KU - Catania Interdisciplinary research seminar series: exploring synergies between physics and pharmacology

6 Jun 2022, 09:00 → 10 Jun 2022, 17:00 America/Chicago

Ritchie Hall, Room 268

The week of June 6, there will be the first interdisciplinary research seminar between the University of Kansas and the University of Catania. Both institutions have been collaborating in research projects for several years, particularly in the area of pharmacology, analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry. 

This is a meeting in a hybrid format. The in-person discussion will take place at Ritchie Hall, Room 268 (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday),  Wednesday is on ZOOM only. 

This seminar series will be organized the week of June 6 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), and will consist of four sessions of 1 hour per day. This will provide the opportunity to present various research topics, introduce researchers from both institutions, and ultimately explore any possible research questions of common interest at both institutions. 

This year, the interdisciplinary research seminar will be focused on exploring synergies between physics and pharmacology. We have invited researchers from both institutions to participate.  

We have invited the following researchers:

From the University of Kansas

Prof. Christian Schöneich, Takeru Higuchi distinguished professor and department chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Prof. John P. Ralston. Theoretical physicist, Department of Physics and Astronomy

From the University of Catania/Company

Prof. Luca Lanzanò, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy “Ettore Majorana”, University of Catania 

Prof. Filippo Caraci, Associate professor, Department of Drug and Health Sciences and Deputy Rector for Technology Transfer at the University of Catania,

Prof. Giuseppe Caruso, Assistant professor, Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania

All the talks will be at Noon US Central time, which is 7:00 PM Catania time. While there will be the possibility to do in-person discussions, all participants will be available to connect on ZOOM.  

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know. 

Co-organizers of the seminar series:

Dr Daniel Tapia Takaki

Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas

Dr. Giuseppe Caruso

Assistant Professor, Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania

 

Monday, 6 June

12:00 → 13:00 From physics to pharmacology: methodological and systemic approaches

Speaker: Caruso Giuseppe (University of Catania)

Tuesday, 7 June

12:00 → 13:00 Development of fluorescence nanoscopy methods for biological applications

The development of superresolution microscopy (nanoscopy) has opened the way for studying biological processes at the nanocale. I will discuss how several tools of fluorescence spectroscopy (e.g. lifetime detection and analysis, correlation spectroscopy) can be exploited to make microscopy and nanoscopy more efficient, versatile and quantitative. As an example, I will discuss application of nanoscopy to the investigation of chromatin alterations in a model of oncogene activation.

Relevant Literature (if required)
Lanzanò et al, Nat Comm 2015
Sarmento et al, Nat Comm 2018
Oneto et al, Biophys J 2019
Cerutti et al, Sci Rep 2021

Speaker: Luca Lanzanò (University of Catania)

Wednesday, 8 June

12:00 → 13:00 How to Find Gold in Data: If You Have Any!

Abstract: Most 21st century research has a problem of too much data to interpret. It is a “great interdisciplinary crisis” of the current era. The problem is mathematically deep, and also an unrecognized outcome of the “reductionist” approach to science of 19th century physics. Seeking “emergent” subsystems is a new idea to discover patterns of orderly behavior that complexity often makes on its own. We’ll discuss a general method to find such order: It is weird, and not weird, both and neither, at the same time. We’ll present worked example and real-world experience that shows you can usually find gold in almost any data. The key issue is “exactly what do you mean by a probability?”: And if your data is not crap.

Speaker: John Ralston (University of Kansas )

Friday, 10 June

12:00 → 13:00 An interdisciplinary approach to drug discovery in Alzheimer’s disease: from neurobiology to target identification

Epidemiological data show that CNS disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are some of the most prevalent, devastating and yet poorly treated illnesses. Focusing on treatments that target disease pathophysiology will improve the chances of developing therapeutics that go beyond current symptomatic treatments. Indeed, identifying new molecular targets involved in the pathogenesis of AD is an essential first step in designing new and efficacious disease-modifying drugs. Over the last decade significant progress has been made in the field of drug discovery and drug development, according to the pathology-to-drug discovery approach, integrating different tools to improve target identification and validation. I will then discuss how these tools of translational pharmacology can be exploited in experimental models of AD to validate a new pharmacological target and develop neuroprotective drugs.

Relevant Literature (if required)
Plenge, Science Translational Medicine 2016
Leggio, Caraci et al 2016, Pharmacological Research
Cummings et al, Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy 2019

Speaker: Filippo Caraci