Researchers
Pasquale Sacco
Ricercatore RTDb in Biochimica (BIO/10)
Edificio Q, primo piano, stanza 113
Tel: +39 040 558 8733
Email: psacco@units.it
Google scholar
Scopus
From October 2022, Pasquale Sacco is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste. From 2020 to 2022 he was PostDoctoral Fellow at AREA Science Park (Trieste, Italy). From 2016 to 2020 he was a PostDoctoral Fellow at the University of Trieste. In 2015, he was a Visiting Scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, (Trondheim, Norway).
His research interests include the study/characterization of oligo-/polysaccharides and carbohydrate-based biomaterials at different scales and forms in relation to areas such as tissue engineering, mechanobiology and enzyme activity.
Since 2014, he has published 38 full research articles and 4 review articles (42 in total) in leading peer-reviewed international journals related to the fabrication, characterization and implementation of biomaterials in the biomedical field, including Advanced Functional Materials (IF = 19.9), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF = 10.4), Carbohydrate Polymers (IF = 10.7) and Biomacromolecules (IF = 7.0). Of the published articles, I was first author in 19/42 (45%), corresponding author in 20/42 (48%) and last author in 5/42 (12%). I also filed 1 patent. His h-index is 17 (Source: Scopus, October 2022).
The overall results of his research have been recognized by national and international awards, including the "Julia Polak European Doctorate Awards", awarded by the Council of the European Society of Biomaterials in September 2017, the Young Investigator Award "Benito Casu", awarded by the Italian Society of Chemistry in June 2018 and the "Leonardo da Vinci" medal, awarded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) in April 2019. He was involved in both national and EU projects.
To date, he has established several national and European collaborations. To give an example: Dr. Jolanda Spadavecchia, Université Paris 13, France. The aim of this collaboration is to fabricate, characterize and apply novel hybrid biopolymer/gold theranostic platforms to be used for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs and biosensors. The results of this collaboration have led to 4 joint publications to date.
He served as a Guest Editor for the special issue "Polymers towards Mechanobiology" in the journal Polymers (MDPI). He serves also as Reviewer for 25 international journals, including Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Carbohydrate Polymers, Biomacromolecules, to name a few.
He is very active in disseminating research findings at national/international conferences, schools and meetings. From 2012 to 2017, he was a volunteer with NanoPiccola, the side project of the Nanoscience Accademy of Gagliato, with the aim of teaching concepts about nanoscience and nanomedicine to children of different ages.
Professors of other departments
Prof. Eleonora Marsich, Associate professor (SSD MED/50) at the Clinical University Department of Medical, Chirugical and Health Sciences
Postdocs
Dr. Francesca Scognamiglio
PhD students
Dr. Chiara Pizzolitto
Dr. Francesco Piazza