Integrative Structural Biology Meeting
4 - 6 March 2026 | Caserta, Italy
Integrative Structural Biology Meeting
This Integrative Structural Biology Meeting brings together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and industry experts to discuss the pivotal role of research infrastructure in accelerating frontier science and technology transfer, fostering discovery, and shaping advanced education.
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss advances in techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and computational modeling, as well as their applications in addressing complex biological questions. The meeting also fosters collaboration across institutions and promotes the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry, highlighting both national and international research initiatives.
To support the next generation of scientists, the programme also features selected participant presentations.
Event free of charge, however the registration is mandatory. Deadline 15 February 2026 (23:59 CET)
Early-career participants (PhDs, PostDocs) presenting their work are eligible for generous ITACA.SB travel grants. Please indicate your interest on the application form and attach a letter from your supervisor. Participants from the Mediterranean region are strongly encouraged to apply.
Speakers
Human Technopole Milan
CNR-IBPM Rome
University of Campania
University of Trento
NOVA University Lisbon
CEITEC Brno
IRBM Rome
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Martinsried, Germany
Programme
09:00 – 10:15 – Arrivals and registrations
10:15 – 10:40 – Welcome and Greetings – Michele Saviano, Scientific Coordinator of ITACA.SB
Morning session – Techniques Enabled at ITACA.SB – chair: Gianluca D’Abrosca
10:40 – 11:20 – Shining light on structure and function in the dark protein universe – Nicola Bordin – University of Padua
11:20 – 11:40 – Coffee break
11:40 – 12:20 – Leveraging ITACA.SB Structural Biology Services to target bacterial virulence: structural and functional insights into Pseudomonas aeruginosa Diadenosine Tetraphosphatase (ApaH) from the Biocrystal Facility – Adele Di Matteo – CNR-IBPM Rome, ITACA.SB Operative Unit
12:20 – 13:00 – Exploring Biological Complexity through Molecular Simulations – Gianluca Lattanzi – University of Trento
13:00 – 14:30 – Lunch
Afternoon session – Techniques Enabled at ITACA.SB – chair: Beatrice Vallone
14:30 – 15:10 – Unveiling the Interactome: Advanced Mass Spectrometry Strategies for probing Protein Complexes – Rosita Russo – University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
15:10 – 15:50 – Intrinsically disordered proteins by NMR spectroscopy: opening novel avenues in drug discovery? – Isabella Felli – University of Florence, CERM/CIRMMP, Instruct-ERIC node, ITACA.SB Operative Unit
15:50 – 16:30 – SAXS Workflows for Integrative Structural Biology: Applications in Drug Discovery and Biopharmaceutical Research – Melissa Graewert – EMBL Hamburg BioSAXS group, Instruct-ERIC node
16:30 – 16:50 – Coffee break
16:50 – 17:30 – AI Revolution in the Structural Prediction of Biomolecular Complexes – Ezgi Karaca – Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Turkey
17:30 – 18:10 – Cryo-EM across scales: from isolated molecules to cellular and tissues context – Jiří Nováček – CEITEC, Masaryk University, Instruct-ERIC node
from 19:30 – SOCIAL DINNER at Antica Hostaria Massa dal 1848 (address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini 55, a 10-minute walk from the hotel)
Morning Session | New Horizons in Structural Biology: Integrating Technology and Discovery – chair: Roberta Pierattelli
09:00 – 09:20 – Opening Remarks – Michele Saviano, Roberta Pierattelli
09:20 – 10:00 – Integrative Structural Biology: Examples from Instruct-ERIC – Harald Schwalbe – Goethe University Frankfurt, Instruct-ERIC Director
10:00 – 10:40 – Engineering Nanobodies for structural biology & drug discovery – Jan Steyaert – Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB center for Structural Biology Director
10:40 – 11:20 – Helicobacter pylori pH Acclimation: The Evil Duo of a pH-Gated Urea Channel and a Cytoplasmic Urease – Hartmut Luecke – NOVA University Lisbon
11:20 – 11:40 – Coffee break
11:40 – 12:20 – Cryo-FIB milling for cryo-ET Shaping the future of in situ structural biology – Jürgen Plitzko – Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
12:20 – 13:00 – Tackling thyroid hormone biology via an integrative structural approach – Francesca Coscia – Human Technopole Milan, ERC Starting Grant
13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
Institutional Session | ITACA.SB project in the Italian and Mediterranean landscape – chair: Michele Saviano
PLEASE NOTE: THIS SESSION WILL BE HELD AT UNIVERSITY OF CAMPANIA “Luigi Vanvitelli” (address: via Vivaldi 43, a 10-minute walk from the hotel)
14:00 – 14:30 – Guest reception
14:30 – 15:30 – Institutional welcome
Francesco Dotta, Director of Biomedical Sciences, National Research Council of Italy
Debora Berti, Prorector for Research at the University of Florence
Cinzia Giannini, Acting Director of Institute of Crystallography, National Research Council of Italy
Angela Chambery, Director of DISTABIF University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
15:30 – 15:50 – PNRR and Research Infrastructures
Michele Mazzola, Ministry of University and Research, Directorate General for Internationalization and Communication, Office III – Internationalization of Research
15:50 – 16:10 – The project ITACA.SB – Results and Future Perspectives
Giancarlo Tria, CNR-IC URT Caserta, Infrastructure Manager of ITACA.SB
16:10 – 16:30 – ITACA.SB & Instruct-ERIC
Lucia Banci, UNIFI-CERM, Head of the Italian node of INSTRUCT-ERIC
16:30 – 16:50 – Public-private cooperation in drug discovery and business support models
Matteo Liguori, CEO of IRBM
16:50 – 17:10 – Research infrastructures, a new opportunity for collaboration between research institutions and universities
Paolo Vincenzo Pedone, President of Consiglio Universitario Nazionale, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
17:10 – 17:20 – Closing Remarks
Michele Saviano, CNR-IC URT Caserta, Scientific Coordinator of ITACA.SB
17:20 – 18:30 – ITACA.SB Networking Aperitif & Poster Session
from 19:00 – PIZZA NIGHT at “I Masanielli – Sasà Martucci” (address: Via Antonio Vivaldi 23, a 2-minute walk from the university entrance)
Morning Session | Research Infrastructures to Accelerate Industrial Drug Discovery – chair: Luigi Russo
09:00 – 09:30 – NMR Applications in Biologic Drug Control and Development – Marco Fragai – University of Florence, CERM/CIRMMP, Instruct-ERIC node, ITACA.SB Operative Unit
09:30 – 10:00 – Precision Antigens: Structural Biology Accelerating Vaccine Innovation – Ilaria Ferlenghi – GlaxoSmithKline, Siena
10:00 – 10:30 – NMR in Modern Drug Discovery: the Power of Atomic Resolution – Alessandro Piai – IRBM, Rome
10:30 – 11:00 – Bridging Structure and Dynamics in Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 8 (TRPM8): Cryo-EM Structure Meets Multiscale Simulations for in silico drug-design – Carmine Talarico – Dompé farmaceutici S.p.A. – EXSCALATE
11:00 – 11:20 – Coffee break
Morning Session | Integrative Structural Biology – chair: Andrea Ilari
11:20 – 12:00 – Protein folding and aggregation explored by the NMR spectroscopy – Roberto Fattorusso – University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
12:00 – 12:20 – Crystal Structure of TcGPR Reveals Distinct Active Site Features Compared to Homologous Enzymes – Maria Eduarda Souza Dias Lino – University of São Paulo/Université Grenoble Alpes (selected oral contribution)
12:20 – 12:40 – Time-resolved structural insights into bacterial heme extraction from hemoglobin by Staphylococcus aureus IsdB – Omar De Bei – University of Parma (selected oral contribution)
12:40 – 13:00 – Investigating Membrane-Driven KRAS Oligomerization through Computational Structural Modeling – Nishita Mandal – Academy of Athens (selected oral contribution)
13:00 – 14:30 – Lunch
Afternoon Session | Integrative Structural Biology – chair: Ilaria Silvestri
14:30 – 14:50 – Cryo-EM of Native DNA Replication Machines Isolated from Cell-Free Egg Extracts – Paolo Passaretti – University of Birmingham (selected oral contribution)
14:50 – 15:10 – Capturing the dynamic transitions of the spliceosome: A simulation-based model for branch-site recognition via strand invasion – Pavlína Pokorná –CNR-IOM@SISSA Trieste (selected oral contribution)
15:10 – 15:30 – Dimerization is the key event: covalently-linked G-quadruplex-forming aptamers for High-Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) inhibition – Ettore Napolitano – University of Naples Federico II (selected oral contribution)
15:30 – 15:50 – NMR investigation of structural heterogeneity and ligand recognition in the SARS-COV-2 nucleocapsid protein – Tessa Bolognesi – University of Florence CERM (selected oral contribution)
15:50 – 16:00 – Closing Remarks – Michele Saviano, Scientific Coordinator of ITACA.SB
16:00 – Departures
Meeting Photo Gallery (here)
Organizers
University of Florence
CNR-IC Bari
University of Florence
CNR-IC URT Caserta
CNR-IC URT Caserta
Questions? Contact us