CURRICULUM VITAE

Barbara Calamini

 

The University of Illinois at Chicago

The Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy

900 South Ashland Avenue (M/C 870)

Chicago, IL 60607

Lab Phone:  (312) 996-1687

Fax:  (312) 413-9303

Email:  bcalam1@uic.edu

 

EDUCATION

 

Ph.D. Candidate                              Current                        University of Illinois, Chicago

B.S.   Medicinal Chemistry              November, 2000          College of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Italy  score: 110/110

 

LICENSURE

Pharmacist License                        June, 2001                   University of Pisa,  Italy

 

HOMETOWN     

Pisa, Italy

 

GRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT

 

My research project focuses on the study of resveratrol, a molecule predominantly found in grapes and red wine, and its interaction with the human SIRT1, enzyme involved in cellular senescence and aging.  Resveratrol has been recently shown to be the most potent allosteric activator of h-SIRT1.  My main goal is to determine the crystal structure of the h-SIRT1 in complex with resveratrol, in order to determine the location of the allosteric site and understand resveratrol mechanism of action.  The long term goal of this project is to acquire three-dimensional structural data that can be used as a basis to design new compounds for the purpose of age-related disease prevention.  In addition to that, I am interested in characterizing the kinetic of resveratrol human metabolites (3- and 4’-sulfate and 3-glucuronide).  We found that the two sulfates activate h-SIRT1 to the same extent as resveratrol.  Since resveratrol is highly metabolized in vivo, this finding is important because it indicates that resveratrol may act to activate SIRT1 in vivo albeit indirectly.

 

 

EXPERIENCE

2001-Present      University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. 

Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Andrew Mesecar. Research focuses on the application of x-ray crystallography and computational docking for discovering and developing small molecule          compounds that inhibit and activate proteins at allosteric sites.

 

2002-2004          University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Medicinal Chemistry.  Teaching Assistant for Pharmacy courses.  Four semesters.

 

2000                  School of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy  Molecular Modeling Lab.  Undergraduate thesis: “A theoretical docking study of Cox-1/Cox-2 selective ligands”.

 

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

 

2003          Van Doren Scholar for Graduate Students in Medicinal Chemistry.  UIC College of Pharmacy. 

2003          Travel award from American Crystallographic Association to attend annual meeting July 2003

2003          UIC Student Travel Award for presentation at the American Crystallographic Association annual meeting July 2003

 

MEMBERSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

 

American Crystallographic Association (ACA)

 

ABSTRACTS AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS

 

  1. Calamini B., Santarsiero B., Eggler A., and Mesecar A. D.  “The Molecular Basis for Cancer Chemoprevention and Longevity Promotion by Resveratrol and Its Human Metabolites”. 42nd Annual Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa (MIKI) Medicinal Chemistry Meeting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA (2004)

 

  1. Pajkovic N., Nikolic D., Calamini B., Sawant A., Mesecar A. D., van Breemen R.“Ultrafiltration LC-MS Screening of Natural Products for Ligands to the Androgen Receptor” 52nd American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference, Nashville, TN (2004).  

 

  1. Calamini B., Santarsiero B., Ratia K., Malkowski M,, Pezzuto J. and Mesecar A. D.  “A Structural Basis for Potent Inhibition of Cox-1 and Cox-2 by Resveratrol-A Natural Product of Wine” XXIII Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, USA (2003).

 

  1. Calamini B., Santarsiero B., Ratia K., Malkowski M,, Pezzuto J. and Mesecar A. D.  “A Structural Basis for Potent Inhibition of Cox-1 and Cox-2 by Resveratrol-A Natural Product of Wine” American Crystallographic Association Meeting, Cincinnati, OH, USA (2003).

 

  1. Chang M., Calamini B., Nikolic D., Mesecar A. D., and Bolton J. “Structural modifications of the ER and  LBD by the catechol estrogen metabolite 4-hydroxyequilenin”  226th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting New York City, NY, USA (2003).

 

  1. Calamini B., Santarsiero B., Ratia K., Malkowski M,, Pezzuto J. and Mesecar A. D.  “A Structural Basis for Potent Inhibition of Cox-1 and Cox-2 by Resveratrol-A Natural Product of Wine”  41st Annual Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa (MIKI) Medicinal Chemistry Meeting, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA (2003).

 

  1. Calamini B., Mesecar A. D.  “A Structural Basis for Chemopreventive Activity of Resveratrol-A Natural Product of Wine”.  XXII Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA (2002).

 

  1. Calamini B., Mesecar A. D.  “A Structural Basis for Chemopreventive Activity of Resveratrol-A Natural Product of Wine”  Annual Meeting of the Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Department, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA (2002).

 

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

 

  1. Seminar for Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.  “The Molecular Basis for Cancer Chemoprevention and Longevity Promotion by Resveratrol”  University of Illinois at Chicago.  December 1, 2004.
  2. Literature Seminar.  “A new mechanism in estrogen receptor antagonism”  University of Illinois at Chicago.  Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy.  February 13, 2003.

 

  1. Calamini B., Ortore G., Martinelli A.  “A Theoretical Study of Cox-1/Cox-2 Selectivity” Presented at the Scientific Meeting of the Italian Chemistry Society, Siena, Italy.  December 2000.

 

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

 

*     Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXIV                October 9, 2004

*     ACA Annual Meeting                                                    July 2004

*     ACA Annual Meeting                                                     July/August  2003

*     Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXIII                October  2003

*     Annual MIKI meeting (Medicinal Chemistry)                   April 2002, 2003, & 2004

*     Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXII                 September 2002

        

LABORATORY SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES   

 

*     Cloning and construction of expression vectors

*     Optimizing of expression conditions

*     Refolding of proteins from inclusion bodies

*     Protein Purification- column chromatography

*     Gel chromatography

*     SDS PAGE protein gels

*     Agarose DNA gels

*     Native protein gels

*     Crystallization

*     Random Factorial and Optimization of growth conditions

 

COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE

Familiar with:

*     Dock 4.0.1

*     Insight II, Sybyl (structure visualization)

*     Unix (including editors vi and jot)