Giuseppe Antonio MALFA

Dr. Giuseppe A. Malfa is a Pharmaceutical Botanist specializing in the study of endemic and non-endemic plant species of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and food interest. After graduating in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology (2008) at the University of Catania with an experimental thesis entitled: Resveratrol and Trimethoxyresveratrol in the In vitro treatment of prostate cancer, he won a postgraduate scholarship from the Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical Chemistry, and Molecular Biology, entitled “Analysis of gene expression on biopsies and cell cultures of prostate and bladder cancer” (2009). In 2014 he obtained a Ph.D. in Neurobiology of the International Research Doctorate of the consortium Universities of Catania, Rome (La Sapienza) and Pavia with a doctoral thesis entitled: "Mechanism of action of Methylmercury on human astrocytes: neuroprotection of lipoic acid". During his Ph.D., he was a Visiting Ph.D. student at the Cell Biology Laboratory of the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Toledo, Ohio USA. (2010) and at the redox proteomics laboratory of the Department of Biochemistry, University College of Cork, Ireland (2011). Subsequently, he was a volunteer Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Pharmaceutical Biology group of Prof. R. Acquaviva, at the Department of Drug Sciences of the University of Catania until 2016. From October 2016 to August 2022 he was an adjunct professor of Plant and Animal Biology (SSD BIO 15) at the Bachelor of Science in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, carrying out his research activities in the laboratories of the Biochemistry section of the Department of Drug and Health Sciences. He has been the Supervisor / Co-supervisor of numerous experimental degree theses for the Syngle Cycle Master's Degree Courses in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology and the Bachelor of Science Course in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences of the same Department. He also carried out seminar activities in the II level Master in "Integrated Medicine and Food Management for the Prevention and Treatment of Tumors", of the University of Catania (Academic Year 2019-2020 and 2020-2021) - module: Biologically Active Natural Substances (SSD BIO/ 15), Report entitled: Biologically active natural substances: Terpenes and Terpenoids. Since September 2022, Dr. Malfa has been an RTD-b researcher in Pharmaceutical Biology (BIO/15) at the Department of Drug and Health Sciences of the University of Catania. He is currently involved in the characterization of the biological activity of natural extracts of plant origin for the evaluation of the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anticancer activity on normal and transformed cell lines. In particular, the research concerns medicinal and edible plants as a source of molecules with antioxidant action, in consideration of the key role of oxidative stress in the promotion and progression of numerous human pathologies. The scientific activity is documented by numerous international publications in ISI journals with impact factor (IF) and diverse communications at international congresses.