Affiliation: Dept. of Biology Position: Full Professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Padova, Italy (http://www.bio.unipd.it/iicg/) Education and academic career: 07/1988 M.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry - Eotvos Lorand University of Budapest, Hungary 1989-1994 Ph.D. student at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padova 1992 Short-term EMBO fellow at Biozentrum, Basel, Switzerland 10/1994 Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathology, University of Padova, Italy 1995-1996: EMBO postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Physiology of the University of Tuebingen 1997-1998: Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padova 1998-2004: Assistant Professor in Biochemistry, at the Department of Biology of the University of Padova Since 01/2005 Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the Department of Biology of the University of Padova Since 01/2017 Full Professor in Biochemistry at the Department of Biology, Univ.Padova Since 2012: Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports of NPG Since 2013: Associate Member of the Iontrac International Training Network 2014: Co-Editor of a Special Issue of Cell Calcium 2014: Associate Member of the Institute of Neuroscience (CNR) 2015: Vice-Chair of a new Gordon Conference on Intracellular Ion Channels and Transporters, Bentley, USA 2016: Co-Chair of the International Biophysics School on Photosynthesis, Venice, Italy 2017: Chair Gordon Conference on Intracellular Ion Channels and Transporters, Vermont, USA Awards: 1995-1996: EMBO long-term fellowship 2000: CNR Young Investigator Grant 2002: selected as EMBO Young Investigator. From 2005: selected and acting as expert evaluator for Marie-Curie fellowships of EEC. 2011: selected as member of Top Italian Scientists (H factor>30) 2014: habilitation for Full Professorship in Biochemistry and in Plant Physiology International collaborations: E. Gulbins (Essen, Germany), N. Uozumi (Tohuku, Japan), F. Lang (Tuebingen, Germany), KG. Chandy (Irvine, USA), H. Kalthoff (Kiel, Germany) G. Finazzi (Grenoble, France), R. Wagner (Osnabrueck, Germany), E. Szegezdi (Galway, Ireland), T. Shikanai (Kyoto, Japan), C. Spetea (Gothenburg, Sweden), C. Chang (Berkeley, USA). Grants as coordinator: National grants of the Italian Ministry (2007, 2009, 2011), Young Investigator Grant of the CNR (2000) EMBO Young Investigator Grant (2003), University of Padova Grants (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014), Italian Association for Cancer Research (2007, 2011, 2014, 2017). Human Frontiers Science Program (2015). Publications: Co-author of 138 peer-reviewed papers. Total citation: 12437 (Google Scholar). H factor: 50

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Considerable information is available in the rapidly developing field of ion channels about the molecular identification and biophysical characterization of ion channels in the plasma membrane, while relatively little is known about organellar channels, a topic of interest in the group. In particular, ion channels seem to regulate important processes in both energy-producing organelles: mitochondria and chloroplasts. For example, the molecular identification of a mitochondrial potassium channel led to the elucidation of its central role in apoptotic signalling in lymphocytes and to an efficient and selective killing of cancer cells in vivo, via pharmacological targeting of cancer cells expressing the channel. Likewise, recent discovery of identity of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter is expected to lead to further understanding of its role in various cellular processes. In plants, ion channels of both the chloroplast inner envelope and the thylakoid membranes are thought to participate in the regulation of photosynthesis, an essential physiological process. Genetic evidence supporting this hypothesis has recently been obtained in photosynthetic cyanobacteria and higher plants. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms which regulate photosynthesis might lead to practical benefits in the future. In summary, the aims of the running projects in the laboratory are to provide decisive information about the involvement of mitochondrial and chloroplasts ion channels in the regulation of bioenergetic and related processes by comparing activities in wild-type and mutant organisms, bearing deletions or mutations of genes encoding organellar channels

The study of ion channel function in relation to different stimuli and in the context of various pathologies (cancer, autoimmune diseases, obesity). The used techniques comprise those of biochemistry, biophyisics, molecular biology, cell biology and in vivo experiments.

Last update: 18/07/2025