Progetti per la ricerca
Development of new dual agonists of PPAR and FXR for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by integrating rational design, synthesis and drug-screening technologies
Sviluppo di una piattaforma autonoma ed indipendente nel settore della sanità finalizzata all'economia dei dati.
Today, unravelling the relationships of plants with multiple organisms from a new holobiont perspective can be crucial for gaining new insights into the field of interaction biology at the rhizospheric level. Although plant-microbe relationships have been studied for more than a century, appreciation of the functional consequences of these interactions is relatively recent and reveals new opportunities to design biotechnologies in response to environmental challenges. Indeed, a better understanding of the rhizosphere dynamics could provide new insights on its possible manipulation in the perspective of biotechnological applications in soil remediation. However, research advancements in this field requires an integrated view of the functions and interactions that exist between a host macroorganism and its associated belowground (root endosphere and rhizosphere) microbial communities. With this in mind, the project mainly aims to observe the rhizospheric environment as a single dynamic entity, analyzing to what extent the interactions between different organisms (in a three-way model) diverge under soil contamination with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). In addition, a related objective is to evaluate the degradation action of OCPs by different biotechnological combinations (ranging from bioremediation to assisted phytoremediation). The project will explore the association of nutritional and signalling events between plant and microorganisms to add new information with potential implications in the environmental biotechnology field. Multiple sets of experiments in mesocosm will be conducted, under controlled conditions of contamination with OCP mixture. The rhizospheric effect will be evaluated by analyzing the functionality of two different plant species in synergy with an enhanced soil microbiome. Specifically, through a tripartite meta-transcriptome we will gain an understanding of both plant and microbial (both fungi and bacteria) molecular biology, providing extensive data on the composition and function of meta-organisms. We will also evaluate how the plant specific exudation spectrum can influence the rhizosphere metaphenomenon from a phytoremediation perspective. All the above may represent a clear opportunity to guide next-generation biotechnologies for soil ecosystem resilience.
Today biodiversity and habitat loss are the most serious environmental threats worldwide. Anthropogenic activity and climate changes are rapidly depleting the global natural capital, cracking the stability of habitats through fragmentation and exposing species to unpredictable risk of extinction. In the most modern and innovative active conservation strategy for species and habitats, in-depth knowledge of the genetic profile of the species is indispensable to build the biological, ecophysiological, evolutionary, and coevolutionary studies needed to actively conserve specific diversity at all levels. With the ChAMPION project, an innovative approach to active conservation of plant species is proposed and applied to Chamaerops humilis L., the Mediterranean endemic dwarf palm. The approach is carried out adding new knowledge by sequencing the species reference genome combining avant-garde sequencing techniques, and by studying and correlating the main drivers of erosion and conservation of natural plant populations. The concept proposed in ChAMPION will be fundamental to go beyond the classical population genetics approach and for the full understanding of species adaptations and vulnerabilities. ChAMPION aims to study Chamaerops humilis L., one of the most representative and distinctive species characterizing the biodiversity hotspot represented by the Mediterranean. The dwarf palm is the most relevant biogeographic plant element in the Mediterranean, being the only species of its genus and the most widespread of the only two palms in the native range. It is an example of endemism developed and rooted in a peculiar niche such as the Mediterranean, characterizing the habitats therein, and finding its maximum expression on the Italian territory. Although C. humilis is not currently an endangered species according to the IUCN, considering its biological cycle, environmental and anthropogenic pressures pose a serious risk to it. So it is vitally important working on the knowledge base necessary to preserve the species. Habitat fragmentation, depression of gene flow, inbreeding, the disappearance of pollinators, and the swarming of new pathogens such as the red boll weevil will be the main candidates for the disappearance of this species if an active and preventive conservation strategy is not implemented, which we believe is only achievable with the knowledge that ChAMPION aims to obtain. The innovative approach proposed in ChAMPION involves a different scale of study and observation, moving from landscape analysis to sequencing the genome, investigating and assessing the reproductive biotic interactions established in the natural habitat: pollination and dissemination. ChAMPION's approach can provide the right impetus for active conservation of plant species, setting itself as a best practice to be applied to all species in need of protection, in the Mediterranean and around the world.
Azione II.2 – Cluster tecnologici D.D. prot.1735 del 13 Luglio 2017 - “avviso per la presentazione di Progetti di Ricerca Industriale e Sviluppo Sperimentale nelle 12 aree di Specializzazione individuate dal PNR 2015-2020”
Il progetto PROMPT ha come obiettivo lo sviluppo di una piattaforma software che costituisca un sistema di supporto alle decisioni (DSS) per gli operatori che saranno coadiuvati dalla tecnologia nella gestione di processi, nelle pianificazioni industriali e nelle scelte produttive.