Training
1982: Degree in chemistry at the University of Bologna (110/110 cum laude)
1986: PhD in Chemical Sciences
1987-1988: Visiting Scientist at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory of Oxford University (UK) with the research group of Prof. Jack E. Badwin
2015: Visiting Professor at the University of Pune, National Chemical Laboratory (Pune) e Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore)
Academic positions
1990-1998: Researcher (CHIM/06 - organic chemistry) at the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" of the University of Bologna
1998-2018: associate professor (CHIM/06 - organic chemistry) at the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" of the University of Bologna
2018-: full professor (CHIM/06 - organic chemistry) at the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" of the University of Bologna
Prizes
1982: "MYRIAM Borsari" awarded by the University of Bologna
1982: "VITTORIO EMANUELE II" awarded by the University of Bologna
1992: Academic Award for Chemical Sciences awarded by the National Society of Sciences Letters and Arts in Naples
Chemical societies membership
1990 to date: Italian Chemical Society
1994 to date: National Interuniversity Consortium "innovative methodologies and processes of synthesis" CINMPIS
2000 to date: American Chemical Society
2015 to date: International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry
2016 to date: Italian Peptides Society
Institutional assignments
2003-2017 – University delegate for the TASSEP Student Exchange project (Transatlantic Science Student Exchange Program)
2008-2012: Board Member of the of PhD Course in Chemical Sciences - University of Bologna
2009-2011: member of the Governing Council of the Italian Chemical Society (Emilia Romagna Section)
2012-2014: President of the Italian Chemical Society (Emilia Romagna Section)
2013-2015: Deputy Director of Department at the School of Pharmacy, Biotechnology and Motor Science
2015-2017: Past-President of the Italian Chemical Society (Emilia Romagna Section)
2015-2018: Department Board Member
2015-2018: Board Member of the School of Pharmacy, Biotechnology and Motor Science
2017 to date: Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Peptides Society
Research activity
Claudia Tomasini developed over the years the study of different topics, all in the context of the total synthesis of complex molecules, initially with the synthesis of natural compounds and, more recently, developing new synthetic compounds that mimic natural biomolecules, such as peptides. These synthetic compounds have been recently defined Foldamers.
Throughout the process related to the study and synthesis of complex molecules, it was always necessary to study and develop new synthetic methods to solve the problems encountered in the preparation of the desired compounds. Moreover, great attention has been attributed to non-destructive methods for the compounds conformational analysis, mainly the NMR spectroscopy.
During the first period of the research activity (1983-1999), syntheses of pharmacologically active natural organic substances were developed. Great attention has been focused on the identification and development of new selective methods of synthesis through the formation of new carbon-eteroatomo bonds, often characterized by the formation of intermediate heterocycles.
The research developed in more recent years (2000-2018) has been characterized by the study of synthetic compounds mimicking complex natural molecules that have been defined Foldamers. The research purpose is the synthesis and conformational analysis of pseudopeptides, able to mimic the secondary structures of proteins, and the preparation of supramolecular materials, such as fiber and gel, for the application of these derivatives in the pharmacological field.
We have also observed that some classes of oligomers tend to assume a structure ordered in solid phase, presenting in the form of fibrils observable by optical microscope. Of consequence, starting from 2007, we studied the solid-phase properties of some foldamers containing aromatic rings, by means of SEM and TEM spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and single crystal and IR and solid phase NMR. A series of compounds are still being studied which, depending on the characteristics of the single compound, are assembled to form fibres, fibrils, plates, crystals, gels or simple amorphous solids.
The research ended up in the production of 111 original articles and 2 patents.
Scientific responsibility for national and international projects
2009-2013: Advisory Board Member of the COST Action CM0803 “Functional peptidomimetic foldamers: from unnatural amino acids to self-assembling nanomaterials”
2012-2015: Coordinator of the PhD Project "FOLDET", Consortium Spinner, Regione Emilia Romagna
Recent participation to conferences as invited speaker or keynote speaker
July 2006: Taormina (Italy) - 6th Italian Spanish Symposium on Organic Chemistry (ISSOC-6)
September 2009: Szeged (Hungary) – Conference “Foldamers: building blocks, structure and function”
April 2011: Barcelona (Spain) – Conference “Foldamers: Synthesis and Structure of Functional Materials”
November 2011: Riviera Maya, Quintana Roco (Mexico) – 11th Latin American Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry
June 2014: Gargnano (Italy) - XXXIX “A. Corbella” International Summer School on Organic Synthesis
September 2014: Bari (Italy) – Conference C.I.N.M.P.I.S. – 1994/2014 Ventennium Conference
January 2015: Bordeaux (France) – Conference "Symposium on Foldamers”
June 2017: Perugia (Italy) - XLVI Annual Meeting of the AIC (Italian Crystallographic Association)
Conferences organization
4 December 2009: Bologna - 9th Meeting of the Italian Chemical Society (Section Emilia Romagna)
6-8 October 2010: Bologna - “FOLDAMERS: Design, Synthesis and applications” (Meeting organized under the COST CM0803 action: Functional Peptidomimetic Foldamers: From Unnatural Amino Acids to self-Assembling Nanomaterials)
18 December 2013: Bologna - 13th Meeting of the Italian Chemical Society (Section Emilia Romagna)
13-17 September 2015: Bologna - XXXVI Conference of Organic Chemistry Division of Organic Chemical Society
14-16 February 2016: Bologna - Conference “Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Tumor-Targeting Peptidomimetics" At the Academy of Sciences in Bologna
15 May 2017: Bologna - Meeting “The cosmetics sector: a job outlet for graduates in chemical and pharmaceutical sciences” in collaboration with Cosmetica Italia
1 December 2017: Bologna - 17th Meeting of the Organic Chemical Society (Section Emilia Romagna)
Editorial activity
Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Foldamers”: European Journal of Organic Chemistry - June 2013
Member of the Editorial Board by GELS (ISSN 2310-2861), open-Access magazine published online by MDPI.
Referee of high impact journals: Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Organic Chemistry, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Organic Letters, Synlett, Chemistry: A Europen Journal, Chemistry: An Asian Journal, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Cristal Growth & Design, Chemical Communication, New Journal of Chemistry.
Prof. Tomasini translated some chapters of two teaching texts of organic chemistry:
- Janice Gorzynski Smith – Organic Chemistry – McGraw-Hill (chapters 25-28)
- Paula Yurkanis Bruice – Elements of organic chemistry – EdiSES (chapters 14-15).
External Referee for PhD thesis final exams:
2006: Final examination of PhD students (Chemical Sciences) of the University of Padua (cycle XVIII and XIX)
2008: Dr. Miriam BRU Roig – University Jaume I – Castellon de la Plana (Spain)
2010: Dr. Jordi Aguilera Corrochano – Universitat Autonomous de Barcelona Spain)
2013: Dr. Gert Callebaut – Ghent University (Belgium)
2016: Dr. Shama Tumminakatti – Indian Institute of Science – Bangalore (India)
2017: Dr. Sachin Balasaheb Baravkar – University of Pune (India)
2017: Dr. Sushil Namdev Benke - Indian Institute of Science Education and Research - Pune (India)
2017: Dr. Bharttendu K. Srivastava – Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (India)
Educational activities
1994/1995: Organic Chemistry II Lab (Chemistry degree)
1995/1996 to 1998/1999: Organic Chemistry Lab (Biology degree)
1999/2000 to date: Organic Chemistry (Biology degree)
2004/2005 to 2008/2009: Bio-Organic Chemistry (Biology degree)
2005/2006 to 2006/2007: Peptides, Peptidomimetics and DNA Analogues (Advanced Chemical Methodologies Master’s degree)
2007/2008 to 2011/2012: Chemistry, Biosynthesis and Characterization of Biomolecules (Chemistry Master's degree)
2012/2013 to date: Synthesis and Characterization Methodologies (Chemistry Master' degree)
2013/82014 to date: Bio-Organic Chemistry (Chemistry degree)
2015/2016 to date: PRODUCT DESIGN 3 - Peptides and Peptidomimetics as Green Chemistry Tools” (Erasmus Mundus Chemical Innovation and Regulation Master’s degree)
