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Nicolò Antonelli is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry at the University of Insubria, working in the Protein Factory 2.0 laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Loredano Pollegioni. His research focuses on enzyme biotechnology and biocatalysis, with particular interest in the valorization of plastic and textile waste and the development of sustainable biotechnological routes to high-value compounds. During his PhD, he investigated enzymatic strategies for the depolymerization and upgrading of PET textile waste, integrating biocatalytic and whole-cell approaches for circular bioeconomy applications.
Eugenia Messina earned her Ph.D. in Functional and Applied Genomics and Proteomics from the Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Environment at the University of Bari. Her research focuses on the non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica as a platform for sustainable biotechnology. She investigates the metabolism of alternative carbon sources derived from waste streams, including volatile fatty acids and monomers obtained from plastic depolymerization, with the aim of advancing circular bioeconomy strategies. Using synthetic biology approaches, she engineers both homologous and heterologous enzymes to optimize metabolic pathways and enable the biosynthesis of high-value industrial products. Her work integrates microbial physiology, metabolic engineering, and enzyme design to develop innovative bioprocesses that convert low-value waste materials into valuable biochemicals and biobased products.
International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology