We have created three new jobs in our crew, that are covered by Pamela Santonicola in IBBR-CNR, and Estella Rao and Samuele Raccosta in IBF-CNR. Welcome to the VES4US family!

Pamela grew up in Nocera Inferiore a town near Salerno. She moved to Naples University where she completed her bachelor’s degree in General and Applied Biology and her master’s degree in Molecular Biology. In 2015 she completed her PhD research in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnologies in the lab of Recombination and DNA repair of nematodes in Naples where she studied the genetic mechanisms of DNA instability after genotoxic insults. In 2016 she started her PostDoc in Dr. Elia Di Schiavi’s lab focusing her research on how neurodegeneration can be prevented genetically and pharmacologically. Pamela will be involved in the characterization of the EVs effects in vivo, using C.elegans as model system.

Estella grew up in Palermo a town located on the seaside of Sicily, where she completed her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Physics. In 2018 she completed her PhD in Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology. During which, she worked on a new experimental approach to investigate the interaction between proteins and cellular membranes, based on spectroscopy and advanced microscopy techniques. Recently, Estella explored the molecular and cellular biology fields working on biological systems. Estella will be involved in the characterization of EVs from natural sources.

Samuele grew up in Trapani, a town located on the seaside of Sicily. He moved to Palermo University where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Physics. In 2010 he completed his PhD research at the Institute of Biophysics of Italian National Research Council in Palermo, Italy, under supervision of Dr. Mauro Manno and Prof. Maurizio Leone. During which, he worked on “Intermolecular interactions in metastable protein solutions” spending also six months in Copenhagen (Denmark) at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry under supervision of Prof. Bente Vestergaard. Afterwards, he spent almost two years in the Biophysics and Nanoscience center, led by Prof. Salvatore Cannistraro to study electrical conduction in single molecules by Scanning Probe Microscopy. Samuele will be involved in the nanoscopic characterization of EVs from natural sources.

Warm welcome to the crew from the VES4US team.