Team members
Principal Investigator
Alessandro
Porchetta
Associate Professor
Department of Sciences and Chemical Technologies
Graduate students
Neda
Bagheri
Postdoctoral researcher, U. Veronesi Fellow
Hello, I’m Neda! I am passionate about creating innovative DNA-based diagnostic tools that harness the power of nature’s strategies. I’m currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow funded by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, where I focus on developing CRISPR-powered Cancer diagnosis. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing table tennis, traveling, and exploring the beauty of Rome on foot.
Ankita
Sinha
Postdoctoral researcher, Marie-Curie Fellow
Ciao, my name is Ankita Sinha and I am currently working as a Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at ‘Laboratory of Sensing and Biomimetic Systems’. The objective of my project is focused on developing CRISPR-Cas based biomolecular sensors for cancer diagnostics using functional DNA nanotechnology. My work integrates creating novel biosensing platforms for studying molecular activities using programmable nucleic acid nanoswitches. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) with the grant agreement ID 101153162. Apart from science, I enjoy music, cooking and travelling.
Raj
Paul
Postdoctoral researcher
After completion of my PhD from Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India with expertise in Biophysics and Chemical Biology, I have joined the Biosensing Lab to work on nucleic acids condensate and DNA/RNA nanotechnology as therapeutic and diagnostic platform for cancer and related critical diseases. In my free time, I enjoy playing cricket and exploring exciting new destinations filled with adventure.
Andrea Celeste
Di Pede
PhD student
My master’s thesis in chemistry focused on the development of CRISPR-Cas systems for diagnostics of nucleic acids. Recently, I was the recipient of a scholarship for the continuation of my research activities within the framework of an AIRC project. In my free time, I enjoy reading books, travelling, and hanging out with my friends.
Erica
Belforte
PhD student
My name is Erica, my master’s thesis focused on the optimization of peptide microcapsules for drug delivery. I decided to pursue a PhD to explore new applications based on the use of DNA nanodevices. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading books and baking cakes.
Laura
Beltran
PhD student
My name is Laura, and I come from Barcelona, Spain. My academic background is focused on nanobiomedicine, with a master’s thesis in aptamer development using SELEX. Now, I am currently pursuing my PhD working with DNA nanostructures and aptamers for theragnostic applications. Beyond the lab, I love to pass my time doing analog photography, reading books, and trying to cook new recipes.
Corinne
Giancaspro
Postgraduate student
My name is Corinne, and I hold a degree in Biotechnology. During my master’s thesis, I worked on a project focused on optimizing CRISPR/Cas9 lipid nanoparticles for gene editing in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Outside the lab, my greatest passion is the mountains: I love skiing and hiking.
List of Alumni