Alessandra TOSCO | Curriculum

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

2000: Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Naples 'Federico II', Italy.

1994: Degree in Chemistry, University of Naples 'Federico II', Italy.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

2015-present Associate Professor of Molecular Biology (BIOS-08/A), Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2006-2015 Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology (BIOS-08/A), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2004-2006 Postdoctoral fellowship, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Salerno.

2000-2003 Post-doctoral fellowship on the European project FeMMES "Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of iron supplementation in pregnant women" N.: QLK1-CT-1999-00337, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Salerno.

1996-1996 Bayer R&D Wüppertal Scholarship at the International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Naples

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

The main line of research in AT is focused on the relationship between Helicobacter pylori and the gastrointestinal peptide Trefoil Factor 1 (TFF1), which plays a protective role for the stomach mucosa and is considered a gastro-specific tumor suppressor. AT has shown that TFF1 reduces H. pylori motility by directly binding to the bacterium and that TFF1 expression is up-regulated during the acute phase of infection and down-regulated during the chronic phase in a mouse model of infection. Recent activity is focused on the analysis of the molecular mechanisms involved in the silencing of TFF1, mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, during chronic inflammation induced by H. pylori on a cellular model of polarized gastric primary cells (called mucosoids), which reproduces the characteristics of the human gastric epithelium.

MAIN INSTITUTIONAL POSITIONS

2018-present Coordinator of the "Arturo Leone" Biomedical Section of the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno

2020 to date Member of the University Quality Assurance Committee of the University of Salerno

2013-2015 Member of the Department Board

2018 to date Member of the Department Board

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

2006 to date Course of "Molecular Biology", (Degree in CTF), University of Salerno.

2006 to date Course of "Molecular Biology", (Degree in Pharmacy), University of Salerno.

2006 to date Course of "Recombinant Technologies", (Degree in CTF) of the University of Salerno.

2016 to 2023 Course of "Enzymology", (Degree in CTF), University of Salerno.

2013 to date Member of the Board of Professors of the Doctoral School in "Drug Discovery and Development", Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2006-2012 Member of the Board of Professors of the Doctoral School in "Systems Biology", Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2011-2012 Teaching Unit of "Epigenetics" (II level Master in Research and Innovation in Health Sciences-RISS)

2012-2013 Teaching Unit of "Biotechnological Processes in the Health Food Industry", (Advanced Course in Nutrition, Functional Foods, Cosmetics and Nutraceuticals NUTRAlifeHi), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2019 to date Teaching Unit of "Molecular Biology", (School of Specialization in Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology), University of Salerno.

2020 to date Vice-Director and Member of the Scientific Committee of the II level Master in "Microbiological controls: quality and safety in production processes"

2020 to date Teaching unit of "Biomolecular methods in microbiological control" (Microbiological controls: quality and safety in production processes)