Curriculum vitae

• Date and place of birth: September 19, 1961, Cagliari, Italy
• 1985 Doctoral Degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies
• 1986 – 1991 Post-doctoral fellow, Institute if Microbiology, University of Cagliari
• 1988 Doctoral Degree in Pharmacy
• 1991 – 2002 Researcher of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Cagliari
• 1993 – 1996 Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
• 2002 to date Associate Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, University of Cagliari

Research areas

Study on new antibacterial agents;

Study of new molecules and drugs combination for the treatment of infections sustained by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other nontuberculous mycobacteria;

Study and standardization of rapid methods for determining drug-resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis;

Identification and characterization of specific targets and membrane proteins in M. tuberculosis and other nontuberculous mycobacteria directed to the development of new antimycobacterial agents

Study of new molecules for the prevention and treatment of infections sustained by fungal pathogens;

Evaluation of new systems as vehicles for targeting antifungal and antiviral drugs;

Study of the structure and establishment of bacterial and fungal biofilm and development of new strategies aimed to the prevention and treatment of hospital acquired infections due to development of microbial biofilm;

New approaches for the identification of new molecules for the treatment of infections sustained by Herpes Simplex Virus;

Molecular cloning, characterization, evaluation in vivo and in vitro of monoclonal human recombinant antibodies directed against viral antigens.

Publications from 2008 to 2013

1. Poce G, Bates RH, Alfonso S, Cocozza M, Porretta GC, Ballell L, Rullas J, Ortega F, De Logu A, Agus E, La Rosa V, Pasca MR, De Rossi E, Wae B, Franzblau SG, Manetti F, Botta M, Biava M. Improved BM212 MmpL3 inhibitor analogue shows efficacy in acute murine model of tuberculosis infection. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e56980.
2. La Rosa V, Poce G, Canseco JO, Buroni S, Pasca MR, Biava M, Raju RM, Porretta GC, Alfonso S, Battilocchio C, Javid B, Sorrentino F, Ioerger TR, Sacchettini JC, Manetti F, Botta M, De Logu A, Rubin EJ, De Rossi E. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jan;56(1):324-31.
3. Casu L, Cottiglia F, Leonti M, De Logu A, Agus E, Tse-Dinh YC, Lombardo V, Sissi C. Ungeremine effectively targets mammalian as well as bacterial type I and type II topoisomerases. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2011 Dec 1;21(23):7041-4.
4. Biava M, Porretta GC, Poce G, Battilocchio C, Alfonso S, De Logu A, Manetti F, Botta M. Developing pyrrole-derived antimycobacterial agents: a rational lead optimization approach. ChemMedChem. 2011 Apr 4;6(4):593-9.
5. Biava M, Porretta GC, Poce G, Battilocchio C, Alfonso S, De Logu A, Serra N, Manetti F, Botta M. Identification of a novel pyrrole derivative endowed with antimycobacterial activity and protection index comparable to that of the current antitubercular drugs streptomycin and rifampin. Bioorg Med Chem. 2010 Nov 15;18(22):8076-84.
6. Biava M, Porretta GC, Poce G, De Logu A, Meleddu R, De Rossi E, Manetti F, Botta M. 1,5-Diaryl-2-ethyl pyrrole derivatives as antimycobacterial agents: design, synthesis, and microbiological evaluation. Eur J Med Chem. 2009 Nov;44(11):4734-8.
7. Castagnolo D, Manetti F, Radi M, Bechi B, Pagano M, De Logu A, Meleddu R, Saddi M, Botta M. Synthesis, biological evaluation, and SAR study of novel pyrazole analogues as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: part 2. Synthesis of rigid pyrazolones. Bioorg Med Chem. 2009 Aug 1;17(15):5716-21.
8. Zaru M, Sinico C, De Logu A, Caddeo C, Lai F, Manca ML, Fadda AM. Rifampicin-loaded liposomes for the passive targeting to alveolar macrophages: in vitro and in vivo evaluation. J Liposome Res. 2009;19(1):68-76.
9. Castagnolo D, Radi M, Dessì F, Manetti F, Saddi M, Meleddu R, De Logu A, Botta M. Synthesis and biological evaluation of new enantiomerically pure azole derivatives as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2009 Apr 15;19(8):2203-5.
10. De Logu A, Palchykovska LH, Kostina VH, Sanna A, Meleddu R, Chisu L, Alexeeva IV, Shved AD. Novel N-aryl- and N-heteryl phenazine-1-carboxamides as potential agents for the treatment of infections sustained by drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2009 Mar;33(3):223-9.
11. Onnis V, De Logu A, Cocco MT, Fadda R, Meleddu R, Congiu C. 2-Acylhydrazino-5-arylpyrrole derivatives: synthesis and antifungal activity evaluation. Eur J Med Chem. 2009 Mar;44(3):1288-95.
12. Castagnolo D, De Logu A, Radi M, Bechi B, Manetti F, Magnani M, Supino S, Meleddu R, Chisu L, Botta M. Synthesis, biological evaluation and SAR study of novel pyrazole analogues as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bioorg Med Chem. 2008 Sep 15;16(18):8587-91.
13. Biava M, Porretta GC, Poce G, De Logu A, Saddi M, Meleddu R, Manetti F, De Rossi E, Botta M. 1,5-Diphenylpyrrole derivatives as antimycobacterial agents. Probing the influence on antimycobacterial activity of lipophilic substituents at the phenyl rings. J Med Chem. 2008 Jun 26;51(12):3644-8.