

GIANFRANCO SANTOVITO
Title: Professore associato
SSD: BIO/09 - Physiology
Address: VIA U. BASSI, 58/B - PADOVA
Phone: 0498276310
E-mail: gianfranco.santovito@unipd.it
Teaching in current academic year
Curriculum
Curriculum in PDF: English CV
Research area
- Study of antistress (including oxidative stress) proteins in evolutionary and ecotoxicological fish and mollusks. - Study of antistress (including oxidative stress) proteins in the solitary ascidian Ciona robusta in an evolutionary and ecotoxicological key. - Study of the anti-stress (including oxidative stress) proteins of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila, used as a model organism in ecotoxicological and biomedical research. - Study of the physiological responses of freshwater animals in relation to anthropogenic environmental stress. - Innovative approaches to the teaching of biology in kindergarten, primary and secondary schools.
Proposals for thesis
For students on master's degree courses in the biological field, theses will be placed in the following research areas: - Study of the antioxidant system in Antarctic fish and molluscs from an evolutionary and ecotoxicological perspective. - Study of anti-stress proteins, from an evolutionary and ecotoxicological perspective, in the solitary ascidian of the Venice Lagoon Ciona robusta (in collaboration with Prof. Ballarin of the Department of Biology of the University of Padua). - Study of the physiological responses of freshwater animals in relation to anthropogenic environmental stress. - Study of the antioxidant system of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila, also used as a model organism in ecotoxicological and biomedical research. - Study of oxidative stress in mammalian hearts subjected to ex-situ perfusion (in collaboration with Dr. Tolomeo of the Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padua). The methodologies used will range from biochemistry (UV and VIS spectrophotometric assays), to molecular biology (purification of nucleic acids; synthesis, amplification, cloning and sequencing of cDNA; semi-quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative Real Time-PCR), cytology (cell cultures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms), and bioinformatics (multi-alignment of nucleotide and amino acid sequences, primers design, phylogenetic analysis by cladogram construction). For students on the Master of Science in Primary Education course, the theses will concern educational research in the field of biology. The research activity will be conducted in a school environment where specially designed frontal and laboratory lessons will be conducted. Topics will range across all disciplines of biology, and not only with reference to the National Curriculum Directions (2012 and 2018).