Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology. Coordinator: Bedini

Research themes

Integrins

Leukocyte and RGD integrins as novel and yet unexplored therapeutic targets within central and peripheral inflammation and tumors; pharmacological characterization of innovative integrin ligands and analysis of their effects on inflammation, tumorigenesis and nociception in suitable experimental models.

Opioids

Pharmacological characterization of novel opioid receptor ligands and analysis of opioid agonists/antagonists/allosteric modulators-mediated effects to develop innovative therapeutics for pain, addiction, psychiatric disorders; molecular pathway analysis of opioid analgesics- and innovative opiods-mediated effects within Quantitative Systems Pharmacology approaches.

Neuron-glia cross-talk within neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration

Effects induced by proinflammatory and neurotoxic agents on signal transduction, modulation of gene expression, transcription factor REST involvement within neuron-glia cross-talk; identification/validation of novel pharmacological targets via RNAi-based techniques to develop innovative treatments for neuroinflammation/neurodegeneration. Study of the anti-inflammatory effect of bacterial toxins (CNF1) on animal models of neuroinflammation and on CSF of patients with cognitive deficits - Alzheimer's disease.

Animal models of neonatal stress

Use of antisense oligonucleotides directed against Proopiomelanocortin in the prevention of neonatal stress aimed at preventing dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the consequent metabolic syndrome in adulthood.

Lab Members

Andrea Bedini,  Associate Professor

Monica Baiula, Senior Assistant Professor

Gabriele Campana, Senior Assistant Professor

Elisabetta Cuna,  PhD Student

Andrea Maurizio, PhD Student

Chiara Cimetti,  PhD Student

Job Openings or Internship Projects

Internship positions for preparing the final thesis are available within research projects listed above to students enrolled in Biotechnology (2 per year), Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (2 per year), Pharmacy (2-3 per year).

Main Publications

• Bedini A, Baiula M, Vincelli G, Formaggio F, Lombardi S, Caprini M, Spampinato S. Nociceptin/orphanin FQ antagonizes lipopolysaccharide-stimulated proliferation, migration and inflammatory signaling in human glioblastoma U87 cells. Biochem Pharmacol. 2017 Jun 2. pii: S0006-2952(17)30323-4. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.05.021
• Baiula M, Caligiana A, Bedini A, Zhao J, Santino F, Cirillo M, Gentilucci L, Giacomini D, Spampinato S. Leukocyte Integrin Antagonists as a Novel Option to Treat Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jan 29;11:617836. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.617836.  
• Bedini A, Di Cesare Mannelli L, Micheli L, Baiula M, Vaca G, De Marco R, Gentilucci L, Ghelardini C, Spampinato S. Functional Selectivity and Antinociceptive Effects of a Novel KOPr Agonist. Front Pharmacol. 2020 Mar 5;11:188. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00188. PMID: 32210803; PMCID: PMC7066533. 
• Baiula M, Carbonari G, Dattoli SD, Calienni M, Bedini A, Spampinato S. REST is up-regulated by epidermal growth factor in HeLa cells and inhibits apoptosis by influencing histone H3 acetylation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Aug;1823(8):1252-63. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2012.05.026. 

• Giacomo Koch, Francesco Di Lorenzo, Stefano Loizzo, Caterina Motta, Sara Travaglione, Monica Baiula, Roberto Rimondini, Viviana Ponzo, Sonia Bonnì, Sofia Toniolo, Fabrizio Sallustio, Marco Bozzali, Carlo Caltagirone, Gabriele Campana & Alessandro Martorana. CSF tau is associated with impaired cortical plasticity, cognitive decline and astrocyte survival only in APOE4-positive Alzheimer’s disease. Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 23;7(1):13728. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14204-3.