Developed skills and lines of research

Roberto Gambari holds a PhD in Biology. Since 2001, he has been a Full Professor of Biochemistry (Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology degree program, CTF) at the University of Ferrara, Faculty of Pharmacy. He serves as the coordinator of the PhD program in Biotechnology and Director of the Interdepartmental Biotechnology Center at the University of Ferrara. He is also the President of the Biotechnology degree program and the university’s delegate to the Interuniversity Consortium of Biotechnology (C.I.B.), where he currently acts as Scientific Secretary.

He has authored over 350 publications listed on Medline and is the co-author of more than 12 patents.

Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Principal Investigator or as Research Manager

FFC#7/2018
Revealing the microRNAs-transcription factors network in cystic fibrosis: from microRNA therapeutics to precision medicine (CF-miRNA-THER)

FFC#3/2016
MicroRNA Therapeutics in CF: Targeting CFTR and inflammation networks (MicroRNA-CF)

FFC#8/2014
Design and synthesis of improved analogs of trimethylangelicin (TMA) for personalized treatment of cystic fibrosis

FFC#17/2010
Molecular characterization of trimethylangelicin (TMA) and structurally-related compounds in CF lung disease: anti inflammatory effects and potentiation of the CFTR biological activity

FFC#15/2004
Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches for Cystic Fibrosis

Projects financed by FFC Ricerca as a partner

FFC#16/2010
Modulation of sphingolipid metabolism as a strategy for the treatment of CF lung inflammation

FFC#12/2008
Anti-inflammatory effect of miglustat: sphingolipid ceramide metabolism as a therapeutic target for CF lung disease

FFC#13/2007
A gene-targeted anti-inflammatory approach based on the Transcription Factor “decoy” strategy

FFC#16/2006
Effect of correctors of defective CFTR on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa-dependent inflammatory response in respiratory epithelial cells

Publications from FFC Research projects

• Borgatti M, Bezzerri V, Mancini I, et al. Induction of IL-6 gene expression in a CF bronchial epithelial cell line by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is dependent on transcription factors belonging to the Sp1 superfamily. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Jun 15;357(4):977-83. Epub 2007 Apr 20.
• Piccagli L, Fabbri E, Borgatti M et al. Docking of molecules identified in bioactive medicinal plants extracts into the p50 NF-kappaB transcription factor: correlation with inhibition of NF-kappaB/DNA interactions and inhibitory effects on IL-8 gene expression. BMC Struct Biol. 2008; 8: 38. Published online 2008 Sep 3. doi: 10.1186/1472-6807-8-38
• Bezzerri V, Borgatti M, Nicolis E, et al. Transcription factor oligodeoxynucleotides to NF-kappaB inhibit transcription of IL-8 in bronchial cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2008 Jul;39(1):86-96. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2007-0176OC. Epub 2008 Feb 7.
• Borgatti M, Mazzitelli S, Breveglieri G et al. Induction by TNF-α of IL-6 and IL-8 in cystic fibrosis bronchial IB3-1 epithelial cells encapsulated in alginate microbeads. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2010;2010. pii: 907964. doi: 10.1155/2010/907964. Epub 2010 Sep 8.
• Hau DK1, Zhu GY, Leung AK, et al. In vivo anti-tumour activity of corilagin on Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma. Phytomedicine. 2010 Dec 15;18(1):11-5. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.09.001. Epub 2010 Oct 29.
• Piccagli L, Borgatti M, Nicolis E, et al. Virtual screening against nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) of a focus library: Identification of bioactive furocoumarin derivatives inhibiting NF-κB dependent biological functions involved in cystic fibrosis. Bioorg Med Chem. 2010 Dec 1;18(23):8341-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2010.09.063. Epub 2010 Oct 1.
• Borgatti M, Mancini I, Bianchi N, et al. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) fruit extract and identified components alter expression of interleukin 8 gene in cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells lines. BMC Biochem. 2011 Apr 15;12:15. doi: 10.1186/1471-2091-12-15.
• Mazzitelli S, Borgatti M, Breveglieri G et al. Encapsulation of eukaryotic cells in alginate microparticles: cell signaling by TNF-alpha through capsular structure of cystic fibrosis cells. J Cell Commun Signal. 2011 Jun;5(2):157-65. doi: 10.1007/s12079-010-0105-z. Epub 2010 Nov 25.
• Borgatti M, Chilin A, Piccagli L, Lampronti I, et al. Development of a novel furocoumarin derivative inhibiting NF-κB dependent biological functions: design, synthesis and biological effects. Eur J Med Chem. 2011 Oct;46(10):4870-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2011.07.032. Epub 2011 Jul 23.
• Gambari R. Recent patents on the therapy based on the transcription factor decoy approach. Expert Opin Ther Pat, 2011 Nov;21(11):1755-71. doi: 10.1517/13543776.2011.629605.
• Gambari R, Borgatti M, Lampronti I, et al. Corilagin is a potent inhibitor of NF-kappaB activity and downregulates TNF-alpha induced expression of IL-8 gene in cystic fibrosis IB3-1 cells. Int Immunopharmacol, 2012 Jul;13(3):308-15. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2012.04.010. Epub 2012 May 4.
• Montagner G, Bezzerri V, Cabrini G et al. An antisense peptide nucleic acid against Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibiting bacterial-induced inflammatory responses in the cystic fibrosis IB3-1 cellular model system. Int J Biol Macromol. 2017 Jun;99:492-498. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.02.011. Epub 2017 Feb 3.
• Fabbri E, Tamanini A, Jakova T, et al., A Peptide Nucleic Acid against MicroRNA miR-145-5p Enhances the Expression of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) in Calu-3 Cells. Molecules. 2017 Dec 29;23(1). pii: E71. doi: 10.3390/molecules23010071.
• Alessia Finotti, Jessica Gasparello, Enrica Fabbri, et al. Enhancing the Expression of CFTR Using Antisense Molecules Against MicroRNA miR-145-5p. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 199 (11), 1443-1444 2019 Jun 1
• Jessica Gasparello, Chiara Papi, Matteo Zurlo, et al. Demonstrating specificity of bioactive peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) targeting microRNAs for practical laboratory classes of applied biochemistry and pharmacology. September 11, 2019
• Alessia Finotti, Enrica Fabbri, Ilaria Lampronti, et al. MicroRNAs and Long Non-coding RNAs in Genetic Diseases. Mol Diagn Ther, 23 (2), 155-171 Apr 2019
• Roberto Gambari. Targeting microRNAs in Cystic Fibrosis (CF). International Journal of Molecular Medicine. 44: supplement, 2019, page S22.
• Jessica Gasparello, Michela Lomazzi, Chiara Papi, et al. Efficient Delivery of MicroRNA and AntimiRNA Molecules Using an Argininocalix[4]arene Macrocycle. Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids. 2019 Dec 6;18:748-763.
• Jessica Gasparello, Alex Manicardi, Alessandro Casnati, et al. Efficient Cell Penetration and Delivery of Peptide Nucleic Acids by an argininocalix[4]arene. Sci Rep, 9 (1), 3036 2019 Feb 28
• Sultan S, Fabbri E, Tamanini A et al. A PNA-based masking strategy for CFTR upregulation by targeting miR-145-5p binding sites of CFTR mRNA. International Journal of Molecular Medicine. 44: supplement, 2019, page S22