Morelli Giancarlo

Biography

Giancarlo Morelli was born in Naples on April 13, 1957 and in 1980 graduated in Chemistry at the University of Naples "Federico II" Since January 10, 1988 he is a Professor. Since November 1, 2006 he has been serving as Ordinary Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Naples "Federico II". Currently Giancarlo Morelli is: - Director of CIRPeB (Interuniversity Research Center for Bioactive Peptides) - President of ItPS (Italian Peptide Society) - Representative of the University of Naples "Federico II" in the CIRCMSB Interuniversity Consortium (Interuniversity Consortium for the Research of Chemical Chemistry in Biological Systems) - Chairman of the series of Conferences titled "Naples Workshop on Bioactive Peptides" - Founder and CEO of the spin-off company Invectors srl. Since the late 1990s, Giancarlo Morelli co-ordinates a research group engaged in the development of new bioconjugates in which suitably designed peptides are functionalized with ligands capable of coordinating paramagnetic metal ions (Gd (III), Mn (III)) or ( 111 In, 99m Tc) in order to obtain new compounds (biospecific probes as selective contrast media) that can be used as target-specific contrast media for overexpressed receptors in tumor pathologies. The obtaining of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents consisting of peptide-type molecules functionalized with metals for nuclear medicine applications or in imaging magnetic resonance imaging is an important objective of the research currently carried out. Giancarlo Morelli is actively involved in the design, synthesis and development of molecular aggregates (micelles, vesicles and liposomes) characterized by the presence of bioactive peptides exposed on the surface of the aggregate as specific target drug delivery agents. For the characterization and development of molecular aggregates, it collaborates with Italian and foreign researchers, which allows to define the properties of the new compounds both in vitro and in vivo. This research activity is evidenced by about one hundred and fifty works published in journals of international relevance and in which Giancarlo Morelli is often "corresponding author" and also by some patents.

Research Interest

The research lines of Prof. Giancarlo Morelli concern essentially: the development of new peptides and interactions between peptides and metal ions the development of modified peptides such as molecular imaging probes in Nuclear Medicine and Magnetic Resonance Imaging the development of supramolecular aggregates such as micelles and liposomes functionalized with bioactive peptides for the selective delivery of pharmacies / or contrast media the development of peptide aggregates as new maaterials for nanomedicine and bioimaging applications.