UPO Book

Brief Research Description

The broad goal of my research is the study of molecular interactions critical to biological function (e.g. protein-protein, antigen-antibody and protein-RNA). Understanding these interactions is central to a range of fundamental sciences, new treatments for disease and for the development of a wide range of highly functional products. I am currently focusing on SINEUP, a family of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), whose effect is to promote the translation of specific target mRNAs.

In another EU-funded project (Bioaction, https://bioaction.eu/), I am engineering bacteria to convert them into a programmable bio-factory for tissue regeneration. Bioaction approaches implant-associated infections from a completely new perspective. Instead of simply fighting against pathogenic bacteria, we aim to transform them into valuable allies in promoting tissue regeneration. The approach is an alternative to traditional antibiotic therapies, which often exacerbate the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance.

Keywords

Synthetic biology, non-coding RNA, protein engineering, tissue regeneration, biomarker discovery 

PubMed