Application-oriented development of Carbonic Anhydrase-containing Materials for in situ pH modulation: CA pH/CO2 bio-controller materials 

The main objective of CAMbio-pH is the design and development of unprecedently reported bioactive functional materials able to induce and control pH variations. The innovative materials will be based on CO2 separation technologies by making use of thermostable Carbonic Anhydrase enzymes of bacterial origin.

About Us

The CAMbio-pH group is based on promising researchers with proven track records at the national and international level and years of experience in the different subjects that the proposed interdisciplinary project brings up. The expertise of the member of the research unit well complement one another, supporting the development of the various RTD activities of the project

Prof. Fabrizio Carta 

has proven expertise in medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis of compounds of pharmaceutical interest, enzymology and kinetics. His contributions are mainly related to the design and synthesis of modulators of CAs metalloenzymes and the evaluation of their impacts as pH modulators in diseases such as hypoxic cancers, inflammation diseases as the main ones.
https://www.unifi.it/p-doc2-2016-0-A-2c303c2a322e-0.html

Prof. Caterina Viglianisi 

has experience in organic synthesis of molecular and macromolecolr structures. In particular, synthesis of bioinspired chalcogen containing (poly)phenolic antioxidants able to exert potent and multi-defense antiradical activity. Design and synthesis of innovative macromolecular additives suitable for the preparation of long lasting polyolefin materials with no risk of contamination in food, pharmaceutical and biomedical packaging applications.
https://www.unifi.it/p-doc2-2018-0-A-2c303b31382f-1.html

Prof. Claudia Bello 

in addition to her background in organic synthesis has long worked in peptide and protein synthesis and modification, their characterization and properties evaluation. She is expert with methods for the use of R5 peptide as silica precipitating agent and biomolecules encapsulation in silica nanoparticles.
https://www.unifi.it/p-doc2-0-0-A-3f2b3d2c382a2b-0.html

Kristian Vasa

Research fellow " Design and synthesis of molecular, macromolecular and nanostructured bio-probes and bio-controller materials".
  

Currently 

PhD student in Chemical Sciences 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristian-vasa-1bbb68178/?originalSubdomain=it 


About the Project


Competitive project for Fixed Term Researchers (RTD) from the University of Florence 

The University of Florence finances competitive projects for University Fixed-term Researchers to support them in the start-up phase of their research activity. The CAMbio-pH team is based on researchers of University of Florence (Italy) with proven track records at the national and international level and years of experience in the different subjects that the proposed interdisciplinary project brings up.

Project

This proposal’s concept mainly relays on the recently discovered α-CAs from thermophilic bacteria, belonging to the genus Sulfurihydrogenibium living in hot springs worldwide at temperatures up to 110°C, which will be cloned and immobilized within novel, highly permeable and biocompatible i) polymeric scaffolds and ii) mesoporous spherical silica nanoparticles



Mission

This proposal fits within the topic “Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (LEIT) of the second pillar of Horizon 2020, that supports the development of technologies underpinning innovation in the area of advanced materials biotechnologies. The bioactive functional materials developed here will be the first ones with unprecedented kinetics, stability and working operational ranges which meet the properties to be durable, biocompatible and associated to low costs of production