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Biography

Dr. Gianti is an Associate Professor of Research in the Chemistry Department and the ICMS. Her research applies principles from computational chemistry, theoretical biophysics and computer-aided drug design (CADD) to model biomolecular targets of outstanding relevance for public health. Revealing the principles governing the structure and function of complex biomolecular targets will reveal new fundamental knowledge, as well as aid in the design of new drugs. Hence, her work is ultimately aimed at translating basic research into therapeutic treatments to advance biomedical discovery.

Dr. Gianti has conducted research both in Academia and the Pharmaceutical Industry. Her current research interests include: (i) understanding modulation of ion channels by lipids and small molecules, with potential applications to the design of new cancer treatments, pain medications, etc.; (ii) unraveling the principles governing the structure, function and dynamics of key players responsible for viral infections, such as the M2 proton channel of influenza virus, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of ZIKA virus and SARS-CoV-2, as well as the SARS-CoV-2 proteases Mpro and PLpro; and (iii) applying/developing new approaches at the crossroads among biomolecular simulation, CADD and machine learning.

 

Education:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Computational Chemistry and Biophysics, Temple (with Prof. Michael Klein)

Ph.D., Biochemistry – Computer-Aided Drug Design, University of the Sciences (with Prof. Randy Zauhar)

Master’s in Biotechnology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy (with Prof. Luca DeGioia)

Master’s in Bioinformatics, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy (with Prof. Marina Lotti)

Laurea (B.S./M.S.) in Biology – Biological Chemistry, University Pavia, Italy (with Prof. Paolo Iadarola)