Sciacca Michele Francesco Maria

He got Bachelor Degree in Industrial Chemistry at University of Catania in 2004 defending the thesis “Molecular interpretation of conformational diseases: Chemical-physics of the interactions amylin-membrane”. He started a research collaboration with the Department of Chemistry of the University of Catania working on thermodynamic of biological systems, and in particular on the proteins folding/unfolding mechanisms and the protein/membrane interactions.

In 2009 he got Ph.D. in Chemical Science at University of Catania, defending the thesis “Molecular mechanisms of protein misfolding diseases” and then started a scientific collaboration with the Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages of National Research Council, focusing his research activity on the effect of metal cations in modulating protein/membrane interaction and fibril formation mechanism of amyloidogenic proteins.

In 2011 he was Postdoctoral Fellows at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (USA) in the LSA Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, in the research group directed by Prof. A. Ramamoorthy. In the U.S. he focused his study on the molecular details underlying conformational diseases and on the mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides. In particular he studied the influence of lipidic composition in the protein/membrane interactions.

Back in Italy in 2013 he started a scientific collaboration with the Department of Chemical Science at University of Catania and then with the National Research Council – Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging then merged into the Institute of Crystallography. Here he studies peptides and small natural compounds as inhibitors of toxicity and fibrillogenesis of amyloidogenic proteins. From July 2020 he is permanent research at National Research Council – Institute of Crystallography in  Catania.

Spectroscopic techniques:  Spectrofluorimetry, UV-vis. Spectroscopy, Circular Dichroism;

Calorimetric techniques: Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Pressure Perturbation Calorimetry and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry

Preparation and chemico-physical characterization of complex lipidic model membranes

Expertise in the study of molecular processes involved in the peptide/model membranes interaction

Prof. Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy – University of Michigan

Prof. Carmelo La Rosa – University of Catania

Prof. Giovanni Di Fabio – University of Naples Federico II