Personal data

Place of Birth        Messina                          

Date of Birth         26.09.1989                           

Citizenship            Italian                            

Telephone             +39 3406413939                             

E-mail                     martina.timmoneri@studenti.unipd.it                          

 

Education/Degrees

I gratuated in "Biotecnologie Per la Salute" in 2014 at University of Messina.

 

Working experience  

After the graduation for one year I attended as trainee the lab of Molecular Biology of Clininc and Biomolecular Hepatology - University of Messina.

In 2016 I joined the group of Dr. Alvisi as a PhD Student. My reasearch focused on a project aiming to identify Small Molecules that hinder Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication interfering with the HCMV phosphoprotein UL44 homodimerization. 

HCMV is a leading cause of severe disease in immunocomprised individuals, such as in case of vertical transmission during pregnancy. 

UL44 plays an essential role in viral replication, conferring processivity to the DNA polymerase catalytic subunit UL54 by tethering it to the DNA. Binding of UL44 to dsDNA depends on its homodimerization. Furthermore, UL44 dimerization is necessary for initiating and performing lytic-phase DNA synthesis. Therefore, UL44 dimerization might represent an attractive target of therapeutic intervention.

In 2019 I completed my PhD studies defending a thesis entitled " Inhibition of HCMV replication by small molecules interfering with the dimerization of the DNA polymerase processivity factor UL44"