Area di ricerca: Scienze Biomolecolari

The research interests concern the study of the molecular mechanisms that regulate signal transduction and cell growth, with a focus on metabolism and its dysfunctions linked to human diseases.

Keywords: Budding yeast, astrocytes, neurons, metabolism, cell cycle, aging, signaling, nutrients, functional food, neurodegeneration, protein aggregation, bioactive compounds.

The main topics of research are:
1-Plant-derived bioactive compounds against neurodegeneration and lipid dysmetabolism
As part of the National Biodiversity Future Centre (https://www.nbfc.it/), our lab studies plant-derived bioactive compounds and their effects on aging, neurodegeneration-related protein aggregation, and lipid metabolism, aiming to identify beneficial molecules and uncover their cellular and molecular mechanisms.
2-Serine metabolism as sex-specific hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and during astrocyte differentiation
This project aims to investigate how alterations in serine metabolism affect cellular functions, with a particular focus on the sex-specific differences observed in post-mortem hippocampal samples from male and female individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Using hiPSC-derived astrocytes and neurons, we seek to explore the role of serine metabolism during astrocyte and neuron differentiation and to develop robust cellular models for studying neurodegenerative diseases, with potential applications in therapeutic development.
3-The role of AMPK in metabolic regulation and its spatial localization in response to nutrients
We are investigating the subcellular localization of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key regulator of cellular metabolism, to understand how its spatial dynamics influence downstream signaling pathways during metabolic stress. This research aims to uncover mechanisms by which AMPK fine-tunes cellular responses to nutrient availability.

Paola Coccetti, Associate Professor of Biochemistry - Group Leader

room 5013, building U3, tel.: +39 02 6448 3521
lab 5011, building U3, tel. +39 02 6448 3513
paola.coccetti@unimib.it
BtBs profile, UNIMIB profile, Publications (Bicocca Open Archive)
CV, PubMed,  ResearchGate,  Scopus,  ORCID,  Google Scholar, LinkedIn

Farida Tripodi, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

room 5011, building U3, tel. +39 02 6448 3513
lab 5013, building U3, tel. +39 02 6448 3521
farida.tripodi1@unimib.it
BtBs profile, UNIMIB profile, Publications (Bicocca Open Archive)
Google Scholar, LinkedIn

- Farida Tripodi, Alessia Lambiase, Hind Moukham, Giorgia Spandri, Maura Brioschi, Ermelinda Falletta, Annalisa D'Urzo, Marina Vai, Francesco Abbiati, Stefania Pagliari, Andrea Salvo, Mattia Spano, Luca Campone, Massimo Labra, Paola Coccetti* . Targeting protein aggregation using a cocoa-bean shell extract to reduce α-synuclein toxicity in models of Parkinson's disease. Curr Res Food Sci. 2024 Oct 24:9:100888. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100888. eCollection 2024.  *Corresponding author

- Marco Caligaris, Raffaele Nicastro, Zehan Hu, Farida Tripodi, Johannes Erwin Hummel, Benjamin Pillet, Marie-Anne Deprez, Joris Winderickx, Sabine Rospert, Paola Coccetti, Jörn Dengjel, Claudio De Virgilio. Snf1/AMPK fine-tunes TORC1 signaling in response to glucose starvation. Elife. 2023 Feb 7:12:e84319. doi: 10.7554/eLife.84319.

- Elisa Maffioli, Giulia Murtas, Valentina Rabattoni, Beatrice Badone, Farida Tripodi, Filomena Iannuzzi, Danilo Licastro, Simona Nonnis, Anna Maria Rinaldi, Zoraide Motta, Silvia Sacchi, Nadia Canu, Gabriella Tedeschi, Paola Coccetti*, Loredano Pollegioni. Insulin and serine metabolism as sex-specific hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in the human hippocampus. Cell Rep. 2022 Sep 6;40(10):111271. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111271. *Co-corresponding author

- Maria Vittoria Conti, Lorenzo Guzzetti, Davide Panzeri, Rachele De Giuseppe, Paola Coccetti, Massimo Labra, Hellas Cena. Bioactive compounds in legumes: Implications for sustainable nutrition and health in the elderly population. Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 117, November 2021, Pages 139-147. Doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2021.02.072.

Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze (BtBs) - Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italia

last update June 2025