Highlights
2025
- Dic 2025- We are excited to announce the new project won by our research group: the PANDORA project has been awarded under the “High Relevance Italy–Turkey 2025” call, promoted by MAECI and TÜBİTAK.The collaboration between the research groups Medsynth group of DSTF, LMV unito of DBios, and the laboratory of Ankara University led by Prof. Zeynep Alagoz, aims to develop new broad-spectrum antiviral molecules capable of counteracting emerging viral diseases. This work integrates innovative and advanced approaches in pharmaceutical chemistry and molecular virology to address future pandemic threats.
- Nov 2025- Our Master's students Stefano Pellegrino and Dennis Evola, won the best poster prize at the MedChemBio Posters Online that took place on Linkedin on the 20th of November.
"Structure-driven discovery of novel inhibitors targeting Mycobacterium tubercolosis Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase" by Stefano Pellegrino
"Design and Synthesis of New Inhibitors of PDA3 as host-targeted antivirals" by Dennis Evola
- June 2025— We are thrilled to share the cover of Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, illustrated by Francesco lolli. The issue includes our last paper: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c00348
About the cover: "The cover introduces the first fluorescent isostere of carboxylic acid, establishing “fluo-isosteres” (fluosteres) as a novel subclass of isosteres with optimized fluorescence. Only through a magical collaboration can the two powerful wizards, SAR (Structure–Activity Relationship) and SFR (Structure–Fluorescence Relationship), successfully design the first fluorescent hDHODH inhibitor, providing a proof of concept for the fluostere technology."
2024
- Dec 2024—We are excited to announce its participation in COOLISH, a multidisciplinary project that aims to revolutionise anti-angiogenic therapies for cancer treatment. COOLISH will develop a platform based on vascularized organoids, which will allow testing of a wide library of molecules to identify compounds that can block the growth of tumour organoids through inhibition of angiogenesis. Our group will put its medicinal chemistry know-how at the service of an innovative research, which offers new hope to patients with tumors resistant to current therapies.
- Sep 2024- On September 13 our group hosted the final conference of the project "VIPER: Learning a lesson: fighting SARS-CoV2 infection and get ready for other future pandemic scenarios" funded by the NATO program "Peace for Science and Security". The collaborators from the University of Torino, Messina, Padova, the Karolinska Institute and the Uppsala University presented their respective project advances, shared their ideas on the next steps, and, in the end, a great lunch all together!
- Aug 2024: We are thrilled to share the cover of the August issue of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letter dedicated to AI-driven Drug Discovery, illustrated by our postdoc Chiara Vigato. The issue includes our last paper https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00150
About the cover: "The AI is portrayed as a young humanoid, symbolizing its immense learning ability. It identifies potential AKR1C3 inhibitors, with the most potent molecule shown at the center of its brain. Holding the protein–inhibitor crystallographic complex in hand, the AI eagerly integrates this knowledge into its continuous learning process"
2023
- Nov 2023: The new XXXIX cycle Ph.D. Student Federico Fornaseri joined the team at the ADME & drug-like properties facility!
- Feb 2023: A new visiting Ph.D. student Angelika Grudinska, from the Dep. of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances of the Medical University of Lublin (Poland), joined us for 2 months to work on our common project focussed on the design of AKR1C3-CYP17A1 dual inhibitors to target Prostate Cancer.
2022
- November 2022 - Our spin-off DDC makes an important step forward gaining funding of 1.5 million euros by Utopia SIS, a society of investments focussing on biomedical healthcare promoted by Fondazione Golinelli, Fondazione Sardegna and by Antonio Falcone, the executive Vice President.
- July 2022 - Our project "learning a lesson: fighting SARS-CoV 2 Infection and get ready for Other Future Pandemic Scenarios" (acronym: VIPER) was selected by NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program for funding! Check Prof Lolli's interview at the local News on our Spin-off page.
2021
- November 2021- Our PhD student Chiara Vigato has been selected as one of the Best Graduated students of the University of Torino, Academic Year 2018-2019. Her Master's Thesis titled "Application of a Bioisosteric Approach in the Design of Innovative Inhibitors of Aldo-Keto Reductase (AKR1C3) to Target Prostate Cancer" has been awarded as the best experimental Thesis of the whole Department of Drug Science and Technology of that year!
- July 2021- Our research line dedicated to the design and validation of innovative Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase (hDHODH) inhibitors as Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agents has been founded by the INFRA-P2 COVID program, supported by Regione Piemonte, with 1M Euro. The project SILK, that involves four departments of the University of Turin (DSTF, DBIOS (Giorgio Gribaudo), DNS (Stefano Gotti) and DMS (Giovanni Di Perri)) and two private Italian research institutions (Fondazione Edo Tempia (Giovanna Chiorino) and Gem Forlab (Barbara Canepa), will lead our compound called MEDS433 to the threshold of human experimentation for COVID-19. We have published in these months the SILK extensive preparatory work (see: https://lnkd.in/dtvaWTJU, https://lnkd.in/drSCcbiz, https://lnkd.in/dNMUrMyx), check it out!