Research Trainee

MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at University of Pisa, Italy (2020). During the master thesis I was involved in a project focused on drug discovery of new selective thyromimetics with potential therapeutic use, under the supervision of Professor Simona Rapposelli and Dr. Sheraz Gul. In particular, I synthetized novel thyroid hormone anlogues based on the diphenylmethane scaffold for the treatment of liver diseases such as NASH and NAFLD. Additionally, I managed the assesment of the ADME-Tox profile and the effects on autophagic flux of these molecules by using both target and cell-based assays at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Hamburg, Germany. During my stay at the Fraunhofer Institut I had the opportunity to acquire skills in cell cultures and in the use of tools and equiment employed for High-Throughput and High-Content Screening including Echo 550 Liquid Handler (Labcyte) and Envision 2100 Multilabel Reader (PerkinElmer). After the graduation, I performed a research trainee at the Research Institute for Medicines (iMed), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon (PT) under the supervision of Professor Rui Moreira and Francisca Lopes, where I managed the development of novel indole-based drug leads for the treatment of Tuberculosis and the synthesis of four membered ring scaffolds. Currently, his research interests are directed towards the design and development of novel PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) able to induce specific intracellular degradation of Akt protein kinase for the treatment of cancer.