Donatella Taramelli

1992-93– P.I. project “Pathogenesis of opportunistic mycosis in neutropenic patients treated with anti-tumor chemotherapy” from Italian Cancer Res. Ass.
1996-99 – Associated Partner EU with JRC, Environment and Climate DGXII-ESCY for research on "Early indicators of contact sensitisation to haevy metals”
1996 - P.I. -WHO/ TDR grant entitled "Anti -malarial activity of Fe2+-porphyrins: pilot study for the development of a screening method for new drugs"
1997 – 98 P.I. WHO/TDR grant entitled "Oxidation of Fe(II) protoporphyrin IX and depolymerisation of plasmodia haemozoin: new targets for antimalarial drugs"
1997-99-00 P.I. Nat Res Progr on AIDS, ISS "New in vitro human models for studies on the pathogenicity of P. marneffei, an opportunistic fungus in AIDS
1997 - P.I. PRIN MURST Cofinanziamento 1997-99 on malaria
2001 - P.I. National Projects PRIN 2000 "Molecular, immunological and pharmacological analysis of the interactions between parasites, hosts and vectors.” with prof M.Coluzzi.
2001 – Int. Coop. Italy- South Africa, Project on “Identification of new molecular targets for the synthesis and screening of new drugs active during the intraerythrocytic stage of malaria parasites” with Prof. T. J. Egan , University of Cape Town, South Africa.
2003- P.I. National Projects PRIN 2003 "
2003-07 Italian representative in the EU COST Action B22-Drug development for parasitic diseases
2005-2011 WP manager- EU IP Project 18834- ANTIMAL- Development of New Drugs for the treatment of Malaria (ANTIMAL) .
2006-2008 Cluster head-Italian Malaria Network, financed by Compagnia di San Paolo-Torino Italy
2008-2011 Italian representative in the EU COST Action BM0802 Life or death of protozoan parasites
2008-2011 Research participant PRIN 2008 Leads ad attività antimalarica di origine naturale: progettazione e sintesi di molecole multitarget derivate dalla statina o dall'acido usnico. PI Sergio Romeo
2009-2011 WP manager- EU Project CRIMALDDI- Coordination rationalization intergration of antimalarial drug discovery initiatives
2009-2014- PI NIH-RO1 Research Grant with Univ. Massachusetts on Innate Immunity to Malaria
2011-2015 WP manager Gametocyte Assay for Malaria (GAM) for Novel Anti-Transmission Drugs financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
2012-2015 PI National project PRIN 2011 on The skin inflammatory responses to infectious agents and injury: a transcriptomic, post-transcriptomic and functional study at the single-cell level. (SKINFLAM)
2014- Italian Representative MC Substitute to COST Action CM1307. Targeted chemotherapy towards diseases caused by endoparasites

1-Drug discovery & screening (in vitro chemosensitivity assays against P. falciparum strains using the pLDH method) for the identification of new compounds with antimalarial activity(sexual & asexual parasites), transmission blocking activity and SAR studies. Development of novel screening assays against parasite sexual stages using transgenic parasites. Preclinical tests of new antimalarials.
2-Studies on the mechanism of action of antimalarials active during the intraerythrocytic stage of malaria parasites
- Identification of inhibitors of the haem detoxification process and the formation of haemozoin using a spectrophotometric microassay (BHIA, beta-haematin inhibitory activity ) developed for medium /low throughput screening, recently adapted for robotic platforms
3-Studies on the mechanism of toxicity of quinoline and artemisinin antimalarials (Role or oxygen and iron on drug action).
4-Pathophysiology of parasite-host relationships (effects of parasite products on the host innate immune response, immunomodulatory role of HZ, mechanisms of accelerated senescence of RBC in relationship to anemia)
5-Effects of artemisinin derivatives on angiogenesis and erythroid differentiation ( K562, CD34+, human precursors)