Rosaria SALETTI

Rosaria Saletti graduated cum laude in Chemistry at the University of Catania and since 2018 she is Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry.

She has participated to several national and international research programs and has been coordinator of a research unit within the Research Project of National Interest (PRIN) 2006. She has participated to research projects in collaboration with public institutions and pharmaceutical industries.

She is author of over 90 scientific papers on international referred journals, and of about 160 communications at scientific national and international meetings.

She is currently the lecturer of the course of Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory (A-L) in the Bachelor's Degree Course in Chemistry.

She is supervisor of numerous graduate theses in Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, Biomolecular Chemistry, and Sanitary and Cell-Molecular Biology. She was tutor of PhD students of the Doctoral School in Chemical Sciences and of the Doctoral School in Neuroscience of the University of Catania, and currently she is tutor of a PhD student of the XXXV cycle (Industrial Doctoral School, within the National Operational Program (PON) FSE-FESR "Research and Innovation 2014-2020" - Action I.1 "Innovative Doctorates with industrial characterization", entitled “Biomarkers in ophthalmology: tissue crosstalk in ocular pathologies”, industrial partner S.I.F.I. S.p.A.

• ORCID: 0000-0002-1990-6764
• CINECA IRIS Institutional Research Information System: link

The scientific activity is mainly devoted to the structural characterization of proteins by mass spectrometry and combined electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques (nUHPLC/nESI MSMS).

In particular:

1. The characterization of the primary structure and post-translational modifications of Voltage-Dependent Anion Selective Channel (VDACs) proteins in different organisms and in a model cell line of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), in order to identify possible biomarkers of this neurodegenerative disease useful for its early diagnosis;
2. The comparative analysis, using proteomic approaches, of the protein fraction of ancient and modern wheat varieties, of unmodified and transgenic cultivars, and of wheat varieties subjected to thermal stress compared to those grown under normal conditions, in order to identify the differentially expressed proteins. The study also concerned the structural characterization of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits.
3. Proteomic analysis of milk of various species, including the determination of minority components and post-translational modifications;
4. The study of the orange flesh proteome;
5. The structural analysis of bioactive peptides extracted from marine organisms;
6. The protein characterization of archaeological finds.

Other Activities (teaching and organizational activity)

From 1992 to 1994 he was elected representative of the researchers in the Council of the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of the University of Catania.

In the period 2004-2010 she was elected member for the group of researchers in the “Giunta” of the Department of Chemical Sciences.

She has been member of the scientific or organizing committee of several meetings and schools.  Teacher in several schools, in the second level Master in "Mass Spectrometric Methodologies and Applications" of the University of Palermo, and in the Course of “Mass Spectrometry Methodologies and Applications” for the training project PONa3_00273.

From 2013-2014 until now, she is member of the teaching board of the Doctoral School in “Chemical Sciences” of the University of Catania.

From 01/11/2020 she is an elected member of the Parity Commission of the Department of Chemical Sciences.

Other Activities (Editorial and referee activity, Advisory Board)

Member of the Editorial Board of:

• Foods;
• Current Clinical Pharmacology;
• Journal of Analytical, Bioanalytical and Separation Techniques;
• Chromatography and Separation Techniques Journal;
• Heighpubs Journal of Biology and Medicine;
• Insights in Biology and Medicine.

Guest Editor for the Special Issue:

«Structural Characterization of Food Proteins and Peptides» in Foods – MDPI (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/Structural_Proteins_Peptides).

Referee of several international Journals: Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Journal of Mass Spectrometry, European Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Journal of Chromatography, Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Journal of Cereal Science e Analytica Chimica Acta.