PERI FRANCESCO
- U03, Floor: 4, Room: 4047
- U03, Floor: 4, Room: 4048
Biography
Full Professor (Organic and Medicinal Chemistry) at the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, of the University of Milano-Bicocca (Milano, Italy). Permanent professorship at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Lyon (France) where I teach a course of Medicinal Chemistry (Master level). In 2012, permanent professorship in Organic Chemistry at the University Paris 5, and in 2012 1 year Visiting Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis (USA) giving graduate courses.
His research activity focuses on medicinal chemistry, bioorganic chemistry and drug development. New TLR4 modulators have been developed by my group, 2 international and 1 USA patent are active on TLR4 modulators. His group developed recently first-in-class drug leads against heart failure, that target the activity of the Serca2a protein. This industrial research has been patented by the company Windtree (USA).
Author of more than 120 scientific publications, 10 patents, H index = 43 (Google Scholar, May 2024).
Numerous international and national collaborations, national and international grants, he is the Delegate of the Rector for the University of Innovation Foundation (www.u4i.it), an organism devoted to the valorization of innovation and to decisional support to University start-ups. Founder and head of scientific board of the academic spin-off CP2 Biotech (March 2020), whose focus is the valorization of new drug hits and the development of innovative therapeutic approaches to vaccine adjuvants and inflammatory diseases.
Research
The research activity of F. Peri group spans the fields of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. Development of new drug leads: synthetic molecules and natural compounds.
1. Synthesis and biological characterization of small molecules (mainly cationic and anionic glycolipids) able to modulate the activity of the Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) in the perspective to develop new generations of TLR4-directed therapeutics. Synthesis and biological characterization of new molecules active on TLR4 signaling. New anti-inflammatory compounds targeting TLRs, including compounds targeting IBDs, neuro-inflammations, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis. New vaccine adjuvants based on TLR4 agonists.
Coordination of the H2020-funded MSCA-ETN project TOLLerant (“Toll-Like Receptor 4 activation and function in diseases: an integrated chemical-biology approach”, GA number 642157).
2. Synthesis of new steroid derivatives active against hearth failure. Development of drug leads targeting the protein Serca 2a. This project is based on international patents, in collaboration with the company Windtree (USA).
3. Characterization of anti-inflammatory properties of natural compounds from exctracts (coffee, argan oil, etc…)
Funding and grants
2010-2011: Unit coordinator of PRIN grant from Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), title of the project: New multivalent ligands for human galectins as diagnostic and therapeutic agents (3 years grant, 130.000 E for the research unit)
2009-2014: Unit coordinator in the NIH grant AI 59372 “Regulation of MD-2 function and expression”, in collaboration with J. Weiss and T. Gioannini (University of Iowa) (5 years, 50.000 E/year )
2010-2013: Unit coordinator in NEDD grant, design on novel pharmaceutically active compounds (80.000E, 2 years).
2013-2016: Unit coordinator of PRIN grant from Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), title of the project: “Italian network for the development of multivalent nanosystems (MULTINANOITA)” (3 years grant, 53.000 E for the research unit)
2015-2018: Coordinator of Horizon 2020-funded MSCA-ETN project TOLLerant “Toll like Receptor 4 activation and function in diseases: an integrated chemical biology approach”, Grant Agreement number 642157, consortium of 8 academic and 2 industrial groups, 13 ESR recruited in 2015.
2016-2018: PI in the bilateral project with South Korea (prof. Sung You Hung, Ulsan) founded by Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI)
2023: Competitive FAR founding from the University of Milano Bicocca
2019-2023: Beneficiary of the MSCA-ETN project BactiVax
Publications
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De Paola, M., Sestito, S., Mariani, A., Memo, C., Fanelli, R., Freschi, M., et al. (2016). Synthetic and natural small molecule TLR4 antagonists inhibit motoneuron death in cultures from ALS mouse model. PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 103, 180-187 [10.1016/j.phrs.2015.11.020]. Detail
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Perrin-Cocon, L., Peri, F., Lotteau, V. (2017). How do viruses interfere with Toll-like receptor 4?. FUTURE VIROLOGY, 12(6), 243-246 [10.2217/fvl-2017-0030]. Detail
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Facchini, F., Zaffaroni, L., Minotti, A., Rapisarda, S., Calabrese, V., Forcella, M., et al. (2018). Structure–Activity Relationship in Monosaccharide-Based Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Antagonists. JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY, 61(7), 2895-2909 [10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01803]. Detail
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Perrin Cocon, L., Aublin Gex, A., Sestito, S., Shirey, K., Patel, M., André, P., et al. (2017). TLR4 antagonist FP7 inhibits LPS-induced cytokine production and glycolytic reprogramming in dendritic cells, and protects mice from lethal influenza infection. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 7 [10.1038/srep40791]. Detail
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Cochet, F., Facchini, F., Zaffaroni, L., Billod, J., Coelho, H., Holgado, A., et al. (2019). Novel carboxylate-based glycolipids: TLR4 antagonism, MD-2 binding and self-assembly properties. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 9(1) [10.1038/s41598-018-37421-w]. Detail
Research projects
Awards
Awards
- Premio alla Ricerca Chimica Organica per le Scienze della Vita, Società Chimica Italiana, 2020
Scientific fellowships
- Componente dell'Executive Commitee - BactiVax, 2019
- Responsabile Scientifico - Horizon 2020, azioni MSCA-ETN, 2015
Editorial boards
- Direttore di rivista, collana editoriale, enciclopedia - MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY, 2013 - 2014
Research and teaching assignments
- Attivita' di insegnamento - Insegnamento del corso di Medicinal Chemistry per gli studenti del Master in Scienze della Materia dell'ENS di Lione - Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, 2011
- Attivita' di insegnamento - Insegnamento del corso Advanced Organic Synthesis (CHEM 231-B) per PhD del dipartimento di Chimica UC Davis - University of California at Davis, 2012
- Attivita' di insegnamento - Insegnamento del corso di Medicinal Chemistry per gli studenti del Master in Scienze della Materia dell'ENS di Lione - Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, 2013
- Attivita' di insegnamento - Corso di Medicinal Chemistry - Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, 2017
- Attivita' di insegnamento - Corso di Medicinal Chemistry - Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, 2016
Congresses/Conferences
- Program chair - Congresso Nazionale della Divisione di Chimica dei Sistemi Biologici della Società Chimica Italiana(Italia), 2023
- Program chair - Young Investigator Workshop(Finlandia), 2023
- Program chair - European Chemical Biology Symposium ECBS(Svezia), 2023
- Program chair - MicrobiotaMi 2023(Italia), 2023
- Program chair - European Congress of Chemical Biology (ECBS) 2021, 2021
- Program chair - MicrobiotaMi 2020(Italia), 2020
- Program chair - MicrobiotaMi 2018(Italia), 2018