PhD in CHEMICAL SCIENCES

email: gianfranco.bocchinfuso@uniroma2.it
phone:

Education:
2000 PhD in Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome. (Supervisor, prof. Pasquale De Santis)
1995 M. Sc. in Industrial Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome (summa cum laude).

Work experiences:
Since 2015: Associate professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata;
2011-2015: Member of the Academic Senate of the University of Rome Tor Vergata;
2002-2015: Assistant professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata;
2012: Visiting Researcher at CSIR-CDRI – (Lucknow, India);
2002: Laboratory Chief at the 6th Control Laboratory of the Italian Air Force (IAF);
1997-2001: Researcher at the Chemistry Department in the Flight Experimental Centre (IAF).

Technical skills and competencies:
G.B. has solid expertise in the computational chemistry of complex systems. His research area is the investigation of functional and structural properties of biomolecules by means of molecular dynamics simulations, compared with spectroscopic experiments.
His work is mainly focused on:
-proteins involved in different pathologies to evaluate the effects of amino acid substitutions on the protein structure and activity as also on the interactions with other proteins, peptides, or DNA;
- Design of peptides to inhibit protein-protein interactions
-antimicrobial peptides, to clarify their mechanism of action and also other peculiar features that make these molecules promising materials;
In the past, he also worked on: i) modeling of the structural features of the nucleosome; ii) design of chemoreceptors for pesticides and food toxins; iii) physicochemical characterization of materials used in artworks; iv) QM investigation of molecules for OLED production; v) structural characterization of carbohydrates for drug release.

He co-authored almost 130 peer-reviewed papers in international journals (see http://scholar.google.it/citations?user=pwQ5YR4AAAAJ&hl=it&cstart=0&pagesize=20 ). H-index equal to 34 from Google Scholar and 30 from Scopus.
He is a co-inventor of the patent “Peptides and Uses Thereof”. Italian National patent (No. 102020000004849); Extension in the framework of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (No. PCTEP2021055624).
He presented the results of his research at many national and international congresses, also as an invited speaker.

Grants and awards:
-2022 ISCRA B – CINECA - HP10B3TIMH (PI)
-2022 The patent “Peptides and Uses Thereof” (National patent No. 102020000004849, approved the 29/03/2022) has been selected by NetVal (network for the valorization of academic research) for presentation at the Biovaria 2022 technology transfer event - Munich, 11-12/05/2022 (DE).
-2021 ISCRA C-CINECA - HP10CYGDPE (PI)
-2021 Bando “Gruppi di ricerca” from Regione Lazio : “Inibitori delle Interazioni Proteina-Proteina della fosfatasi SHP2: una strategia innovativa per la terapia oncologica e delle malattie rare”
-2021: AIRC investigator grant 2020 “Inhibitors of SHP2 protein-protein interactions: a new strategy for a crucial oncogenic target” Id. 24940
-2020: MSCA-RISE call (EU). PEPSA-MATE - Nanopeptides and Nanosaccharides for Advanced and Sustainable Materials (number- 872233).
-2019 PRACE Project: SHP2-ReM-MD - The regulatory mechanism of the SHP-2 protein: a Molecular Dynamics investigation – 2019204928 (PI)
-2019: ISCRA B-CINECA - HP10BL5G4C (PI)
-2018: National qualification as Full Professor in Physical Chemistry in Italy
-2018 PRACE Project: The regulatory mechanism of the SHP-2 protein: a Molecular Dynamics investigation -2017174118 (PI)
-2018: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10C63MJF (PI)
-2016: Consolidate the foundations (funded by University of Rome Tor Vergata)
-2017: Simulative studies of the allosteric modulation of protein SHP2 (AIRC IG2016 Id.19171)
-2017: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10CS9GG2 (PI)
-2015: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10CFZ2O8 (PI)
-2015: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10CU5L0B (PI)
-2013: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10CSICD5 (PI)
-2013: ISCRA C-CINECA-HP10CDZNA9
-2012: Paper of the week from The Journal of Biological Chemistry for the paper “Counteracting effects on the allosteric control of SHP2’s function drive selection of the recurrent Tyr62Asp and Tyr63Cys substitutions in Noonan syndrome”. J Biol Chem. 2012; 287: 27066-27077
-2012: ISCRA C CINECA-HP10CA881J(PI)
-2012: Standard HPC Grant-CASPUR(PI)
-2012: Joint Projects for the exchange of researchers between Italian Republic and Republic of India (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
-2011: Standard HPC Grant-CASPUR(PI)
-2011: Best paper Awards 2011 of the Journal of Peptide Science for the paper: G. Bocchinfuso, et al. Different mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides:insights from fluorescence spectroscopy experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. J. Pept. Sci. 2009; 15: 550–558
-2010: Standard HPC Grant-CASPUR(PI)
-2009: Standard HPC Grant-CASPUR(PI)
-2008: PRIN-2008-MIUR
-2007: Bilateral project Italy/South-Korea (“Progetto di grande rilevanza”)-(Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs);
-2007: “Bando B-2007” Grant–CASPUR(PI)
-2006: PRIN-2006-MIUR
-2005: Progetti di ricerca nel campo del calcolo ad alte prestazioni-CASPUR
-2004-2008: Integrated project BIOCOP–UE(FP6)
-2004-2008: Project AFLARID supported by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture
-2004: Grant from Telethon(GGP04172)