Ph. D. Student
Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology (BLUEBIO)

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Villa Comunale
80121 Napoli - Italia
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Curriculum Vitae

Director of Studies: Dott.sa.Donatella de Pascale (SZN), Dr. Paolo Galli (UNIMIB)
Program: Scienze Marine, Tecnologie e Gestione (40° Ciclo, Università dei Studi di Milano Bicocca)

Research Intersts

My research interests focus on exploring the biotechnological potential of microbial communities found in tropical environments, with particular attention to mangrove forests and coral reefs. These ecosystems are subjected to various stress factors, such as intense UV radiation, high temperatures, elevated salinity, and fluctuating resource availability. To survive in such conditions, bacteria must adapt, often by producing bioactive molecules such as antioxidants, UV photoprotectants, siderophores, biosurfactants, antimicrobials, and various types of enzymes.
To investigate the biotechnological potential of these microorganisms, both cultivation- dependent and cultivation-independent approaches will be employed. Microorganisms will be isolated using a wide range of substrates and culture conditions to maximize microbial diversity. The metabolites produced will be extracted, purified, and subjected to various screening assays to identify novel bioactive compounds.
Since only a small percentage of microorganisms can be cultured in the laboratory and many biosynthetic genes remain silent under laboratory conditions, genome-based methods will also be utilized. The genomes of bacteria of interest, as well as metagenomes from entire communities, will be sequenced. Tools such as AntiSMASH and genome mining procedures will be used to identify new biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) responsible for the synthesis of bioactive molecules. These clusters can then be cloned and expressed in appropriate recombinant systems.
The ultimate goal is to develop new bioactive compounds for therapeutic, cosmeceutical, and biotechnological applications.