Marco Lucio Lolli
Dr. Marco L. Lolli is an internationally recognized expert in Medicinal Chemistry specialized in hit-to-led optimization process and the design of bioactive using innovative bioisosteric tools. In this latter sense, he focused his attention on acidic hydroxyazoles that, because of their acidity can be considered isosteres of the carboxylic group. By investigating their application as bioisosteres and expanding their synthetic accessibility, over the years he created a versatile tool effective in exploring the chemical space. This technology allowed the discovery of MEDS433, a potent Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase (hDHODH) inhibitor in advance preclinical stage for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and antiSARS-CoV-2. His major research interests in Drug Design are: broad-spectrum antivirals (SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs), cancer (Leukemia, Breast and Prostatic cancer), neglected diseases (Malaria, Leishmaniasis, ….) and Neurotransmission (Gaba and Glu). He has been trained in prestigious national (Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Bracco Industria Chimica s.p.a, Research and Development Division) and foreigners (College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, (USA), School of Pharmacy - University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison (WI, USA)) laboratories. Being at the present Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry at the Dept of Science and Drug Technology of the University of Turin, from the beginning of 2022, we will be Associate Professor in Medicinal Chemistry, at the same University. He has been Visiting Professor in Eu (Denmark, Sweden, UK) and no-Eu countries (Bolivia, India) countries. He played the PI role in few international programs, as for example 2018-2021) High Priority Italy-Sweden, funded by the Swedish Council and Italian Ministero degli Esteri. In order to move his best research to the Market, he cofounded of two SpinOffs: Beenext s.r.l (2013, www.beenext.it) having the mission in introduce to the Market innovative scientific glassware and offer educational support. Drug Discovery and Clinic (DDC) s.r.l. (2020, www.DDCpharmaceutical.com): whose mission is to lead a new patented dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH) inhibitor until human clinical trials for curing Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and COVID-19.
Expertise: Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design, Synthetic Chemistry, Metabolism, Bioisosterism.
Bibliometric indicators:
Publications: 51 (included in press)
Patents: 6
Scopus: Citations: 840; H. Index:20
WOS, Citations: 742; H. Index: 19, position: first 25% last 30%, corresponding 23%
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3030-3163
Oral presentations 11
Awards 6
Master / PhD teaching/Tutoring skills
Since 1999, he always played his educational roles (Master / PhD level) with great passion. At the present, he is in charge of two Courses (Drug Analysis II and Drug Synthesis and Development Methodologies, this latter at the Chemistry Dept of UniTO) involving almost 90 students and 190 h over two semesters. In recent years he had further refined his qualities as Advisor / Teacher, rationalizing them through the attendance of two UniTO courses, specifically dedicated to advanced teaching techniques enriched by the use of new technologies. He became skilled in training young scientist (5 Post-Docs and more 80 Master students). Tutor panel of PhD course in Pharmaceutical and Biomolecular Sciences in the PhD School of Natural Sciences and Innovative Technologies at UniTO (5 PhD students, in two occasion inside a Double-Degree PhD Agreement arranged between UniTO and the University of Copenhagen (DK)
Responsible of Erasmus agreements: Bradford (UK), Gent (B), Lund (S), Copenhagen (DK), University of San Andreas (La Paz, Bolivia) and the Nirma University (Ahmedabad, India).