POLLEGIONI LOREDANO

Education/Training
Loredano Pollegioni graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of Milan (1986), where he has been a Technical manager, and Associate Researcher in the IIIrd Faculty of Biology in Varese since 1998. He has been appointed by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Insubria in Varese as Associate Professor of Biochemistry in November 2000, and starting from October 2005 he is Full Professor in Biochemistry in the same School. He had a post-doc position at the lab of prof. V. Massey (University of Michigan, USA) and at the lab of prof. S. Ghisla (Universitat Konstanz, Germany).

Positions:
2019-present Director of the International Research Center DAAIR
2018-present Member of Publication Committee of FEBS, European Federation of Biochemical Societies
2017-2018 Coordinator of the PhD Course in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (Uninsubria)
2017-present Head of the Course in Biological Sciences (Uninsubria)
2017-present Member of the board of Fondazione Istituto Insubrico Ricerca per la Vita
2015-2018 Treasurer of the Italian Society of Biochemistry, SIB
2015-2018 ViceDirector of the research center The Protein Factory
2015-present Member of the regional Cluster Green Chemistry and of the Cluster Life Sciences
2013-2017 Coordinator of the PhD Course in Biotechnology, Biosciences and Surgical Technology
2012-2016 Member of the Academic Senate as representative of Full Professors (Uninsubria)
2012-2016 Vice President of Presidio di Qualità of the University of Insubria
2012-2014 Responsible of the Group Enzymology of Italian Society of Biochemistry, SIB
2011-present member of the Board of Consorzio Italiano per le Biotecnologie, CIB
2009-2015 Director of the research center The Protein Factory (University of Insubria and Politecnico di Milano)
2009-2011 ViceDirector of the Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Sciences
2008-2011 Director of the research center Biotechnology for Human Health (Uninsubria)
2005-2009; 2011-2012 President of Degree in Biotechnology (Uninsubria)
Organizer of a number of national and international meetings (IDAR2017, Flavins and Flavoproteins2017, Proteine 2000, SIB2006, CNBXI, ICC4, etc.) and post-lauream schools (Enzyme Discovery; Watching at the D-side: D-amino acids and their significance in neurobiology, etc.). He has been responsible of > 15 reasearch projects from public institutions and private companies. Grant holder of PRIN2017 as PI.

Scientific activities
The scientific career of Prof. Loredano Pollegioni focused, as a general topic, on the structure-function relationships in enzymatic proteins, mainly FAD-dependent oxidases (namely D-amino acid oxidase, cholesterol oxidase and, recently, glycine oxidase). Their functional and structural properties have been investigated by using a multidisciplinary methodological approach: kinetic studies, reaction mechanism studies, structural studies, flavin reactivity and protein stability studies, and folding and unfolding studies. The experience of prof. Pollegioni has been also exploited in the field of protein biotechnology. D-amino acid oxidase (as well as acylases and proteases) has been employed as biocatalyst, e.g. for the production of beta-lactam antibiotics and of a prototype biosensor for the analytical determination of D-amino acids in food and of the gliotransmitter D-serine in the central nervous system, and as a pro-drug converter in cancer gene-therapy.
In last years, prof. Pollegioni specialised in the evolution of enzymatic activities by using rational (site-directed mutagenesis) and directed evolution (random and site-saturation mutagenesis) methods, and in the investigation of human enzymes involved in pathologies. These investigations allowed the production of new enzymatic activities (e.g., for the one-step bioconversion of cephalosporin C into 7-ACA and for the oxidation of all D-amino acids, even the non-natural ones) and the development of cellular studies aimed at the characterization of flavoenzymes involved in important pathologies.

Publications:
202 papers on peer-review international journals; 40 papers on books; 33 papers on national journals, 2 patents; > 300 communications to national and international meetings; > 115 oral communication to National and International meetings, seminars at Universities, research centers and private companies; Editor of two national and one international book.

IF total: > 800; Citations: >8250; Hfactor: 50; i10-index: 145 (Google Scholar).
Relator or co-relator of > 100 thesis (Bachelor and Master degree) and 13 PhD-thesis.
Member of TIS – Top Italian Scientists list.

Prof. Pollegioni is member of Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is the institutional member of the Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Biotecnologie (CIB).
He acts as referee for a number of international journals of the Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, and Biotechnology field. He is member of the Editorial Board of FEBS Journal, BBA Proteins and Proteomics, Frontiers in Molecular Sciences and Review Editor for Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry.