ITACA.SB Workshop
25 - 27 February 2026 | Catania, Italy

11:00 – 13:00 – Arrivals

13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch

14:00 – 14:15 – Welcome and Opening Remarks – Michele Saviano, Scientific Coordinator of ITACA.SB

Afternoon session 1

Chair: Danilo Milardi

14:15 – 14:45 – (Keynote) Protein characterization by mass spectrometry – from structures to interactions and mechanisms – Pietro Luigi Mauri, CNR-IEOMI

14:45 – 15:15 – (Keynote) Small Molecules and MS-based Approaches in the Immunotherapeutic Landscape – Angelo Fontana, CNR-ICB Naples

15:15 – 15:45 – Targeting Amyloid-β Misfolding: The Theragnostic Promise of Conjugated Peptides – Giuseppe Pappalardo, CNR-IC Catania

15:45 – 16:00 – Crosslinking MS, coFractionation MS and deep learning to define in situ protein-protein interactions – Andrea Graziadei, Human Technopole Milan – (Selected oral contribution)

16:00 – 16:15 – An integrative structural biology study of the RAD51–BRC repeats interplay in Homologous Recombination – Francesco Rinaldi, Italian Institute of Technology – (Selected oral contribution)

16:15 – 16:35 – Coffee break

Afternoon session 2

Chair: Laura Siracusa

16:35 – 17:05 – (Keynote) Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and metabolomics unveil metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cell – Angela Bachi, IFOM

17:05 – 17:35 – (Keynote) Misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases: role of non-covalent interactions – Luigi Russo, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”

17:35 – 18:05 – MALDI and ESI MS to map glycoconjugate complexity – Angelo Palmigiano, CNR-IPCB Catania

18:05 – 18:25 – From structure to immunity: mass spectrometry-driven characterization of lipopolysaccharides – Marcello Mercogliano, University of Naples Federico II – (Selected oral contribution)

18:20 – 18:35 – AuNCs-SG Nanosystem a potential tool for enhanced IL6 Sensing -Ester Butera, University of Catania – (Selected oral contribution)

Morning session

09:00 – 13:30 – ITACA.SB Social activity

13:30 – 14:30 – Lunch

Afternoon session 1

Chair: Nicola D’Antona

14:30 – 15:00 – (Keynote) High sensitivity optical nanosensing for liquid biopsy – Francesco Saverio Pavone, University of Florence, LENS

15:00 – 15:30 – Engineering Macrocycles for Next-Generation Drug Discovery and Delivery – Grazia Maria Letizia Consoli, CNR-ICB Catania

15:30 – 15:45 – From Phenotype to Mechanism: Computational Target Deconvolution in Cancer Therapeutics – Venera Russo, Dream Factory Lab, Vera Salus Ricerca S.r.l., J4Med Lab – (Selected oral contribution)

15:45 – 16:00 – Calixarene-Based Micelles Co-Loaded with Ciprofloxacin and Curcumin and their Incorporation into Poly(vinyl alcohol) Film Blends for Local Multidrug Treatment of Infections – Lucia Cambria, Università di Messina – (Selected oral contribution)

16:00 – 16:15 – Stimuli-responsive assemblies for targeted drug delivery: from molecular interactions to functional nanocarriers – Giuseppina Domenica Giovanna Santonoceta, University of Catania – (Selected oral contribution)

16:15 – 16:35 – Coffee break

Afternoon session 2

Chair: Giuseppe Pappalardo

16:35 – 17:05 – (Keynote) From molecular design to structural insight: imidazole heterocycles in cancer research – Prasanna Ramani, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

17:05 – 17:35 – Ethanolamides analogues as internal standards for quantitative ecb analysis: lipase-mediated synthesis and method evaluation – Laura Siracusa, CNR-ICB Catania

17:35 – 17:50 – Cyclodextrins as Drug Delivery Systems – Claudia Giovanna Leotta, Dream Factory Lab, Vera Salus Ricerca S.r.l., J4Med Lab – (Selected oral contribution)

17:50 – 18:05 – Non enzymatic strategies for Phe and Tyr detection – Giorgia Fangano, University of Catania – (Selected oral contribution)

20:30 – Social dinner

Morning session 1 

Chair: Sabrina Carroccio

09:00 – 09:30 – (Keynote) Non-invasive multispectral optical sensing for real time detection of psychological stress on skin – Victoria Barygina, University of Florence, LENS

09:30 – 10:00 – High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry as powerful tool for the identification and quantification of emerging contaminants in complex matrices – Valentina Giglio, CNR-IPCB Catania

10:00 – 10:30 – Bioactive phytocomplexes from the aromatic plant supply chain: from essential oils to hydrolates and distillation by-products – Marco Edoardo Napoli, CNR-ICB Catania

10:30 – 10:45 – Integrating GC-HRMS and GC×GC-HRMS to Investigate Relevant Skin Volatiles in Mother-Newborn Communication – Serena Reale, University of Pisa – (Selected oral contribution)

10:45 – 11:00 – Linking Biofilm-Forming Antarctic Bacteria, Functional Materials, and Quantitative Mass Spectrometry for Bioremediation Applications – Andrea Cattaneo, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari – (Selected oral contribution)

11:00 – 11:25 – Coffee break

Morning session 2

Chair: Angelo Palmigiano

11:25 – 11:55 – (Keynote) From Mass to Structure: 3D Imaging of Macromolecular Complexes and Hybrid Nanomaterials Using a Multipurpose TEM – Roberto Marotta, Italian Institute of Technology

11:55 – 12:25 – MS-based approaches for the characterization of chickpea seed proteins – Vincenzo Cunsolo, University of Catania

12:25 – 12:55 – Unraveling Amyloid Peptide Aggregation and Metal ion Interactions: Insights from Mass Spectrometry – Giuseppe Di Natale, CNR-IC Catania

12:55 – 13:10 – Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Activation: A Versatile Gateway to Biologically Active Fused 1,2,3-Triazole (Dihydro)quinolines – Dario Allevi, Polytechnic University of Milan – (Selected oral contribution)

13:10 – 13:20 – Closing Remarks – Michele Saviano, Scientific Coordinator of ITACA.SB

13:20 – 14:30 – Lunch

14:30 – Departures