I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and an MSc in Medical Biochemistry, followed by a PhD in Medical Biology and Genetics. My research focuses on tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. I am currently an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Istinye University.
My research activity has mainly concerned pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzymes and vitamin B6 metabolism in bacteria and humans. Concerning PLP-dependent enzymes, I have dealt with their catalytic mechanism, catalytic promiscuity and evolution of catalytic activities, the design and experimentation of specific inhibitors, the mechanism of addition of PLP to apoenzymes and the folding mechanism. At the moment, I am mainly focused on the regulation of PLP biosynthesis and salvage pathways in bacteria and humans. In particular, I am interested in enzyme regulation mechanisms and transcriptional regulation, in the mechanism of PLP transfer to apoenzymes and in neurological disorders related to PLP metabolism.
I teach Biochemistry, Biochemical Methods and Enzymology in Biological Sciences, Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology courses at Sapienza University.
