Marco Lolicato, PI, Associate Professor
Cristina Arrigoni, PI
Elisa Tavazzani (post-doc)
Sofia Diletta Guzzeloni (PhD student)
Manuel Decandia (Master student)
Alessandro Morea (Master student)
Viana Khojasteh (Master student)
The laboratory conducts research in the field of the biophysics of ion channels and membrane transporters, with particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms involved in neurodevelopment, neoplastic diseases, and rare disorders.
The primary goal of the laboratory is the identification and characterization of:
- the molecular mechanisms regulating the interactome of the KCC2 channel, which is crucial for the development and function of the nervous system;
- novel pharmacological approaches for GLUT1 Deficiency Syndrome (GLUT1-DS), with a strong translational perspective;
- the molecular structure of thermosensitive ion channels, with the aim of understanding the physical principles underlying their activation.
An innovative research line integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning for the de novo generation of peptide binders and mini-proteins, paving the way for new therapeutic strategies beyond the small-molecule paradigm.
The laboratory systematically employs bioinformatics tools, machine learning, and AI-assisted protein engineering to address fundamental biological questions, such as the molecular origin of membrane protein responses to physical stimuli.
From an experimental standpoint, the laboratory is capable of expressing and purifying significant quantities of protein targets for structural and functional studies. In parallel, the group explores new frontiers in rational protein design, creating proteins with novel functions from peptides and modular domains.
Methodologies
Electrophysiology; cell biology; expression and purification of soluble and membrane proteins and protein complexes; X-ray crystallography; cryo-electron microscopy; advanced computational methods (molecular docking, molecular dynamics, protein engineering).
Structural Biology and Electrophysiology
Arrigoni C., Rohaim A., Shaya D., Findeisen F., Stein R.A., Nurva S.R., Mishra S., Mchaourab H.S., and Minor D.L. Unfolding of a Temperature-Sensitive Domain Controls Voltage-Gated Channel Activation. Cell, 164(5):922–936 (February 2016). http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)30067-8.
Protein Design and Engineering
Cancer Molecular Biology