Education and Employment:

 

01/01/2020 - to date – post-doctoral fellow (Analytical Chemistry Research Group - Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy).

04/2021 – PhD in Chemistry “International Joint Doctoral programme Ferrara - Wrocław” with summa cum laude (Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences of University of Ferrara, Italy and Biological Inorganic Chemistry Research Group of University of Wrocław, Poland). Thesis title: “Study of the metal ions transport phenomena involved in the expression of pathogenic virulence”. Supervisor Prof. Maurizio Remelli. Co-supervisor D.Sc. Magdalena Rowińska-Żyrek.

07/2020 – Italian professional qualification of Chemist

10/2017 – MSc in Chemistry with summa cum laude (Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy). Thesis title: “Investigation on the metal binding sites of COT1, a zinc transporter in opportunistic yeast species Candida albicans”. Supervisor Prof. Maurizio Remelli. Co-supervisor D.Sc. Magdalena Rowińska-Żyrek).

10/2015 – BSc in Chemistry with summa cum laude (Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy). Thesis title: “Organic conductors and semiconductors: charge transfer complexes”. Supervisor Prof. Valeria Ferretti).

 

Schools and seminars

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15-18/03/2021 – PEPPERSchool 2nd edition: Peptide and protein engineering. From concepts to biotechnological applications (Virtual meeting).

24-25/11/2019 – SCI*C: School of Chemistry Communication (Rimini, Italy).

12-19/05/2019 – Training School “Chemistry of Metals in Biological Systems” (Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Oeiras, Portugal).

12-15/02/2019 – National School of Bioinorganic Chemistry (Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy).

 

Scientific Experience

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2017-2021 – Academic teaching support in Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry at University of Ferrara, Italy.

2020 – 2-months research stay at Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de l'Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France within the young researchers funded project “Bando Giovani Ricercatori 2019 - Fondi 5x100 2017”.

2017 – 5-months M.Sc. student internship at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wrocław, Poland.

2015 – 6-months B.Sc. student internship at the Structural Diffractometric Center of the Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy.

 

• Co-supervisor in 3 master’s and 4 bachelor’s theses.

 

• I participated in 9 national and international conferences and meetings, contributing with 6 oral communications and 9 poster presentations.

 

 

Research grants/awards:

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• 2021-2023 – Principal investigator in Preludium project “A peptidomimetic strategy to improve the antimicrobial properties of calcitermin” (UMO-2020/37/N/ST4/03165).

• 2021 – PhD Certification of Doctor Europaeus issued according to the conditions of the Confederation of Conferences of the University Rectors of the EU Countries.

• 2021 – PEPPERSchool Student & Postdocs Grant.

• 2020 – Winner of the 13th edition of “Pulidori Prize” - International Group for the Thermodynamics of Complexes, ISMEC.

• 2019 – Principal investigator in the project “Heavy metals soil contamination: study of the coordination properties of hydroxamic acids” (“Bando Giovani Ricercatori 2019 - Fondi 5x100 2017” research project scholarship funded by University of Ferrara).

• 2019 – SBIC Student Travel Grant, 19th International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry in Interlaken, Switzeland.

• 2018 – Certificate of Excellence “Ferrara School of Chemistry” awarded to students who achieve the M.Sc. degree with an excellent academic career with strong international connotation.

• 2017-2020 – Fellowships for the PhD students from the University of Ferrara.

• 2013 – “31° RYLA Rotary Youth Leadership Award” awarded by Rotary Club of Comacchio - Codigoro - Terre Pomposiane (Dist. 2072).

• 2012 – Award “Francesco Viviani” awarded by the Ferrara Chamber of Commerce.

• Member of the Italian Chemical Society.

 

 

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List of papers:​

 

Leveraro Silvia, D’Accolti Maria, Marzola Erika, Caselli Elisabetta, Guerrini Remo, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena, Remelli Maurizio, Bellotti Denise
Positively charged residues play a significant role in enhancing the antibacterial activity of calcitermin
Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 2025, 262, 112761
IF: 3.2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112761 (ScienceDirect)

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Leveraro Silvia, Garstka Kinga, Śliwka Paulina, Janek Tomasz, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena, Remelli Maurizio, Bellotti Denise
Metal coordination governs the antimicrobial efficacy of calcitermin derivatives
Dalton Transactions, 2024, 53, 12676–12687
IF: 3.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4DT01514B (RSC Publishing)

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Albanese, V., Roccatello, C., Pacifico, S., Guerrini, R., Preti, D., Gentili, S., Tegoni, M., Remelli, M., Bellotti, D., Amico, J., Gorgoni, G., & Cazzola, E. 
Bifunctional octadentate pseudopeptides for the complexation of radiometals relevant to diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine
EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry, 2024, 9, 38
IF: 3.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41181-024-00263-1 (europepmc.org)

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Garstka Kinga, Bellotti Denise, Wątły Joanna, Kozłowski Henryk, Remelli Maurizio, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena
Metal coordination to solute binding proteins – exciting chemistry with potential biological meaning
Dalton Transactions, 2023, 52, 16140–16150
IF: 3.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3DT02417B (RSC Publishing)

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Garstka, K., Dzyhovskyi, V., Wątły, J., Stokowa-Sołtys, K., Świątek-Kozłowska, J., Kozłowski, H., Barceló-Oliver, M., Bellotti, D., & Rowińska-Żyrek, M. 
CH vs. HC: the shifting of a single residue in the metal binding site strongly affects the coordination mode of a fragment of the zincophore Pra1 from Candida albicans
Molecules, 2023, 28(10), 3985
IF: 4.6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28103985 (crossmark.crossref.org)

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Bellotti Denise, Miller Adriana, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena, Remelli Maurizio
Zn(II) and Cu(II) binding to the extramembrane loop of Zrt2, a zinc transporter of Candida albicans
Biomolecules, 2022, 12(1), 121
IF: 4.8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010121 (projekty.ncn.gov.pl)

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Bellotti Denise, Remelli Maurizio
Lights and Shadows on the Therapeutic Use of Antimicrobial Peptides
Molecules, 2022, 27(14), 4584
IF: 4.6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144584 (MDPI)

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Bellotti Denise, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena, Remelli Maurizio
How Zinc-Binding Systems, Expressed by Human Pathogens, Acquire Zinc from the Colonized Host Environment: A Critical Review on Zincophores
Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2021, 28(35), 7312–7338
IF: 3.5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200222666210514012945 (ScienceDirect)

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Bellotti, D., Sinigaglia, A., Guerrini, R., Marzola, E., Rowińska-Żyrek, M., & Remelli, M.
The N-terminal domain of Helicobacter pylori’s Hpn protein: an unusual nickel-binding fold and a role in the host immune response
Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 2021, 214, 111304
IF: 3.2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2020.111304 (orcid.org)

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Bellotti Denise, Remelli Maurizio, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena
Novel insights into the metal binding ability of ZinT periplasmic protein from Escherichia coli
Dalton Transactions, 2020, 49, 9393–9403
IF: 3.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0DT01626H (ScienceDirect)

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Bellotti Denise, Tocchio Cinzia, Guerrini Remo, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena, Remelli Maurizio
Thermodynamic and spectroscopic study of Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with the (148–156) peptide fragment of C4YJH2, a putative metal transporter of Candida albicans
Metallomics, 2019, 11, 1988–1998
IF: 2.9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9MT00251K (RSC Publishing)

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Bellotti Denise, Toniolo Mattia, Dudek Dorota, Mikołajczyk Aleksandra, Guerrini Remo, Matera-Witkiewicz Agnieszka, Remelli Maurizio, Rowińska-Żyrek Magdalena
Bioinorganic chemistry of calcitermin – the picklock of its antimicrobial activity
Dalton Transactions, 2019, 48, 13740–13752
IF: 3.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9DT02869B (RSC Publishing)