info@medicampus.edu.mt
(+356) 2546 6007
Prof. Salvatore Cannistraro, PhD
Salvatore Cannistraro, PhD, is a physicist and biophysicist with extensive academic experience in molecular physics, biophysics and nanoscience. He served as Full Professor at the University of Tuscia and is Scientific Director of its Biophysics and Nanoscience Centre. His research focuses on spectroscopy, biomolecular structure and dynamics, biosensors, bioelectronics, nanomedicine and single-molecule techniques, with applications in cancer research and biomedical diagnostics.
Education and Positions
2018–present
Scientific Advisor to Synergie CAD Instruments for semiconductor-based biosensing and Senior Associate at IMM-CNR.
1997–present
Scientific Director of the Biophysics and Nanoscience Centre, University of Tuscia, Italy.
1991–2020
Full Professor of Physics, Biophysics and Nanoscience, Faculty of Science, University of Tuscia.
2013–2016
Head of the Research Panel, University of Tuscia.
2006–2008
Head of the Internal Panel for the Evaluation of Research and Teaching Activities, University of Tuscia.
1996–2002
Director of the Biophysics Section and Member of the Scientific Council of the National Institute for the Physics of Matter.
1993–1996
Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Tuscia.
1980–1991
Associate Professor of Molecular Physics, Department of Physics, University of Perugia.
1977–1980
Assistant Professor of Biophysics, Department of Physics, University of Calabria.
1975–1977
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health.
1986
Visiting Scientist, Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.
1975
PhD in Biophysics, University of Liège, Belgium.
1972
Degree in Physics, University of Pisa, Italy.
The Most Significant Publications
BOTTI, V.; DE BEI, O.; MARCHETTI, M.; et al. Nanoscale dynamical investigation of the haemoglobin complex with the bacterial protein IsdB: is their interaction stabilised by catch bonds? Nanoscale, 2024, 16(8): 4308–4316.
BOTTI, V.; LAVECCHIA DI TOCCO, F.; CANNISTRARO, S.; BIZZARRI, A.R. Hybridisation kinetics of miR-155 on gold surfaces as investigated by surface plasmon resonance and atomic force spectroscopy. ACS Omega, 2023, 8(42): 38941–38949.
BOTTI, V.; CANNISTRARO, S.; BIZZARRI, A.R. Interaction of miR-155 with human serum albumin: atomic force spectroscopy, fluorescence, FRET and computational modelling evidence. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022, 23(18): 10728.
BOTTI, V.; MARRONE, S.; CANNISTRARO, S.; BIZZARRI, A.R. Interaction between miR4749 and human serum albumin as revealed by fluorescence, FRET, atomic force spectroscopy and computational modelling. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022, 23(3): 1291.
Professional Activities
Academic and Scientific Leadership
Scientific Director of the Biophysics and Nanoscience Centre at the University of Tuscia.
Former Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences and former Director of the Biophysics Section of the National Institute for the Physics of Matter.
Former Head of university panels responsible for research and the evaluation of teaching and scientific activities.
Research Activities
Research focused on the photophysics of biologically relevant molecules and the effects of ultraviolet, visible and X-ray radiation on biological systems.
Application of optical, magnetic and neutron spectroscopies to the study of proteins, nucleic acids, cells and systems of biomedical, environmental and biotechnological interest.
Investigation of metalloproteins, hydration water and disordered systems through spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.
Single-molecule studies using atomic force microscopy, scanning tunnelling microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and near-field optical microscopy.
Development of hybrid systems, bioelectronic devices, biosensors, bio-nanotechnologies and nanomedicine applications.
Editorial and Scientific Review Activities
Editorial Board Member of scientific journals in nanomedicine, nanotechnology and biosensing.
Reviewer for international journals including Physical Review Letters, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Nano Letters, Biophysical Journal, Scientific Reports and ACS Sensors.
Evaluator of research projects for European and international scientific institutions and funding bodies.
Scientific Memberships
Member of the American Biophysical Society.
Member of the European Physical Society.
Member of the Italian Society for Pure and Applied Biophysics.
Member of scientific committees and panels within the European Science Foundation, the Institut Laue-Langevin and the Italian National Interuniversity Consortium for the Physical Sciences of Matter.
Scientific Production
Author of more than 230 peer-reviewed publications, reviews and book chapters, with research contributions in biophysics, nanoscience, molecular recognition and biosensing.
