Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry
School of Pharmacy, University of Pavia
Room 110
viale Taramelli, 12
27100 Pavia
tel. +39-0382-987379 fax +39-0382-422975
e-mail pasquale.linciano@unipv.it
SYNOPSIS
Dr. Linciano is currently a full time highly motivated assistant professor at University of Pavia working in the Medicinal Chemistry field. In ten years of career, started with the experimental thesis in Medicinal Chemistry for the specialistic degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology, Dr. Linciano gained a portfolio of skills, competences and expertise in theoretical and applied synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, and a proactive and open attitude to succeed in drug discovery programs. His technical skills, competences and mindset in the field were forged by the multicultural scientific influence of four Italian and one European Universities. The EU NMTrypI Project represented the main breakthrough in his professional growth. Working with an international and dynamic team of highly qualified and multidisciplinary experts allowed him to accurately face each step of the drug discovery and to acquire a good knowledge about the other disciplines that revolve around the entire drug discovery process. In a hit-to-lead and lead-optimization program, performed in a Ligand/Structure-based e Fragment-based Drug Design approach, Dr. Linciano successfully identified, within a pool of over four hundred new synthesized molecules, one candidate drug to be assessed in monkey trials. The same effective approach was efficiently applied to the following AIRC Project where Dr. Linciano designed and synthesized one hundred compounds and successfully identified two small molecules, acting as hTS protein-protein interaction disruptors, able to avoid the resistance mechanism of common anticancer drugs. Being an effective and proactive team member of these two-international projects, gave him the ability to deliver tasks and objectives by operating flexibly in a changing environment, with tight deadlines and high complex matrix. The attitude and the modus operandi that Dr. Linciano acquired in these contexts was translated into the main successive projects he managed or collaborated with. In particular, in 2019, Dr. Linciano resulted principal investigator of the SMILEproject (Sigma1 ligands for Memory loss and Impaired LEarning) that received funding from UNIMORE. This project focused on the identification of new compounds with neuroprotective efficacy aimed to slow down and/or halt neurodegenerative pathologies such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The efficacy of these molecules involves the Sigma receptors as new biomolecular targets. Along the years, Dr. Linciano had the opportunity to collaborate with other research groups in the field of medicinal chemistry. With the CNR of Lecce, he participated in the identification and quantification of new metabolites and pharmacologically active molecules in Cannabis sativa. Combining the expertise in synthetic chemistry and spectroscopy with advanced analytical methods based on high resolution mass spectrometry, Dr. Linciano was able to successfully isolate and fully characterize new natural cannabinoids from cannabis extract. Lasty, Dr. Linciano spent many efforts in fighting the spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and in finding a solution to this emerging global health problem. To address this issue, Dr. Linciano collaborated for the in-silico identification and the design and synthesis of new hit compounds (i.e. phenylboronic acids) to be exploited as inhibitors of bacterial β-lactamases that represent one of the main causes of the development of antimicrobial resistance superbugs. The obtained results allowed to discover new chemical moiety that may serve as a guide in a further hit-to-lead optimization program, for the development of more effective metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) and cross-classes β-lactamases (hitting both MBLs and serine-b-lactamases) inhibitors.
Since March 2020, Pasquale Linciano is a tenure-track assistant professorat the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Pavia. Dr. Linciano joined the projects already in place at Prof. Collina’s research group, actively participating in the research activity aimed at identifying Sigma 1 receptor modulators with potential neuroprotective activity, at developing a new generation of antimicrobials able to prevent the antibiotic resistance, as well as new agents with antiparasitic and antitumor activity. This research activity is well combined with the background of dr. Linciano and his previous experience on the same research topics.
From 2012 up today he authored 40 publications published in international journals (h-index 12 – source Scopus, November 2020), 1 book chapter and 3 patents.
POSITIONS AND EMPLOYMENT
Jun 2023 – present Associate Professor, University of Pavia.
Main focus of the research activity: Medicinal chemistry projects aimed at the identification and development of new drugs for the treatment of bacterial infections, cancers and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Mar 2020 – May 2023 Tenure-track Assistant Professor. (Legge n. 240/10 del 30 dicembre 2010, all’articolo 24, comma B), University of Pavia.
Main focus of the research activity: Medicinal chemistry projects aimed at the identification and development of new drugs for the treatment of bacterial infections, cancers and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Dec 2017 – Feb 2020 Senior Post-doc. Grant Ines and Mario Cortesi. ‘Synthesis of compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders’, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Main focus of the research activity: Identification and optimization of sigma receptors ligands with neuroprotective efficacy aimed to the treatment of neurodegenerative pathologies (i.e. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases).
Sep 2018 – Sep 2019 Adjunct professor for the teaching course in Organic Chemistry (master degree in Chemistry), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
May 2016 – Nov 2017 Post-doc. ‘AIRC project. Protein-protein interaction inhibitors of thymidylate synthase against colorectal cancers’, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Main focus of the research activity: The AIRC2015-IG696779 aimed to develop molecules able to disrupt the hTS dimer in favour of the monomer, to overcome the problem of drug-resistance in cancer treatment. Dr. Linciano, within the project, faced the design and synthesis of small molecules as hTS PPI disruptors in a ligand-based and structure-based approach.
Sep 2016 – Sep 2017 Adjunct Professor for the teaching course ‘Spectroscopic Techniques in Organic Chemistry’ (specialistic degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
May 2014 – Apr 2016 Post-doc. EU project ‘NMTrypI project. Design and synthesis of enzymatic inhibitors active against trypanosomatidic infections’, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Main focus of the research activity: The NMTrypI project aimed at obtaining candidate drugs with appropriate efficiency and a good accessibility to patients for the treatment of the parasitic infections caused by Trypanosoma brucei spp., Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania species. Dr. Linciano, within the project, was mainly involved in the design, synthesis and optimization of the efficacy/toxicity/pharmacokinetic profile of more than 10 chemical classes of hit compounds, in a hit-to-lead-to-optimization program.
Nov 2013 – Apr 2014 R&D in Development of Analytic Methods at Alfa Sigma S.p.A.
Jan 2011 – Apr 2014 European PhD in Life Science, University ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara.
Main focus of the research activity: Design, synthesis, in vitro evaluation and determination of the physicochemical profile of selective and/or dual PPARα/PPARγ agonists for the treatment of the Metabolic Syndrome.
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
Mar 2013 – Aug 2013 Exchange PhD student, Section des sciences pharmaceutiques, Université de Genève.
Feb 2012 – May 2012 Exchange PhD student, Department of Biotechnology, chemistry and pharmacy, UNISI.
LIST OF PUBBLICATIONS OF LINCIANO PASQUALE
Congresses – Oral communications
Mar 2017 ‘Fragment-based approach in the discovery of highly active antiparasitic PTR1 Inhibitors’. 18th Drug Design and Development Seminar (DDDS), Borstel, Germany
Sep 2016 ‘Fragment-Based Drug Discovery Applied to Trypanosoma Brucei PTR1. Discovery of Two Lead Series with High Ligand Efficiency’. XXXV TUMA, Giulianova (TE)
Sep 2016 ‘Flavonoids as a Scaffold for the development of antitrypanosomatidic agents’. SILAE 2016, Modena
Jun 2016 ‘2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles as PTR1 inhibitors for the treatment of Trypanosomiasis’. Synergy Meeting of FP7. Modena
Sep 2015 ‘Structural exploration and biological evaluation of 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazoles as PTR1 inhibitors for the treatment of Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis.’ 9th NPCF, Fisciano (SA)
Mar 2015 ‘Early discovery of Thiadiazoles anchoring in the PTR1 folate protein binding site and development to antiparasitic lead.’ 16th DDDS, Berlin, Germany
Apr 2012 ‘PPAR Agonist based on stilbene scaffold: synthesis and biological evaluation’. 6th NPCF, Riccione (RN)