STUDIES
December 2015: Ph.D. in Chemistry (Pharmaceutical chemistry / Analytical chemistry curriculum), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Italy.
October 2011: Master Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna.
July 2005: Italian High School Diploma of Chemistry Specialist, Leonardo Da Vinci Industrial Technical Institute of Rimini, Italy.
RESEARCH TOPICS
- Development, validation and application of original methods for the quali-quantitative analysis of doping agents, classical drugs of abuse, new psychoactive substances, CNS drugs, metabolites and markers in biological and non-biological samples.
- Development, optimization and validation of innovative miniaturized sampling and pretreatment procedures for biological and non-biological samples.
- Development of advanced instrumental methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to several detection means (LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, HPLC-UV/DAD, HPLC-F, HPLC-ED).
- Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of CNS drugs: antipsychotics, antidepressants, antiepileptic and sedative-hypnotics.
- Analysis of bioactive compounds in natural matrices, food supplements and herbal products.
SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION AND BIBLIOMETRIC PARAMETERS (Scopus, January 29th 2025)
The scientific production is embodied in 91 papers published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 6 book chapters and more than 180 communications (oral communications, flash communications, poster presentations and seminars) to national and international scientific conferences and workshops.
Years of scientific production: 13 (2013-2025)
N. of publications: 148
h-index: 27
Total citations: 2069
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Since October 2022: Senior Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry
March 2020 – October 2022: Junior Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry with a project entitled "Miniaturised sampling and pretreatment coupled with LC-MS/MS for the analysis of drugs, metabolites and biomarkers related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases" funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research within the funding Research Projects of Relevant National Interest (PRIN) - 2017 on the project "Linking tryptophan catabolism to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis : from pathogenesis to drug treatment"(20173EAZ2Z). Scientific Coordinator of the Operative Unit: Prof. Laura Mercolini
August 2017 – February 2020: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship holder, project "Miniaturised strategies for sampling, pretreatment and bioanalysis of psychoactive compounds, metabolites and use/abuse markers". Funding: Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology and Italian Ministry of Health, Project RF 2011-2012 "Alcohol intake and abuse in workplaces: the development of an integrated protocol based on screening questionnaire and new methods for biological sampling and analysis. Application in healthcare workers according to Italian legislation", CUP E35G14000300001.
May 2015 – May 2017: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship holder, project "Innovative sampling and analysis strategies for an effective doping control". Funding: Italian Ministry of Health - Committee for the supervision and control of doping and for health protection in sport activities within the “Program for research and training / information on substances and medical practices used for doping and for health protection in sports activities”. Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.
January 2013 – December 2015: Ph.D. Student in Chemistry (XXVIII cycle, Pharmaceutical chemistry / Analytical chemistry curriculum) at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), School of Pharmacy, Biotechnology and Sport Science, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna under the supervision of Dr. Laura Mercolini.
Dr. Michele Protti carried out his research activities at the Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis Laboratory (PTA Lab) in the field of nutraceuticals and on the development and validation of original analytical methods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of many classes of compounds, with potential or proven beneficial activity for the human body. Analytical methods were hyphenated with innovative and miniaturised sample preparation techniques developed ad hoc to be applied to different complex matrices such as vegetables, foods, herbal and pharmaceutical products.
June 2015 - October 2015: Research period abroad in the research laboratory coordinated by Prof. Lucie Nováková, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové of the Charles University in Prague. During his stay, Michele Protti has participated in a long-term research project dealing with an extensive study of vaginal microbiota and the analysis of quorum-sensing molecules from Candida albicans responsible for the change between the yeast and mycelium phases. Use of advanced analytical strategies based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and quadrupole ion-mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS, UHPLC-HRMS) and development of innovative strategies based on Micro Solid Phase Extraction (μSPE) and Stop and Go Extraction (StAGE).
February 2012 – December 2014: Research Fellowship holder at the Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research - Advanced Applications in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology (CIRI-MAM) of Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, for a Research Project on “Chemical-toxicological studies for the characterization of industrial materials”, funded by POR-FESR and Uni.Rimini Spa.
October 2011 – February 2012: Attending Graduate at the Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis Laboratory (PTA Lab) for research and last-year student support activities.
PARTICIPATION TO FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
2023-ongoing: Principal Investigator of Unibo Operative Unit, project “Prolyl isomerase PIN1 inhibitors: a drug design strategy against aggressive tumors (PRIN-UNO)” (P2022ZWY8H), funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the call for Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) 2022-PNRR.
2023-ongoing: Principal Investigator of Unibo Operative Unit, project “ElectroSpray Immobilization of LAccase foR cANnabinoids deTEction - ESILARANTE” (202283YHXY), funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the call for Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) 2022.
2021-2024: Member, European project “Innovative teaching and learning path for the prevention of new drugs abuse (INES)”. Funding: Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership (Ref. 2021-1-IT02-KA220-SCH-000032570).
2020-2023: Member, European project “Open access educational materials on naturally occurring molecules – sources, biological activity and use (OEMONOM)”. Funding: Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership (Ref. 2020-1-CZ01-KA203-078218).
2021: Co-applicant, project “Advancing peptide analysis in dried blood spots: application potential and stability study of doping-relevant peptides” funded by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) within the 2020 WADA research grants call - Section A: Detection of doping substances/methods: methodologies in analytical chemistry (Ref. 20A12LM). Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT).
2020: Co-applicant, project “Dried microsamples: multi-matrix, long-term stability study of doping-relevant peptides” funded by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) within the 2019 WADA research grants call - Section A: Detection of doping substances/methods: methodologies in analytical chemistry (Ref. 19A08LM). Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT).
2018: Co-applicant, project “Enhanced urinary stability and detection window of peptide hormones and growth factors by dried urine microsampling” funded by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) within 2017 WADA research grants call - Section A: Detection of doping substances/methods: methodologies in analytical chemistry (Ref. 17A20LM). Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT)
2015-2018: member of the European project “Learning Toxicology through open educational resources (TOX-OER)”. Funding: Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership; University of Salamanca (Spain), University of Bologna.
2015-2017: grant holder, project "Innovative sampling and analysis strategies for an effective doping control". Funding: Italian Ministry of Health - Committee for the supervision and control of doping and for health protection in sport activities within the “Program for research and training / information on substances and medical practices used for doping and for health protection in sports activities”. FaBiT Department, University of Bologna.
2014-2019: grant holder, project "Miniaturised strategies for sampling, pretreatment and bioanalysis of psychoactive compounds, metabolites and use/abuse markers", within the Project RF 2011-2012 "Alcohol intake and abuse in workplaces: the development of an integrated protocol based on screening questionnaire and new methods for biological sampling and analysis. Application in healthcare workers according to Italian legislation". Funding: Italian Ministry of Health CUP E35G14000300001, FaBiT Department, University of Bologna.
2014: member of the interdisciplinary workgroup, project "VulCan4 – Evaluation of the vulnerability to the use of Cannabis and to addiction onset: neuro-endocrine correlations and quali-quantitative approaches". Funding: Department for Antidrug Policies, Presidency of the Council of Ministers. FaBiT Department, University of Bologna.
2014: member of the interdisciplinary workgroup, project "Alcohol intake and abuse in workplaces: development of an integrated protocol based on screening questionnaire and new methods for biological sampling and analysis. Application in healthcare workers according to Italian legislation". Funding: Italian Ministry of Health, "Targeted Research and Young Researchers" funds; "Sant’Orsola – Malpighi" Hospital and FaBiT Department, University of Bologna.
2012-2014: grant holder, project "Chemical-toxicological studies for the characterization of industrial materials". Funding: Emilia-Romagna Region, POR-FESR 2007-2013, within the Advanced Applications in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (CIRI-MAM), a structure set up by Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna within the Technopoles Network project, developed by the Emilia Romagna Region, Regional Operating Program of the European Fund for the Regional Development.
SCIENTIFIC PRIZES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
2013: winner of the "Profutura" prize for the best study in the field of late-age pathologies, entitled "Between food and drugs: nutraceuticals for the prevention of late-age illnesses and for a better life quality", Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.
2018: winner of the Best Poster Prize, international conference European Bioanalysis Forum - Young Chemists Symposium (EBF-4th YSS), March 15-16, 2018, Ghent (Belgium).
2018: winner of the Best Poster Award, international conference Chimia2018 - New trends in applied chemistry, May 24-26, 2018, Constanta (Romania)
2018: winner of the Excellent Poster Presentation Award, international conference Caparica Conference on Sample Treatment, December 3-6, 2018, Caparica (Portugal)
2021: Best poster award, international conference XXIII International Symposium on Advances in Extraction Technologies (ExTech2021), June 30 - July 2, 2021 (virtual meeting).
2021: Best poster award, international conference Recent Developments in Pharmaceutical Analysis (RDPA 2021), 6-8 September 2021 (virtual meeting).
2023: Best poster award, international workshop IMaSS Drug Analysis Day, September 25, 2023.
2023: Best shotgun presentation award, international conference Caparica Conference on Sample Treatment, December 4-7, 2023, Caparica (Portugal).
SCIENTIFIC EVENT ORGANISATION
- International Conference - Member of Scientific and Organising Committees
“TOX-OER - Learning Toxicology Through Open Educational Resources”, Bologna, May 16-22, 2016.
- International Workshop - Member of Scientific and Organising Committees
“TOX-OER Project: An International Proposal for Open-Access Courses (MOOC) for Lifelong Education”, Bologna, November 11, 2016.
- International Conference - Member of Scientific and Organising Committees
“An International Proposal for Open Access Courses (MOOC) for Lifelong Education: TOX-OER Project”, Bologna, January 18, 2017.
- National Conference - Member of Scientific and Organising Committees
“Prevention and control of alcohol-related disorders in healthcare workers”, Bologna, May 31, 2017.
- International Conference - Member of Organising Committee
“EBF 5th Young Scientist Symposium – To Bioanalysis and beyond”, Bologna, March 21-22, 2019
- International Conference - Member of Organising Committee
“EBF 6th Young Scientists Symposium - Future-proofing Bioanalysis - Contributing to a sustainable world”, online event, September 19-20, 2020.
COLLABORATION WITH SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS
Collaboration as referee with the following international journals with impact factor: “Analytica Chimica Acta”, “Arabian Journal of Chemistry”, “Archives of Medical Science”, “Chromatographia”, “Current Pharmaceutical Analysis”, “Journal of Forensic Science and Medicine”, “Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis”, “Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology”, “Molecules”, “Separations”. He is acting as a Guest Editor for Special Issues of Molecules and Separations (2020-2021).
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
- American Chemical Society (ACS);
- American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS);
- European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC);
- Italian Chemical Society (SCI), Medicinal Chemistry Division; also member of its Pharmaceutical Analysis Intradivisional Group;
- Italian Society of Toxicology (SITOX)
