DIPARTIMENTO DI FISICA
Curriculum Vitae
Gastone C. Castellani
Università degli Studi di Bologna
Dip. Fisica Viale B.Pichat 6/2 40123 Bologna (BO) Italy
Tel 039 051 2095120
Institute for Brain & Neural Systems,
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 - 1843 US
Tel: (401) 863-2585
E-mail Gastone.Castellani@unibo.it
Current Position
Professor : Physics (SSD FIS/07)
Dipartimento di Fisica
Università degli Studi di Bologna
Associate Professor (Research) Institute for Brain and Neural
Systems :Brown University Providence R.I. (USA)
Scientific Curriculum of Dr. Gastone Castellani
Research
The scientific interests of Dr. Gastone Castellani are rooted into
the arguments that have been faced during the study in Biology and
Physics. The initial interests were focused on problems regarding X
ray diffraction of proteins, modelling of immune and neural system
and biological effects of electromagnetic fields.
This last research line has been developed by Dr Castellani with
an experimental approach where the behaviour of in vitro cellular
systems was characterized as response to an applyed electromagnetic
field.
Among the obtained results, one of particular relevance is the
behaviour of human lymphocytes stimulated by Extremely Low
Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (ELF-EMF). It was demonstrated a
significative variation of the index of lymphocyte proliferation
that resulted increased in presence of ELF-EMF.
The activity on X ray diffraction from proteins has been developed
during the period that Dr. Gastone Castellani was at
the Synchrotron Elettra (Trieste) before the activation of
the device, thus the research activity was centred on software
development that have been subsequently extensively utilised.
It is important to mention the results obtained by a combined
approach with X ray diffraction and Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) on the structural and thermodynamic properties of
collagen as a function of calcification and ageing. In
particular it was possible to point out an increase in the melting
temperature for the transition between random and coiled coil of
collagen.
This activity fuelled an interest on the ageing processes that
produced the establishment of several collaboration and in
particular with the group of Prof Claudio Franceschi and the
National Center foraging research (INRCA) .
During this research, the main result was the discovery that the
memory T cell are increasing with age if observed over the entire
human lifespan ( from newborn to centenarians) as resulting from
the increase in antigenic pressure.
The collaboration with Prof Franceschi was further developed, also
in the frame work of a project supported by the National Health
Institute on the HIV where Dr Castellani was the coordinator of the
data analysis. The main result showed that HIV non developing
people were resistent to develop apoptotic processes.
The interest for this kind of problems stimulated further
studies by Dr Castellani towards memory developement of biological
systems such as immune and neural system and their characterization
by mathematical modelling.
On this basis it was possible to start a productive collaboration
with the lab for neural sciences at Brown University directed by
the Physics Nobel Prize Prof. Leon N. Cooper. The research activity
in this field is in a rapid evolution also now, but some important
results have been reached.
Among these we mention the characterization of the solutions of
the BCM Bienenstock, Cooper, Munro) learning rule for the
orientation selectivity development in the primary visual cortex
neurons and the development of a predictive biophysical model
that generalize the theory and gives the possibility to perform
precise experimental measurements ( conductance of AMPA and NMDA
ion channels) for the quantification of the learning process at
single cell and single molecule level.
The research activity of Dr Castellani is centred on Biophysics
mainly on cellular biophysics and application to Medicine and
Biotechnology. For this purpose Dr. Gastone Castellani has, within
the Physics Department of the Università di Bologna, supervised the
set-up of a laboratory for physical measurements on biological
systems (electrical and optical measurements).
A recent interest of Dr Castellani is the application of Complex
Network theory in Biology, that has produced an interesting method
for the quantification of the communication efficiency among
lymphocytes. Another relevant result is a technique for the
reconstruction of genomic network from experimental data that has
been internationally awarded ( VPR prize and Invited Speaker
to British Society for Immunology). This method allowed, for
the first time, the reconstruction of the C-MYC ( a proto-oncogene
) activated network that is important for the induction of a series
of malignancies and tumours.
The results that the Dr Castellani lab is producing are having
important implication for the comprehension of the Aging process at
a molecular level and are offering relevant Biotechnological
applications. During the last years Dr Castellani is studying
the biological effect of low dose ionizing radiation and in
particular on the Biophysical mechanism of the so called “bystander
effect”. Moreover Dr Castellani is upgrading the lab with various
Biophotonic devices for the single living cell dynamic observation
as response to various perturbations ( gene activation and/or
silencing, oxidative stress, environmental and stochastic
variation). This kind of research is very promising especially for
the elucidation of the so called “biological switches” that are the
building blocks for many biotechnological application in Systems
and Synthetic Biology.
Previous Positions 1996 Teaching Assistant
of Physics Università degli Studi di Bologna (Veterinary
Faculty)
1995 Postdoctoral Fellow CNR (Centro Nazionale Ricerche)
Italy
1988 –1990 Visiting Scientist SIS (Società Italiana Sincrotrone)
Trieste Italy
Education
May 1995 PhD Physics Bologna
University.
Field: Biophysics
Final score Excellent
March 1992 Sc.M. Physics Bologna University
Field: Biophysics
Final score 110/110
December 1988 Sc.M. Biology Bologna University
Field: Chemistry-Biophysics
Final score 105/110
Grants
2000-2007 Murst ex 60%
2000-2003 EU Project RAMP on effects of electromagnetic
waves.on neurons
2002 FIRB Project on synaptic plasticity (3 yrs)
2003 Del Monte Foundation for the set-up of a Biophysics
Laboratory
2003 Brown University : Genetic Networks Dynamics
2004 GEHA EU (Genetich of Healthy Ageing) project as
partecipant.
2005 NIGMS (National Institute of General Medical Sciences USA)
Global analysis of myc-induced network
2007 INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) SHEILA
project
2007 MarkAge EU project as partecipant
2008 MyoAge EU project as partecipant
As follow-up of his research activity and on the basis of the
obtained results, Dr Castellani has been invited to contribute as
invited speaker to a number of national and international
conferences (more than 50). Among these talks, we can mention :
Italian Physics Society(SIF), INFN Legnaro National Laboratory
(LNL) Roma University (La Sapienza) di Milano (Bicocca)
Catania and Palermo. University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK)
British Conference on Immunology and Dana Farber Cancer
Institute Harvard University, Boston MA USA
