ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9407-0576
Francesco Morena, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Biochemistry (BIOS-07/A) at the Department of Life Sciences, Health, and Health Professions at Link Campus University. He obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Perugia (2015), with a dissertation focused on the development of gene therapy strategies for lysosomal storage diseases. He also obtained the National Scientific Qualification (ASN) as an associate professor in the fields of 05/E1 (General Biochemistry), 05/E2 (Molecular Biology), and 05/E3 (Clinical Biochemistry).
His research activity, documented by more than 60 publications in international peer-reviewed journals with impact factors, focuses on two main areas: biochemistry applied to advanced therapies and quantitative/computational biology. In the first area, he studies the pathogenic mechanisms of lysosomal storage diseases (e.g., MLD, Krabbe) and develops gene therapy strategies (lentiviral vectors) for enzyme replacement. In this context, from 2020 to 2025, he was Quality Manager and Head of the “Biomolecular Laboratory for Recombinant Proteins (LBPR)” (ISO 9001:2015 certified) at the University of Perugia. He coordinated the development of assays (according to EMA/FDA guidelines) for gene therapy clinical trials, in strategic collaboration with SR-TIGET, GlaxoSmithKline, and Orchard Therapeutics.
He is also interested in computational methods and machine learning (R, Python) for the analysis of Big Data and ‘Omics’ data, for molecular modeling (AI de novo design), and for the in silico study of protein/protein and protein/RNA molecular interactions (docking, molecular dynamics).
He coordinated or directed several units for various competitive research projects, including PNNR Vitality projects, a ‘Young Researchers’ call for proposals from the Italian Lymphoma Foundation (for the part concerning the application of AI to antibody development), a 2019 Targeted Research project, and an “Aptavid” project funded by Google (2020) for the in silico development of aptamers against SARS-CoV2. He is the author of numerous publications in international peer-reviewed journals, including Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine, and is a regular reviewer for several peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Curriculum Vitae OFFICE HOURS
The professor is available to receive the students at the end of the lessons. However, the students may also request an appointment by email.