VISION
The Gruppo Interdivisionale di Chimica dei Carboidrati (GICC) represents a scientific community established by the Divisione di Chimica Organica of the Società Chimica Italiana, which includes members conducting research or with an interest in topics related to carbohydrates, one of the most important classes of biomolecules. The scientific activity of GICC members is thus marked by a distinctly interdisciplinary nature, encompassing synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, structural and molecular biology, analytical chemistry, and computational chemistry to study the chemical, physicochemical, and biological properties of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates.
VISION
The Gruppo Interdivisionale di Chimica dei Carboidrati (GICC) represents a scientific community established by the Divisione di Chimica Organica of the Società Chimica Italiana, which includes members conducting research or with an interest in topics related to carbohydrates, one of the most important classes of biomolecules. The scientific activity of GICC members is thus marked by a distinctly interdisciplinary nature, encompassing synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, structural and molecular biology, analytical chemistry, and computational chemistry to study the chemical, physicochemical, and biological properties of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates.
MISSION
The main objective of the GICC is to promote both basic and applied research across all areas of carbohydrate and biochemical sciences (known as glycoscience), fostering and encouraging interactions within the Italian scientific community through various initiatives. Among these, the organization of the Carbohydrate Chemistry Conference-School (CSCC) undoubtedly stands as the most significant event. The CSCC is held biennially at the prestigious Certosa di Pontignano (Pontignano, Siena) and is open to the entire scientific community working in glycoscience, with particular emphasis on PhD students, fellows, and young researchers from both public and private institutions. The Conference-School offers, in addition to various invited plenary lectures (including those by renowned international glycoscientists) and both oral and poster presentations, a series of advanced lectures on carbohydrate chemistry.
During the CSCC, two prestigious awards are also presented:
The Giancarlo BERTI Medal, awarded to a scientist who has made particularly noteworthy scientific contributions, from an innovative and/or applicative perspective, in the field of carbohydrate chemistry.
The “Benito Casu” Young Researcher Award, established by the “G. Ronzoni” Institute for Chemical and Biochemical Research in Milan, is awarded to a young researcher who has demonstrated particular aptitude and interest in studies and research activities in the field of carbohydrate chemistry.
Through these initiatives, the GICC aims to provide a platform for disseminating new discoveries and to promote both established and emerging researchers in the field of glycoscience.
BOARD
COORDINATOR
Prof. Luigi Lay
Department of Chemistry, University of Milan.
Via Golgi 19 – 20133 Milano
Phone +39 0250314062
Fax +39 0250314072
luigi.lay@unimi.it
BOARD MEMEBERS
- Dr. Sabrina Bertini (IRCB G. Ronzoni, Milan)
- Prof. Paola Cescutti (University of Trieste)
- Prof. Oscar Francesconi (University of Florence)
- Dr. Angelo Palmigiano (CNR IPCB, Catania)
- Prof. Alba Silipo (University of Naples)
Luigi Lay - Coordinator
Luigi Lay graduated in Chemistry in 1990 at the University of Sassari and he was awarded a PhD in Chemical Sciences in 1994 at the University of Milan, working on the synthesis of Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide fragments. After an EU-funded post-doctoral fellowship in the research group of Prof. Richard R. Schmidt at the University of Konstanz (Germany), Luigi Lay moved back to Milan in 1996 as a Researcher in Organic Chemistry at CNR. In 2000 he became Researcher in Organic Chemistry at the University of Milan, then Associate Professor in 2010 and Full Professor since 2017.
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Luigi Lay has been Principal Investigator of numerous national (Italian Ministry of Research, Fondazione CARIPLO) and international (European Commission) projects financed according to competitive calls for applications. He has been Chair of the COST Action “Innovation with Glycans: new frontiers from synthesis to new biological targets – INNOGLY”, and he is currently Coordinator of the HORIZON Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network “ACINETWORK”.
The research activity of Luigi Lay is focused on carbohydrate chemistry and the use of synthetic glycans to investigate their biological properties. In particular, most of his current scientific activity is addressed to the synthesis of oligosaccharides/glycoconjugates endowed with immunological activity for the development of semisynthetic glycoconjugate vaccines.
Luigi Lay is an active member of the Italian Chemical Society and American Chemical Society, and he is currently the Coordinator of the Interdivisional Group on Carbohydrate Chemistry of the Italian Chemical Society.
Group website: https://sites.unimi.it/luigilaygroup/
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4774-4555
Sabrina Bertini
Sabrina Bertini (born 25th March 1971) received her M.Sc. Degree in chemistry in the academic year 1995/1996 from the University of Milano. After that, she continued her studies obtaining Specialization at Polytechnic of Milan, Department G.Natta, in1999, in Science of Polymers. Dr. Bertini is a senior researcher at the Institute of Chemical and Biochemical Research “Giuliana Ronzoni, and head of the physical chemistry unit; she contributed with original research in the field of polysaccharide characterization with special emphasis on the development of methods for the determination of their chemical and physical properties both in solution and in solid.
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She works with polysaccharides of different origins such as hyaluronic acid, starch, cellulose, chitosan and glycosaminoglycans. She contributed to the development of advanced approaches by several techniques (NMR, Dynamic Light Scattering, Static Light Scattering, Zeta Potential, ITC) to the characterization of polysaccharide, binding properties and complex formations of protein/carbohydrate. She is involving in several projects on liposome nanoparticles synthesis with microfluidic approaches, as drug delivery. Dr. Bertini has a good experience of participating in interdisciplinary research projects both nationally (CNR and MURST) and internationally (EU, NIH). She also coordinates industrial research projects.
Website: https://www.ronzoni.it/
Scopus ID: 7005563436
Paola Cescutti
Paola Cescutti si è laureata in Biologia e ha conseguito il dottorato di ricerca in Biochimica presso l’Università di Trieste. Durante gli studi di dottorato, ha trascorso due anni presso il Dipartimento di Chimica della Università della British Columbia, Vancouver (CANADA), dove ha lavorato sulla determinazione della struttura di polisaccaridi capsulari da Klebsiella pneumoniae. In seguito ha ottenuto una posizione di post-dottorato e si è trasferita per un anno al Dipartimento di Agricoltura degli Stati Uniti, Wyndmoor (PA), per studiare gli esopolisaccaridi prodotti da batteri patogeni fungini.
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Successivamente è stata assunta come Ricercatore Universitario in Biochimica presso l’Università di Trieste. Si interessa della struttura e della funzione dei polisaccaridi batterici, in particolare di quelli prodotti da patogeni opportunisti nei biofilm. È membro del comitato editoriale della rivista Carbohydrate Research. Attualmente è Professore Associato di Biochimica presso l’Università di Trieste.
Sito del gruppo: https://dsv.units.it/it/ricerca/ambiti/biomedicina?q=it/node/18212
Oscar Francesconi
Oscar Francesconi received his PhD in 2010 from the Università degli Studi di Firenze (UNIFI) in Firenze (Italy), working on synthetic receptors for carbohydrates. After a period as a visiting researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas in Madrid, he worked at UNIFI as a postdoctoral researcher and then as an Assistant Professor in Organic Chemistry. He was appointed Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff” at UNIFI in 2023.
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His interests are in supramolecular chemistry and physical-organic chemistry, with particular focus on the biomimetic recognition of carbohydrates. He was member of the directory board and treasurer of the Gruppo Giovani of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI-Giovani) from 2013 to 2016. From 2023 he is member of the directory board of the Sezione Toscana of the Italian Chemical Society.
Team website: https://sites.google.com/unifi.it/glycomore/home-page
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-4926
Angelo Palmigiano
Angelo Palmigiano graduated in chemistry at the University of Catania with a specialization in Chemical physics of materials, presenting an experimental thesis on the growth of self-assembled mono- and multilayers on semiconductor oxide surfaces, using Secondary Ions Mass Spectrometry (SIMS-MS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as characterization techniques. After winning a scholarship offered by CNR in 2006 for the study of polymeric materials, he has started collaborating with Professor Garozzo on the proteomic study of complex mixtures using MALDI and ESI mass spectrometry.
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The research activity concerns the characterization of glycoconjugates in different biological matrices. Proteomics and Glycomics studies range from the characterization of components of the bacterial cell barrier (structure/pathogenicity correlation, antibiotic resistance, characterization of the gut microbiome) to the study of neurodegenerative diseases, congenital disorders of glycosylation and tumors.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6130-1830
Scopus ID: 25226347300
http://www.ipcb.ct.cnr.it
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Alba Silipo
Alba Silipo graduated in Chemistry cum laude and was awarded a PhD in Chemical Sciences in 2004 at University of Naples Federico II. Post-doc within a EU-funded postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellowship (2005–2006) in the research groups of Prof. J. Jiménez-Barbero, CSIC, Madrid. Full professor since 2020, Specially appointed professor, Osaka University, Japan (From January 2021). Research experience: 2001: Guest at the Research Center Borstel, Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Germany, in the laboratory of Structural Biochemistry directed by Prof. O. Holst. (Sept-Dec.);
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2004: Guest at the Institute of Chemistry, University of Luebeck of Chemistry, Luebeck, Germany, in the laboratory directed by Prof. Thomas Peters. (Jan-June); 2007 (Sept-Nov), 2008 (Mar) Contract supported by Prof. Hartmut Oschkinat, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin.
Awards · Carbohydrate Research Award for Creativity in Carbohydrate Chemistry, 2019 · European prize of the RSEQ CHEMICAL BIOLOGY DIVISION to young group LEADERS 2017, that contributed to the field of Chemical Biology. · IEIIS Nowotny Award, 2016 (to young investigators who has shown excellence in research and made a significant contribution to the study of endotoxins); · Medaglia Giacomo Ciamician from SCI (Italian Chemical Society) in 2012; · PhD award Giacomino Randazzo 2004.
Coordinator of the several research projects (the most recent): ·PRIN MIUR 2022, Molecular recognition of Fusobacterium envelope glycans by Siglecs, Coordinator; • PRIN MUR PNRR 2022, PI · contract with Galectin Therapeutics Inc; · National Recovery and Resilience Plan part of Next Generation EU, “INF-ACT”, 1Mln Euro, Responsible within UNINA for Spoke 3 Antimicrobial Resistance; ·H2020-MSCA-ITN-2020 A multidisciplinary training network for the bioinspired development of glycomimetics tuning the Siglec-Sialoglycan axis, No. 956758, Coordinator; · PRIN MIUR 2017, Bioinspired development of glycomimetics tuning the Siglec-Sialylated glycan axis. 2019-2023, Coordinator; ·H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014, TOLLerant, PI as Beneficiary partner; ·National Antarctic Research Program, PNRA16_00089, 2017-2020, Coordinator
Research activity focused on the structural biology of glycans, in particular: i) on the determination of structure and conformation of glycans (combined use of organic, carbohydrate and analytical chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, Mass spectrometry). ii) on the use of structural biology approaches (NMR, computational and biophysical methodologies) to assess conformation of glycans and glycoconjugates and their 3D structures. iii) and on the study of molecular recognition events in glycans-protein interactions by spectroscopic (ligand- and protein-based NMR), biophysical, computational techniques and characterization of 3D complex.
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5394-6532 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5394-6532