My research interests are in the field of nucleic acids chemistry and biology. The scientific work is focused on:

1. DNA quadruplexes formed by aptamers, telomeres, and synthetic G-rich oligonucleotides. The biological role played by these structures, as well as the potential application as biosensors or electronic nanodevices are currently investigated.

2. Bio-functionalization of porous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery and theranostics applications.

In April 2020, to face the outbreak of the new SARS-CoV-2, I joined the international network named The Good Hope Net project that aims at the production of new anti COVID-19 DNA aptamers capable of protecting human cells from the infection by interfering with the recognizion between the  viral spike protein and the ACE-2 protein exposed on the surface of target cells.

Giorgia Oliviero (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)

Gennaro Piccialli (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)

Vincenzo Piccialli (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) 

Vincenzo Cerullo (University of Helsinki, Finland)

Christophe Pannecouque (Rega Institute of Medical Research, Leuven, Belgium)

Luca De Stefano (ISASI-CNR - Naples, Italy)

Valérie Gabelica (University of Bordeaux Segalen, France)

Anna Kichkailo (Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Russia)

Maxim Berezowski (University of Ottawa, Canada)

Helder A. Santos (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Serena Riela (University of Palermo, Italy)