Gruppo Paoli
EnDiPro
Laboratory of Enzymology, Drug Discovery and Protein targeting
Coordinator Prof. Paolo Paoli
Brief Biographical sketch of the Coordinator
Master degree in Biology in 1993 at the University of Florence with grade 110/110 cum laude.
Post-graduate studies in Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry (scuola di specializzazione in Biochimica e Chimica clinica) in November 1997
PhD in Biochemistry in March 2002
In November 2002 Researcher (Biochemistry, BIO/10) at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Firenze.
July 2018: associate professor in BIO/10.
In December 2018 he obtained the Abilitazione Nazionale to Full Professor in 05/E Biochemistry
In the last 4 years he held the role of coordinator of the Biochemistry section of the Department
Teaching activities
Course of Biochemistry for degree in Chemistry of the University of Florence.
Courses of Enzymology and Food Biochemistry for the master's degree in Molecular and Applied Biology of the University of Florence.
Research activity
Professor Paoli's research activity focuses on the study of cellular metabolism, tumor cells metabolism and resistance to chemotherapy drugs' mechanisms. At the same time, he carries out research in the field of drug discovery, looking for new molecules with antidiabetic activity, to be used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In the same time, he studies the mechanisms of action of new molecular chaperones to be used for treatment of patients suffering from metabolic diseases such as lysosomal storage diseases (e.g. Gaucher, GM1 gangliosidosis or Morquio A diseases). Recently, he obtained the role of local PI for a PRIN project focused on the development of multitarget drugs useful for treatment of tumors resistant to classical anticancer drugs. Moreover, in 2023, he gained a relevant funding as PI for studying impact of microplastics on human cells. In addition, he holds the role of local manager within the Tuscany Health Ecosystem (THE) project nationally funded within the PNRR project.
Member of the Scientific Board the Doctorate/Phd Program in
PhD School in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BiBiM 2.0)
Member of the following Scientific Societies
Società Italiana di Biochimica (SIB)
Member of editorial board of the following Journals
Biomolecules
Research Team
Assegnisti di ricerca: Dott Massimo Genovese, Dott. Rebecca Sodano
Technician: Dott. Alice Santi
Several thesis students attending the Biology and Chemistry courses
Current research interest
The role of Protein tyrosine Phosphatases in regulating cell growth and metabolism, metabolic diseases such as type two diabetes and obesity, the molecular mechanisms that contributes to the onset of drug resistance, the development of multitarget drugs, protein targeting, the mechanism of action of natural compounds, the impact of microplastic and plasticizers on human cells.
Key words
Drug resistance, type two diabetes, cell metabolism, multitarget drugs, insulin resistance and enzymology
Current/recent sources of funding
PRIN 2020, Bando Ateneo PNR, THE project
10 best pubblications of the last 5 years
Laghezza A, Cerchia C, Genovese M, Montanari R, Capelli D, Wackerlig J, Simic S, Falbo E, Pecora L, Leuci R, Brunetti L, Piemontese L, Tortorella P, Biswas A, Singh RP, Tambe S, Sudeep CA, Pattnaik AK, Jayaprakash V, Paoli P, Lavecchia A, Loiodice F. A chemical modification of a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor pan agonist produced a shift to a new dual alpha/gamma partial agonist endowed with mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibition and antidiabetic properties. Eur J Med Chem. 2024 Sep 5;275:116567. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116567. Epub 2024 Jun 9. PMID: 38865743.
Casertano M, Genovese M, Santi A, Pranzini E, Balestri F, Piazza L, Del Corso A, Avunduk S, Imperatore C, Menna M, Paoli P. Evidence of Insulin-Sensitizing and Mimetic Activity of the Sesquiterpene Quinone Avarone, a Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B and Aldose Reductase Dual Targeting Agent from the Marine Sponge Dysidea avara. Pharmaceutics. 2023 Feb 4;15(2):528.
Pranzini E, Pardella E, Muccillo L, Leo A, Nesi I, Santi A, Parri M, Zhang T, Uribe AH, Lottini T, Sabatino L, Caselli A, Arcangeli A, Raugei G, Colantuoni V, Cirri P, Chiarugi P, Maddocks ODK, Paoli P, Taddei ML. SHMT2-mediated mitochondrial serine metabolism drives 5-FU resistance by fueling nucleotide biosynthesis. Cell Rep. 2022 Aug 16;40(7):111233.
Pranzini E, Pardella E, Paoli P, Fendt SM, Taddei ML. Metabolic Reprogramming in Anticancer Drug Resistance: A Focus on Amino Acids. Trends Cancer. 2021 Aug;7(8):682-699.
Genovese M, Nesi I, Caselli A, Paoli P. Natural α-Glucosidase and Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B Inhibitors: A Source of Scaffold Molecules for Synthesis of New Multitarget Antidiabetic Drugs. Molecules. 2021 Aug 9;26(16):4818. doi: 10.3390/molecules26164818. PMID: 34443409; PMCID: PMC8400511.
Taddei ML, Pardella E, Pranzini E, Raugei G, Paoli P. Role of tyrosine phosphorylation in modulating cancer cell metabolism. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2020 Dec;1874(2):188442.
Pardella E, Pranzini E, Leo A, Taddei ML, Paoli P, Raugei G. Oncogenic Tyrosine Phosphatases: Novel Therapeutic Targets for Melanoma Treatment. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Sep 29;12(10):2799.
Lori G, Cecchi L, Mulinacci N, Melani F, Caselli A, Cirri P, Pazzagli L, Luti S, Mazzoli L, Paoli P. Honey extracts inhibit PTP1B, upregulate insulin receptor expression, and enhance glucose uptake in human HepG2 cells. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019 May;113:108752.
Zhao, C., Yang, C., Wai, S. T. C., Zhang, Y., P Portillo, M., Paoli, P., Wu, Y., San Cheang, W., Liu, B., Carpéné, C., Xiao, J., & Cao, H. (2019). Regulation of glucose metabolism by bioactive phytochemicals for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59(6), 830–847.
Ferrantini, C., Pioner, J. M., Martella, D., Coppini, R., Piroddi, N., Paoli, P., Calamai, M., Pavone, F. S., Wiersma, D. S., Tesi, C., Cerbai, E., Poggesi, C., Sacconi, L., & Parmeggiani, C. (2019). Development of Light-Responsive Liquid Crystalline Elastomers to Assist Cardiac Contraction. Circulation research, 124(8), e44–e54
Collaborations
Prof Stefano Cicchi, Prof Francesca Cardona, Prof Claudia Giorgi, Dipartimento di Chimica “Ugo Schiff”
Dott. Camilla Parmeggiani, European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, (LENS)
Prof Amelia Morrone, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Psicologia, Area del Farmaco e Salute del Bambino, Università degli Studi di Firenze;
Prof. Giovanna Caderni, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Psicologia, Area del Farmaco e Salute del Bambino, Università degli Studi di Firenze;
Prof. Mario Milco D’Elios, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica)
Prof. Nadia Mulinacci, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Area del Farmaco e Salute del Bambino (NEUROFARBA)
Prof.ssa Marta Ferraroni, Dipartimento di Chimica (Università di Firenze)
Prof. Rosaria Ottanà Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Messina;
Prof Antonella del Corso, Università degli Studi di Pisa
Prof Marco Vanoni, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Prof. Marialuisa Menna, Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università Federico II di Napoli
Prof. Samuel Enoch Estrada-Soto, Universidad Autonoma del estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62209, Mexico;
Prof. Gerhard Wolber, Institute of Pharmacy, Computer-Aided Molecular Design, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Koenigin-Luisestr, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Dott.ssa Federica Pisaneschi, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Ultimo aggiornamento
04.10.2024