and metabolites from marine organisms.
The Ischia Marine Center (IMC) is an interdepartmental center located on the Island of Ischia., The research focus of the IMC is on vulnerability assessment of marine coastal ecosystems and organisms through an integrated approach, highlighting the interactions between anthropogenic activities and climate change, with applications to environmental protection, outreach, and restoration actions. The aim of IMC research activities is to facilitate cooperative research between internal and external researchers, interdisciplinary collaborations, and interactions with public and private stakeholders.
IMC main lines of research include:
1) Benthos ecology: the study of the effects of global changes on biodiversity, plant-animal interaction, and the microbiome associated with marine species.
2) Ecophysiology and biotechnology: the morpho-functional study of coastal communities associated with seagrasses and chemical ecology, also through cultivationof model organisms and research of new biotechnologies.
3) Fisheries oceanography: the study of fish eggs and larvae to understand the variations in abundance and distribution of fish populations related to regional oceanographic factors and global change in climate.
4) Taxonomy of marine organisms: the Marine Organisms Taxonomy Unit (MOTax) at the IMC focuses on the analysis of the benthic communities (sorting, LPT identification, analysis of ecological data).
The IMC is organized into three structures with two functional areas:
Villa Dohrn, historical site, built in 1906 as the private residence of the Dohrn family. In 1969 the building became the Benthos Ecology Laboratory. Villa Dohrn is currently undergoing a major renovation and repurposing project, to become the new "Research Center for Adaptation of Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change".
MEDAS Center (Marine Ecological Data Analysis and Synthesis), with the aim of analyzing existing information to address the pressing questions and needs, including economic ones, in the context of Blue Growth. At the momentMEDAS is the operational headquarters of the IMC and the Ecology Functional Area of the Benthos/Nekton for the entire EMI Department of the SZN.
Diving Centre, that oversees scientific diving to support research activities at sea, with Functional Area Diving Center Ischia, located near the mooring of the SZN vessel Beagle Junior, operated by the IMC.
CoordinatorMaria Cristina Vigo Majello |
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Personnel
Coordinator
Maria Cristina Vigo Majello
Administration
Messina Rosanna
Patti Francesco
Senior Researcher
Ciannelli Lorenzo
Teixidó Núria
Zupo Valerio
Researcher
Mazzella Valerio
Technologist
Lorenti Maurizio
Technician
Chiarore Antonia
Guglielmo Rosanna
Iacono Bruno
Mirasole Alice
Rando Vincenzo
Scholarship
Italiano Anna
PhD student
Liguori Gianluca
Nannini Matteo
Somma Emanuele
For more information and to book a visit: https://fondazionedohrn.it/home/dadom/
The Darwin-Dohrn Museum
Dedicated to the two giants of science and evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin and Anton Dohrn, the Darwin-Dohrn Museum - DaDoM – promotes the knowledge of the evolution of marine biodiversity.
Inside the DaDoM, visitors will voyage through the oceans through time in the footsteps of Darwin and Dohrn and many other scientists, discovering how organisms became adapted to all marine environments. In this journey through time and research, the public will understand the importance of the oceans in determining the conditions on the planet, will encounter the primordial forms of life that appeared in the oceans over 3 billion years ago, will discover evolutionary theories, and will encounter a series of fossils that show the evolution of forms and functions over the geological eras (walk through time).
Works of art, sculptures and historical biological samples will show how marine organisms move, feed, and reproduce, and the mechanisms that led to current life forms, in a gallery of biodiversity, from the simplest to the most complex organisms, to arrive at the multipurpose room of the DaDoM, housing a large skeleton of a sperm whale (beached along the Campania coasts and recovered by researchers), enriched by models of organisms that feed on the carcasses of these majestic giants of the sea when they arrive in the depths of the sea. The multipurpose room is dominated by a six-meter high wall that houses ten thousand preparations of animals from the Gulf of Naples, set up by the genius of Salvatore Lo Bianco and by those who followed his footsteps in the art of conservation.
The multipurpose room is designed to host thematic exhibits to explore topics of great scientific and popular interest, but also for scientific conferences and seminars, and is available to the cultural world for other initiatives of public interest, such as shows, concerts, exhibitions and film broadcasts. The museum itinerary also includes a journey through the studies and ancient maps of the Gulf of Naples, the discoveries of the over 20 Nobel laureates who conducted their studies in the SZN, up to the current research updated and exhibited month by month.
The Museum includes a large educational laboratory for students of all types and levels designed to carry out practical observation and study activities aimed at discovering the secrets of marine life. The upper floor of the building includes the staff offices, laboratories and organizations hosted by the Center. The Anton Dohrn Zoological Station has returned to the citizens of Naples, Campania and the whole country an asset of the city in its full fruition. This objective will also be extended to the outside of the building, making the garden of the Museum a place of knowledge in the open air. In fact, the garden hosts two scientific submersibles made available by the MareAmico Cultural Association and which have also been used for the exploration of the deep sea environments of the Mediterranean.
Depending on specific needs, the rear lawn or the roof terrace will finally host an open-air summer cinema for documentaries on the sea and for an international competition on scientific cinema and marine documentaries.
Scientific, Educational and Cultural Center in the heart of the city
With the aim of strengthening the so-called "third mission", i.e. the activities of dissemination of scientific discoveries, as well as the opening of research facilities to citizens, with their direct involvement, the Darwin-Dohrn Museum offers opportunities for scientific and educational collaborations, training of teachers and specialists in the sector, educational workshops, cultural meetings, and guided tours for citizens and tourists.
The Museum was inaugurated on December 9, 2021 but its layout will be continuously enriched with new material and new initiatives.










