Computational nano-biology group

Assignments and awards:

-Vice-president of the Materials & Nanotechnology master's degree course in collaboration between Scuola Normale Superiore and University of Pisa
-Coordinator of the Materials & Nanotechnology master's degree course for students of the Scuola Normale Superiore
-Member of the board of directors of the CSGI inter-university consortium
-Associated with the INSTM inter-university consortium Associated with INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics)
-Associated with the Centre of Excellence for Computational Biomolecular Research, an EU funded centre of excellence
-Member of the teaching staff of the PhD in Data Science, Nanosciences, Methods and Models for Molecular Sciences, Astrochemistry at the Scuola Normale Superiore
-Member of the commission for the discussion of the doctoral thesis of dr. Claudio Tiecher, University of Groningen

Projects:

  • 2016-2019, INFN Iniziativa specifica Biophys. Funding agency: INFN. Research Role: PI of a network node including 10 national research groups.
  • 2016-2018, FAS SALUTE 2014. Funding agency: Regione Toscana. Research Role: PI of a network node including 5 national research groups. Project title: “DIAMANTE: Diagnostica molecolare innovativa per la scelta terapeutica personalizzata dell'adenocarcinoma duttale pancreatico”.
  • 2016-2018, SNS Internal project. Funding agency: SNS. Research Role: PI. Project title: “Self-Propelled Molecular Machines in Solution and Lipid Bilayers: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Investigation”.
  • Convegni e workshop:
  • 2018 Organizzazione workshop internazionale CECAM “Physiological role of ions in the brain: towards a comprehensive view by molecular simulation” May 21-23, 2018, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy - Predicting the effects of a de novo mutation in the Kv4.3 potassium channel, Muhammad Jan Akhunzada, Andrea Catte, Nicholus Bhattacharjee, Dineke S. Verbeek, Armagan Kocer, and Giuseppe Brancato, Physiological role of ions in the brain: towards a comprehensive view by molecular simulation - CECAM workshop - May 21-23, 2018, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy (presentazione poster).
  • Modeling inherited and de novo mutations in a voltage-gated potassium channel, Andrea Catte and Giuseppe Brancato, Meeting INFN BIOPHYS and PLEXNET 2018 - September 10-12, 2018, Castello Aldobrandesco, Arcidosso, Grosseto, Italy (presentazione orale).
  • Unravelling the molecular basis of Kv4.3 channelopathies: A molecular modeling study of the loss-of-function mutations causing spinocerebellar ataxia type 19/22, Andrea Catte, Nicholus Bhattacharjee, Muhammad Jan Akhunzada, Dineke S. Verbeek, Armagan Kocer, and Giuseppe Brancato, Dutch Neuroscience Meeting 2018 - June 7, 2018, Lunteren, The Netherlands (presentazione poster).
  • Unravelling the molecular basis of Kv4.3 channelopathies: A molecular modeling study of the loss-of-function mutations causing spinocerebellar ataxia type 19/22, Nicholus Bhattacharjee, Andrea Catte, Muhammad Jan Akhunzada, Dineke S. Verbeek, Armagan Kocer, and Giuseppe Brancato, First Scientific Dutch Ataxia Symposium - June 8, 2018, Groningen, The Netherlands (presentazione poster).
  • Modeling inherited and de novo mutations in a voltage-gated potassium channel, Andrea Catte, Nicholus Bhattacharjee, Muhammad Jan Akhunzada, Dineke S. Verbeek, Armagan Kocer, and Giuseppe Brancato, Physiological role of ions in the brain: towards a comprehensive view by molecular simulation - CECAM workshop - May 21-23, 2018, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy (presentazione orale).
  • INFN Meeting Biophys & Plexnet 2019, 24-26 Settembre Napoili. Presentazione dal titolo: Interplay between lipid lateral diffusion, dye concentration and membrane permeability in a model lipid bilayer.

Research products

  • Catte A.; Ferbel L.; Bhattacharjee N.; Akhunzada M. J.; D’Agostino; Brancato G., In silico investigation of the interaction between the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv4.3 and its auxiliary protein KChIP1, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 21, 25290–25301 (2019). DOI: 10.1039/C9CP04082J.
  • Akhunzada M. J.; Sagresti L.; Catte A.; Bhattacharjee N.; D’Agostino; Brancato G., Temperature dependence of the structure and dynamics of a dye-labeled lipid in a planar phospholipid bilayer: a computational study, The Journal of Membrane Biology, 252(4), 227-240 (2019). DOI: 10.1007/s00232-019-00081-6.
  • Akhunzada M. J.; D’Autilia F.; Chandramouli B.; Bhattacharjee N.; Catte A.; Di Rienzo R.; Cardarelli F.; Brancato G., Interplay between lipid lateral diffusion, dye concentration and membrane permeability unveiled by a combined spectroscopic and computational study of a model lipid bilayer, Scientific Reports 9, 1508 (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37814-x.
  • Miletić T.; Biot N.; Demitri N.; Brancato G.; Kariuki BM.; Bonifazi D., Leveraging Fluorescent Emission to Unitary Yield: Dimerization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Helvetica Chimica Acta, 102(3), e1900004 (2019). DOI: 10.1002/hlca.201900004.
  • Unravelling the molecular origin of an inherited channelopathy in the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv4.3, Andrea Cattea, Claudio Tiecherc, Nicholus Bhattacharjee, Giuseppe Brancato, and Armagan Kocerc, submitted.