Giuseppe Antonio MALFA

Dr Giuseppe A. Malfa is a pharmaceutical botanist specialising in 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 PhD in Neurobiology from the International Research Doctorate consortium of the 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 PhD, he was a Visiting PhD 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 postdoctoral researcher in the Pharmaceutical Biology group of Prof. R. Acquaviva, at the Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, until 2016. From October 2016 to August 2022, he was an adjunct professor of Plant and Animal Biology (SSD BIO 15) in the Bachelor of Science in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, conducting his research in the laboratories of the Biochemistry section of the Department of Drug and Health Sciences. He has supervised or co-supervised numerous experimental degree theses for the Single Cycle Master's Degree Courses in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology and the Bachelor of Science Course in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences in the same Department. He also carried out seminar activities in the II level Master's in "Integrated Medicine and Food Management for the Prevention and Treatment of Tumours" at 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. Dr Malfa, an RTD-B researcher since 2022, has been an associate professor of Pharmaceutical Biology (BIOS-01/D) in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences at the University of Catania since September 2025, where he conducts teaching and research. He is currently characterising the biological activity of natural plant extracts to evaluate antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anticancer effects on normal and transformed cell lines. In particular, the research focuses on medicinal and edible plants as a source of molecules with antioxidant action, given 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.

Last edit: 09/08/2026