Contacts:
Supervisor(s):
Professor Elisa Nuti and Simone Scilabra
PhD project Title:
Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of synthetic inhibitors of iRhom2 for the treatment of inflammatory diseases
Abstract of the PhD project:
Nowadays, there is an urgent need for new therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Tumor necrosis factor α converting enzyme (TACE) or ADAM17 is a metalloproteinase expressed upon the cell surface, which controls the release of soluble TNFα and several EGFR family ligands. To date, all attempts to find inhibitors with high specificity for TACE active site have failed. Consequently, additional targets for potential therapeutic applications have been sought. The protein iRhom2 (inactive rhomboid 2) supports TNFα release by regulating TACE maturation and activation. On this basis, the main aim of my PhD project is the design, synthesis and bio-pharmacological evaluation of new small molecules able to inhibit iRhom2 endowed with anti-inflammatory activity.
Publications link:
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