Multimedia

FAIR-by-design approach is the worldwide Gold-Standard for what concerns public data collection, both in scientific research and in administrative processes.

This talk tries to contextualize the environment in which the FAIR-by-design concept was born by retracing the main stages of what we could address as the “Open Knowledge Movement”, that brought to the definition of Open Data and Open Access.

It is discussed how Open Data have a reason for being only if they satisfy the FAIR principles, and it is explained how to be fully compliant with them implies being collected through a FAIR-by-design approach.

It is also underlined that notwithstanding FAIR Data idea was introduced in tight connection with Open Data one, FAIRness is a broader concept that applies even to Data that are not Open.

Special attention is given to the reason why the only way to have Data fully compliant with FAIR principle is collecting them through a FAIR-by-design pipeline and what this implies for a scientific laboratory.

Speaker: Federica Bazzocchi, RIT – Area Science Park

Cryo-microscopy techniques are emerging as fundamental components for the future of scientific research.

Despite significant technological advancements on the instrumental front, numerous aspects in sample preparation methodologies still require refinement and standardization.

While progress has been made across all levels, from instrumentation to sample preparation, challenges persist, demanding continued attention.

The introduction of a nanofabrication approach for producing substrates used in biological applications of cryo-microscopy is crucial for enhancing the reproducibility and statistical validity of conducted analyses.

Nanofabrication can address existing gaps in this field, significantly contributing to the enhancement of sample preparation protocols. This technology plays a key role in streamlining workflows and optimizing the precision of procedures.

Furthermore, nanofabrication extends to the production of devices used in conjunction with cryo-microscopy. These devices, such as detectors and sensors, are essential for detecting and quantifying bacterial contaminations from samples of different types and for various applications.

At IOM, two primary technologies are emerging in this context, focusing on approaches based on the use of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and purely optical readouts to improve the effectiveness of conducted analyses.

In summary, the application of nanofabrication not only addresses gaps in sample preparation protocols but also plays a crucial role in the development of advanced technologies for the detection and characterization of biological samples using cryo-microscopy.

Speaker: Simone Dal Zilio, CNR – IOM

The research interest of the main group at the Institute of Crystallography (CNR) in Trieste is the structural and functional characterization of therapeutic targets and protein involved in human diseases.

The aim is to elucidate the structural basis of human pathologies and to develop effective drugs.

Structural studies are performed by means of X-ray crystallography and Small Angle X-ray scattering and in vitro functional characterization is mainly achieved by qualitative, semiquantitative and quantitative binding analysis.

This talk addresses the present state of the art of the intermolecular interactions characterization facility @ IC-CNR Trieste, discussing the applications and the potential of the core of the platform (i.e., Isothermal Titration Calorimetry and Grating Coupled Interferometry), and its upcoming improvements that will be achieved thanks to PRP@CERIC project.

Speaker: Sonia Covaceuszach, CNR – IC

La sindrome metabolica è una condizione che oggi coinvolge 2 – 3 italiani su 10 al di sotto dei 65 anni e quasi 1 su 2 dai 65 anni in su.

Questa condizione è caratterizzata dalla coesistenza di almeno tre dei seguenti fattori: aumento dell’obesità addominale, alterazione della glicemia, alterazione del colesterolo ed alterazione della pressione arteriosa.

Il Dr. Schär R&D Centre lavora allo sviluppo di nuovi prodotti alimentari che possano contrastare la sindrome metabolica e che abbiano un impatto positivo sul colesterolo e sulla glicemia.

Ne abbiamo parlato con Lucio Lucchin, per 21 anni Direttore dell’Unità Operativa Complessa di Dietetica e Nutrizione Clinica del Comprensorio Sanitario di Bolzano, e Aurore Ranchon, Director of Global Product Development Gluten Free & Conventional del Dr. Schär R&D Centre.

Deep Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (DUVRR) is an emerging and powerful analytical tool used for detection and characterization of biological samples in a label-free and real time approach.

The excitation in the Deep UV provides specific resonance enhancement of biological moieties, especially protein, DNA and RNA structures, allowing to efficiently detect biological Raman markers in the spectra.

It is well known that DUV radiation is a genotoxic agent. Prolonged UV light exposition induces damage to the genomes of viruses, breaking bonds and forming photodimeric lesions in RNA.

These damages prevent both transcription and replication which leads to viral inactivation. Even though the effects of UV radiation on DNA of microorganisms have been well-recorded, its impact on RNA and RNA modifications is less known.

A sample that is prone to such a damage are viruses, and with the SARS-COV-2 (RNA virus) outbreak, the need of fast tools for viral characterization and classification became even more necessary.

In this work, we will show how to obtain stable, high quality and information-rich DUVRR spectra of active Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) without affecting its viability, RNA and protein integrity.

By opportunely tuning the excitation wavelength, we can detect and assign in the vibrational spectra specific markers of protein and RNA components useful to elucidate biochemical characteristics of active VSV virus.

In addition, we can study the effect of DUV irradiation in the mechanism of inactivation of VSV viruses in order to find the most damaging wavelength for the active VSV virus. This information can further be exploited to build an effective countermeasure tool for virus deactivation.

Speaker: Denis Rajnovic, ICGEB – Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste

The studies on structure and mechanism of action of Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) are carried out using some tools, such as computational analysis, peptide synthesizer and spectroscopic techniques. Here, we report our approach adopted on the study of primate cathelicidins.

Antimicrobial peptides are an important component of innate immunity that act as a first line of defence against the occurrence of infections. Among these natural antibiotics, those of the cathelicidin family, which includes LL-37 in humans and RL-37 in the primate Macaca mulatta, are intensively studied because of their diverse properties.

For example, LL -37 is capable of adopting an amphipathic helical structure in physiological solutions and then oligomerizing; RL-37, on the other hand, remains monomeric and disordered under the same conditions.

The occurrence of intramolecular salt bridges could play an important role in determining the particular structure which is adopted. These important structural aspects are highlighted by predictive applications, allowing us to identify a new stabilized analogue of RL-37 or destabilized analogues of LL -37 to probe positional effects in their sequences underlying their structural behavior.

We were able to evaluate the effect on structural stability by monitoring thermal denaturation in plasma mimetic buffer, using circular dichroism assays. These data were compared with functional assays of efficacy against bacterial cells or cytotoxicity to host immune cells.

Selected analogues were also evaluated for the mechanism of antimicrobial action monitoring permeabilization of bacterial membranes to fluorescent probes and other roles in immunity, such as cytotoxicity towards, or triggering of proinflammatory M1 macrophages.

These studies have shown a direct correlation between the structure and behavior of the peptides in terms of their direct antimicrobial and host-mediated activity.

Speaker: Andrea Caporale, CNR – IC

Ricerca e innovazione sono elementi essenziali per affrontare le sfide con cui ci confrontiamo in questo secolo.

L’Italia, e in particolar modo Trieste, è da sempre una sostenitrice della cooperazione internazionale in campo scientifico, fondamentale per la realizzazione degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile.

Ne abbiamo parlato con Alessandro Garbellini, responsabile dell’Ufficio per la Cooperazione Scientifica Multilaterale e Proprietà Intellettuale del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale.

Qual è l’impatto socio-economico delle grandi infrastrutture di ricerca? Chi ne beneficia?

Lo studio di casi concreti, come quello del CERN di Ginevra, dimostra che per ogni euro investito in appalti e gare per acquisto di servizi e tecnologie avanzate ne vengono generati tre.

Ne abbiamo parlato con Massimo Florio, docente di Scienza delle finanze all’Università degli Studi di Milano.

A Trieste Next è stata presentata la terza edizione del Big Science Business Forum (BSBF2024), la conferenza internazionale orientata al business che riunisce le principali infrastrutture di ricerca europee, che si terrà a Trieste nel 2024.

All’evento, in calendario dall’1 al 4 ottobre del prossimo anno, sono attesi 1.000 delegati e 500 aziende e organizzazioni da 30 Paesi.

La scelta di Trieste per il BSBF 2024 non è casuale: la città ha una delle più elevate concentrazioni di ricercatori d’Europa ed è sede di numerosi centri e organismi di eccellenza scientifica nazionali e internazionali.

Ne abbiamo parlato con Paolo Acunzo dell’ENEA, Direttore delle attività del BSBF Trieste 2024.

Scopri il nuovo sito del BSBF2024!

Diventa un professionista nei settori più innovativi grazie ai percorsi formativi dell’ITS per le Nuove Tecnologie della Vita A. Volta!

Sono online i bandi per l’ammissione ai corsi per:

– Tecnico Apparecchiature Biomediche (TAB)
– Tecnico Informatica Biomedica (TIB)
– Data Network Specialist

Pre-iscrizioni aperte fino al 15 ottobre!

Scopri tutti i dettagli sui percorsi ad alta specializzazione e su come preiscriverti.

Dai microscopi alla realtà virtuale, dalle falde acquifere a innovativi sistemi diagnostici, scopri che cosa hanno raccontato ad adulti e bambini le ricercatrici e i ricercatori di Area Science Park durante l’ultima edizione di Trieste Next!