Benedetta MANNINI

Ruolo attuale:: Ricercatore Legge 240/10 a tempo determinato
SSD:: BIOS-07/A - Biochimica
Afferenza organizzativa:: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sperimentali e Cliniche 'Mario Serio'

Recapiti

benedetta.mannini(AT)unifi.it

Benedetta MANNINI

Orario di ricevimento (aggiornato al 09/11/2023)

Please, send an email if interested.

Benedetta MANNINI

Biografia

Benedetta Mannini è rientrata recentemente in Italia come ricercatrice all'Università di Firenze, dopo dieci anni di ricerca all'estero, portando con sé un'esperienza diversificata maturata sia in ambito accademico che industriale. Dopo essersi laureata con il massimo dei voti in Scienze Biologiche ed aver conseguito il dottorato di ricerca in Biochimica e Biologia Applicata nel 2013 all’Università di Firenze, ha proseguito la sua carriera come postdoc presso il CABIMER di Siviglia in Spagna e l'Università di Cambridge nel Regno Unito, dove attualmente è Visiting Scientist.

Dal 2019 al 2023 ha ricoperto il ruolo di Principal Scientist responsabile della biologia cellulare presso WaveBreak Therapeutics, uno spin-off dell'Università di Cambridge, guidando un gruppo di sette scienziati nello sviluppo di modelli cellulari per lo studio di malattie neurodegenerative, come il morbo di Alzheimer e il morbo di Parkinson. Durante la sua esperienza in WaveBreak, ha coordinato la parte di biologia cellulare in un'importante collaborazione con l’azienda farmaceutica Eisai, volta a studiare un farmaco con potenziale effetto modificante sul decorso della malattia di Parkinson.

Ad oggi, è autrice di oltre 40 pubblicazioni con più di 2300 citazioni totali (fonte: Scopus) e ha preso parte a numerosi congressi scientifici in qualità di relatrice.

Benedetta MANNINI

Curriculum

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

09/2023 - present Researcher, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences Mario Serio. University of Florence (Italy), and Visiting scientist in the Centre for Misfolding Diseases (Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge).

01/2019 – 08/2023 WaveBreak Therapeutics (UK): Principal Scientist of the Cell Platform. Built a team from scratch; lead a group of 7 researchers; developed cell systems derived from human stem cells to model neurodegeneration; established high throughput systems for drug discovery; delivered drug efficacy data packages for investors and regulators.

05/2014 – 01/2019 Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge (UK): Research Associate in the groups of Prof. Chris Dobson and Prof. Michele Vendruscolo. Developed a model of stabilized oligomers from the Amyloid-beta peptide; established cultures of immortalized cell line and induced pluripotent stem cell to model protein aggregation; supervision of students; set up collaborations with other academic groups; talk and poster presentations in international conferences.

09/2012 – 12/2012 and 10/2013 – 01/2014 CABIMER Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology & Regenerative Medicine, CSIC-University of Seville (Spain): FEBS short-term fellowship and EMBO short-term fellowship in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt. Investigated the immunogenicity of protein misfolded oligomers in microglia cells; expertise in immortalized cell cultures, ELISA, qPCR, proteomics.

02/2009 – 03/2013 University of Florence: Master’s student in Biological Sciences (highest distinction 110/110 cum laude) and PhD student in Biochemistry and Applied Biology in the lab of Prof. Fabrizio Chiti. Investigated the structure-activity relationship of protein misfolded oligomers; expertise in biophysics, biochemistry, protein purification; supervision of students; set up international collaborations; talk and poster presentations in international conferences.

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

09/2015 Winner of the SIB Medal Award 2015 from SIB (Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).

12/2014 Winner of the 2^nd edition of the Angelo Marai Award from ASIS (Associazione Studi sull’Industria della Salute) and Fondazione Carlo Erba for the most innovative contribution in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

10/2013 – 01/2014 Winner of an EMBO scientific exchange grant (EMBO fellowship - ASTF 450–2013) for a three months project in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt, CABIMER, Seville (Spain).

09/2012 – 12/2012 Winner of a FEBS short-term fellowship and of an EMBO short-term fellowship (EMBO fellowship - ASTF 393 – 2012- not used) for a three months project in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt, CABIMER, Seville (Spain).

02/2010 – present Member of SIB (Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

TALKS AND CONGRESSES

2019 Talk at the 6^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (UK).
2018 Talk at the 5^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Taormina (Italy).
2017 Talk at the 3rd International Proteostasis and Disease Symposium in Wollongong (Australia).
2016 Talk at the 4^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Seville (Spain).
2016 Talk at the conference “Advances in Biophysical Methods for Protein Characterisation” in Palermo (Italy).
2015 Talk at the 3^rd annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (UK).
2015 Talk at ASIS (Associazione Studi sull’Industria della Salute) Conference in Pisa (Italy).
2014 Talk at the 2^nd annual meeting of the "Centre for Misfolding Diseases (CMD)” in Cambridge (United Kingdom).
2014 Talk at the series of seminars organized by Denothe Centre of the University of Florence (Italy).
2014 Poster at EMBL Conference "Microglia: Guardians of the Brain” in Heidelberg (Germany). Bursary by SIBBM (Società Italiana di Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare).
2012 Talk at the YSP 2012 and Poster at22^nd IUBMB & 37^th FEBS Congress in Seville (Spain). Bursary by FEBS.
2011 Poster at 36^th FEBS Congress in Torino (Italy). Bursary by SIB (Società Italiana di Biochimica e Biologia molecolare).
2011 Poster at EMBO conference "The Biology of Molecular Chaperones” in Grundlsee (Austria). Bursary by YTF FEBS.
2010 Talk at IX Convegno Nazionale INBB “Scienze della vita” in Roma (Italy).
2010 Talk at Congresso Nazionale 2010 della Divisione di Chimica dei Sistemi Biologici “From molecular structure to systems biology” in San Vito di Cadore (Italy). Bursary by SCI (Società Chimica Italiana).
2010 Poster at 35^th FEBS Congress in Gothenburg (Sweden). Bursary by FEBS.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

05-07/2018 Consultant for the establishment of a cell platform for drug discovery at WaveBreak Therapeutics (United Kingdom).

11/2015 Organizer of the 3^rd annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (United Kingdom)

02/2014 – 03/2014 Istituto Comprensivo Piero Cironi in Prato (Italy): intermediate school teacher of mathematics, geometry and science.

04/2013 – 05/2013 Liceo Scientifico Niccolò Copernico in Prato (Italy): high school teacher of natural sciences, chemistry, geography, microbiology.

12/2011 – 10/2012 University of Florence (Italy): web editor of the website of the Degree Course in Mathematics and assistant to the Head of Mathematics and Head of Computer Science.

01/2010 – present University of Florence (Italy) and University of Cambridge (UK): thesis supervision. Supervision of undergraduate and PhD students.

PUBLICATIONS AND LINKS

ORCID

Researchgate

Google Scholar

Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge

London Stem Cell Network

Benedetta MANNINI

Interessi

Neuroscienze; misfolding e aggregazione; neurodegenerazione; relazione tra struttura e attività biologica; 
sistemi modello derivati da iPSC; sistemi cellulari per drug discovery; ricerca traslazionale.

Benedetta MANNINI

Pubblicazioni

Legenda

Contributo su rivista |

Articolo su libro |

Libro |

Contributo in atti di convegno (proceeding) |

Brevetto |

Curatela | Altro

Altro |

Tesi di Dottorato

González Díaz, Alicia; Cataldi, Rodrigo; Mannini, Benedetta; Vendruscolo, Michele (2024). Preparation and Characterization of Zn(II)-Stabilized Aβ42 Oligomers. ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 15, pp. 2586-2599, ISSN:1948-7193 DOI

Chia, Sean; Cataldi, Rodrigo Lessa; Ruggeri, Francesco Simone; Limbocker, Ryan; Condado-Morales, Itzel; Pisani, Katarina; Possenti, Andrea; Linse, Sara; Knowles, Tuomas P. J.; Habchi, Johnny; Mannini, Benedetta; Vendruscolo, Michele (2024). A Relationship between the Structures and Neurotoxic Effects of Aβ Oligomers Stabilized by Different Metal Ions. ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 15, pp. 1125-1134, ISSN:1948-7193 DOI

Perni, Michele; Mannini, Benedetta (2024). Targeting Protein Aggregation in ALS. BIOMOLECULES, vol. 14, pp. 1-15, ISSN:2218-273X DOI Accesso ONLINE all'editore

Thomson, John; Cridland, Andrew; Ball, Sarah; Staats, Roxine; Pandey, Samata; Cruz, Marta Castellana; Pisani, Katarina; Meisl, Georg; Kitchen-Smith, Isaac; Yang, Xiaoting; Mannini, Benedetta; Pollack, Scott; Rajah, Luke; Brewerton, Suzanne; Habchi, Johnny; Plowright, Alleyn (2023). Small Molecule Inhibitors for Precise Inhibition of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomer Generation in Parkinson’s Disease (S32.002). NEUROLOGY, vol. 100, pp. 0-0, ISSN:0028-3878 DOI

Chia S.; Faidon Brotzakis Z.; Horne R.I.; Possenti A.; Mannini B.; Cataldi R.; Nowinska M.; Staats R.; Linse S.; Knowles T.P.J.; Habchi J.; Vendruscolo M. (2023). Structure-Based Discovery of Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the Autocatalytic Proliferation of α-Synuclein Aggregates. MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS, vol. 20, pp. 183-193, ISSN:1543-8384 DOI

Xu C.K.; Castellana-Cruz M.; Chen S.W.; Du Z.; Meisl G.; Levin A.; Mannini B.; Itzhaki L.S.; Knowles T.P.J.; Dobson C.M.; Cremades N.; Kumita J.R. (2022). The Pathological G51D Mutation in Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers Confers Distinct Structural Attributes and Cellular Toxicity. MOLECULES, vol. 27, pp. 1-14, ISSN:1420-3049 DOI

Leal-Lasarte, Magdalena; Mannini, Benedetta; Chiti, Fabrizio; Vendruscolo, Michele; Dobson, Christopher M; Roodveldt, Cintia; Pozo, David (2021). Distinct responses of human peripheral blood cells to different misfolded protein oligomers. IMMUNOLOGY, vol. 164, pp. 358-371, ISSN:1365-2567 DOI

Rodriguez Camargo D.C.; Chia S.; Menzies J.; Mannini B.; Meisl G.; Lundqvist M.; Pohl C.; Bernfur K.; Lattanzi V.; Habchi J.; Cohen S.I.A.; Knowles T.P.J.; Vendruscolo M.; Linse S. (2021). Surface-Catalyzed Secondary Nucleation Dominates the Generation of Toxic IAPP Aggregates. FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES, vol. 8, pp. 1-11, ISSN:2296-889X DOI

Priyanka Joshi; Michele Perni; Ryan Limbocker; Benedetta Mannini; Sam Casford; Sean Chia; Johnny Habchi; Johnathan Labbadia; Christopher M. Dobson; Michele Vendruscolo (2021). Two human metabolites rescue a C. elegans model of Alzheimer’s disease via a cytosolic unfolded protein response. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, vol. 4, pp. 1-14, ISSN:2399-3642 DOI

Perni, Michele; Mannini, Benedetta; Xu, Catherine K; Kumita, Janet R; Dobson, Christopher M; Chiti, Fabrizio; Vendruscolo, Michele (2021). Exogenous misfolded protein oligomers can cross the intestinal barrier and cause a disease phenotype in C. elegans. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. 11, pp. 0-0, ISSN:2045-2322 DOI

Ryan Limbocker, Roxine Staats, Sean Chia, Francesco S Ruggeri, Benedetta Mannini, Catherine K Xu, Michele Perni, Roberta Cascella, Alessandra Bigi, Liam R Sasser, Natalie R Block, Aidan K Wright, Ryan P Kreiser, Edward T Custy, Georg Meisl, Silvia Errico, Johnny Habchi, Patrick Flagmeier, Tadas Kartanas, Jared E Hollows, Lam T Nguyen, Kathleen LeForte, Denise Barbut, Janet R Kumita, Cristina Cecchi, Michael Zasloff, Tuomas P J Knowles, Christopher M Dobson, Fabrizio Chiti, Michele Vendruscolo (2021). Squalamine and its derivatives modulate the aggregation of amyloid-β and α-synuclein and suppress the toxicity of their oligomers. FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 15, pp. 1-17, ISSN:1662-453X DOI

Giulia Fani, Benedetta Mannini, Giulia Vecchi, Roberta Cascella, Cristina Cecchi, Christopher M. Dobson, Michele Vendruscolo, Fabrizio Chiti (2021). Aβ oligomers dysregulate calcium homeostasis by mechanosensitive activation of AMPA and NMDA receptors.. ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 12, pp. 766-781, ISSN:1948-7193 DOI

Cataldi R.; Chia S.; Pisani K.; Ruggeri F.S.; Xu C.K.; Sneideris T.; Perni M.; Sarwat S.; Joshi P.; Kumita J.R.; Linse S.; Habchi J.; Knowles T.P.J.; Mannini B.; Dobson C.M.; Vendruscolo M. (2021). A dopamine metabolite stabilizes neurotoxic amyloid-β oligomers. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, vol. 4, pp. 1-10, ISSN:2399-3642 DOI

Ruggeri F.S.; Mannini B.; Schmid R.; Vendruscolo M.; Knowles T.P.J. (2020). Single molecule secondary structure determination of proteins through infrared absorption nanospectroscopy. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 11, pp. 1-9, ISSN:2041-1723 DOI

Ikenoue T.; Aprile F.A.; Sormanni P.; Ruggeri F.S.; Perni M.; Heller G.T.; Haas C.P.; Middel C.; Limbocker R.; Mannini B.; Michaels T.C.T.; Knowles T.P.J.; Dobson C.M.; Vendruscolo M. (2020). A rationally designed bicyclic peptide remodels Aβ42 aggregation in vitro and reduces its toxicity in a worm model of Alzheimer’s disease. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. 10, pp. 0-0, ISSN:2045-2322 DOI

Vecchi G.; Sormanni P.; Mannini B.; Vandelli A.; Tartaglia G.G.; Dobson C.M.; Hartl F.U.; Vendruscolo M. (2020). Proteome-wide observation of the phenomenon of life on the edge of solubility. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, vol. 117, pp. 1015-1020, ISSN:0027-8424 DOI

Aprile F.A.; Sormanni P.; Podpolny M.; Chhangur S.; Needham L.-M.; Ruggeri F.S.; Perni M.; Limbocker R.; Heller G.T.; Sneideris T.; Scheidt T.; Mannini B.; Habchi J.; Lee S.F.; Salinas P.C.; Knowles T.P.J.; Dobson C.M.; Vendruscolo M. (2020). Rational design of a conformation-specific antibody for the quantification of Aβ oligomers. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, vol. 117, pp. 13509-13518, ISSN:0027-8424 DOI

G. T. Heller, F. A. Aprile, T. C. T. Michaels, R. Limbocker, M. Perni, F. S. Ruggeri, B. Mannini, T. Lohr, M. Bonomi, C. Camilloni, A. De Simone, I. C. Felli, R. Pierattelli, T. P. J. Knowles, C. M. Dobson, M. Vendruscolo, (2020). Small-molecule sequestration of amyloid-beta. as a drug discovery strategy for Alzheimer's disease. SCIENCE ADVANCES, vol. 6, pp. 0-0, ISSN:2375-2548 DOI Accesso ONLINE all'editore

Limbocker R.; Mannini B.; Cataldi R.; Chhangur S.; Wright A.K.; Kreiser R.P.; Albright J.A.; Chia S.; Habchi J.; Sormanni P.; Kumita J.R.; Ruggeri F.S.; Dobson C.M.; Chiti F.; Aprile F.A.; Vendruscolo M. (2020). Rationally designed antibodies as research tools to study the structure–toxicity relationship of amyloid-β oligomers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, vol. 21, pp. 1-18, ISSN:1661-6596 DOI

Kreiser R.P.; Wright A.K.; Block N.R.; Hollows J.E.; Nguyen L.T.; Leforte K.; Mannini B.; Vendruscolo M.; Limbocker R. (2020). Therapeutic strategies to reduce the toxicity of misfolded protein oligomers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, vol. 21, pp. 1-33, ISSN:1422-0067 DOI

Ryan Limbocker, Benedetta Mannini, Francesco S. Ruggeri, Roberta Cascella, Catherine K. Xu, Michele Perni, Sean Chia, Serene W. Chen, Johnny Habchi, Alessandra Bigi, Ryan P. Kreiser, Aidan K. Wright, J. Alex Albright, Tadas Kartanas, Janet R. Kumita, Nunilo Cremades, Michael Zasloff, Cristina Cecchi, Tuomas P. J. Knowles, Fabrizio Chiti, Michele Vendruscolo, Christopher M. Dobson (2020). Trodusquemine displaces protein misfolded oligomers from cell membranes and abrogates their cytotoxicity through a generic mechanism. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, vol. 3, pp. 0-0, ISSN:2399-3642 DOI Accesso ONLINE all'editore

Ryan Limbocker, Sean Chia, Francesco S. Ruggeri, Michele Perni, Roberta Cascella, Gabriella T. Heller, Georg Meisl, Benedetta Mannini, Johnny Habchi, Thomas C.T. Michaels, Pavan K. Challa, Minkoo Ahn, Samuel T. Casford, Nilumi Fernando, Catherine K. Xu, Nina D. Kloss, Samuel I.A. Cohen, Janet R. Kumita, Cristina Cecchi, Michael Zasloff, Sara Linse , Tuomas P.J. Knowles, Fabrizio Chiti, Michele Vendruscolo, Christopher M. Dobson (2019). Trodusquemine enhances Aβ42 aggregation but suppresses its toxicity by displacing oligomers from cell membranes. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 10, pp. 1-13, ISSN:2041-1723 DOI Accesso ONLINE all'editore

Mannini, Benedetta; Vecchi, Giulia; Labrador-Garrido, Adahir; Fabre, Bertrand; Fani, Giulia; Munoz Franco, Jaime; Lilley, Kathryn S; Pozo, David; Vendruscolo, Michele; Chiti, Fabrizio; Dobson, Christopher M; Roodveldt, Cintia (2019). Differential interactome and innate immune response activation of two structurally distinct misfolded protein oligomers. ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE, pp. 0-0, ISSN:1948-7193 DOI

Mannini B.; Habchi J.; Chia S.; Ruggeri F.S.; Perni M.; Knowles T.P.J.; Dobson C.M.; Vendruscolo M. (2018). Stabilization and Characterization of Cytotoxic Aβ40 Oligomers Isolated from an Aggregation Reaction in the Presence of Zinc Ions. ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 9, pp. 2959-2971, ISSN:1948-7193 DOI

Perni M, Flagmeier P, Limbocker R, Cascella R, Aprile FA, Galvagnion C, Heller GT, Meisl G, Chen SW, Kumita JR, Challa PK, Kirkegaard JB, Cohen SIA, Mannini B, Barbut D, Nollen EAA, Cecchi C, Cremades N, Knowles TPJ, Chiti F, Zasloff M, Vendruscolo M, Dobson CM (2018). Multistep Inhibition of α‑Synuclein Aggregation and Toxicity in Vitro and in Vivo by Trodusquemine. ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, vol. 13, pp. 2308-2319, ISSN:1554-8929 DOI

Reinier Oropesa-Nunez, Sandeep Keshavan, Silvia Dante, Alberto Diaspro, Benedetta Mannini, Claudia Capitini, Cristina Cecchi, Massimo Stefani, Fabrizio Chiti, Claudio Canale (2018). Toxic HypF-N oligomers selectively bind the plasma membrane to impair cell adhesion capability. BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, vol. 114, pp. 1357-1367, ISSN:0006-3495 DOI

Mannini, Benedetta; Chiti, Fabrizio (2017). Chaperones as Suppressors of Protein Misfolded Oligomer Toxicity. FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE, vol. 10, pp. 98-98, ISSN:1662-5099 DOI

Perni M.; Aprile F.A.; Casford S.; Mannini B.; Sormanni P.; Dobson C.M.; Vendruscolo M. (2017). Delivery of Native Proteins into C. Elegans Using a Transduction Protocol Based on Lipid Vesicles. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. 7, pp. 0-0, ISSN:2045-2322 DOI

Habchi J.; Chia S.; Limbocker R.; Mannini B.; Ahn M.; Perni M.; Hansson O.; Arosio P.; Kumita J.R.; Challa P.K.; Cohen S.I.A.; Linse S.; Dobson C.M.; Knowles T.P.J.; Vendruscolo M. (2017). Systematic development of small molecules to inhibit specific microscopic steps of Aβ42 aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, vol. 114, pp. E200-E208, ISSN:0027-8424 DOI

Ramshini, Hassan; Mannini, Benedetta; Khodayari, Kaveh; Ebrahim-Habibi, Azadeh; Moghaddasi, Azam Sadat; Tayebee, Reza; Chiti, Fabrizio* (2016). Bis(indolyl)phenylmethane derivatives are effective small molecules for inhibition of amyloid fibril formation by hen lysozyme. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY, vol. 124, pp. 361-371, ISSN:0223-5234 DOI Accesso ONLINE all'editore

Cappelli, S; Penco, A; Mannini, Benedetta; Cascella, Roberta; Wilson, M; Ecroyd, H; Li, X; Buxbaum, J; Dobson, Cm; Cecchi, Cristina; Relini, A; Chiti, Fabrizio (2016). Effect of molecular chaperones on aberrant protein oligomers in vitro: super- versus sub-stoichiometric chaperone concentrations. BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, pp. 0-0, ISSN:1431-6730 DOI

Guerrini, Luca; Arenal, Raul; Mannini, Benedetta; Chiti, Fabrizio; Pini, Roberto; Matteini, Paolo; Alvarez-Puebla, Ramon A (2015). SERS Detection of Amyloid Oligomers on Metallorganic-Decorated Plasmonic Beads. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, vol. 7, pp. 9420-9428, ISSN:1944-8252 DOI

Mannini B; Mulvihill E; Sgromo C; Cascella R; Khodarahmi R; Ramazzotti M; Dobson CM; Cecchi C; and Chiti F (2014). Toxicity of Protein Oligomers Is Rationalized by a Function Combining Size and Surface Hydrophobicity. ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, vol. 9, pp. 2309-2317, ISSN:1554-8929 DOI

Francesca Tatini; Anna Maria Pugliese; Chiara Traini; Sandra Niccoli; Giovanna Maraula; Teresa Ed Dami; Benedetta Mannini; Tania Scartabelli; Felicita Pedata; Fiorella Casamenti; Fabrizio Chiti (2013). Amyloid-β oligomer synaptotoxicity is mimicked by oligomers of the model protein HypF-N. NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING, vol. 34, pp. 2100-2109, ISSN:0197-4580 DOI

Benedetta Mannini (2013). Early-forming aberrant aggregates in protein deposition diseases: structural characteristics, interaction with molecular chaperones, ability to trigger inflammation. (Tutor: Prof. Fabrizio Chiti)

Roberta Cascella; Simona Conti; Benedetta Mannini; Xinyi Li; Joel N. Buxbaum; Bruno Tiribilli; Fabrizio Chiti; Cristina Cecchi (2013). Transthyretin suppresses the toxicity of oligomers formed by misfolded proteins in vitro. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASE, vol. 1832, pp. 2302-2314, ISSN:0925-4439 DOI

T. Saridaki; M. Zampagni; B. Mannini; E. Evangelisti; N. Taddei; C. Cecchi; F. Chiti (2012). Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) Suppress the Toxicity of HypF-N Prefibrillar Aggregates. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, vol. 421, pp. 616-630, ISSN:1089-8638 DOI

B. Mannini; S. Campioni; M. Boninsegna; A. Penco; R. Cascella; M. Zampagni; M. Wilson; S. Meehan; C. Roodveldt; C. Dobson; A. Relini; C. Cecchi; F. Chiti (2012). Chaperones suppress the toxicity of aberrant protein aggregates. Molecular insight into the mechanism of action. In: 22nd IUBMB Congress/37th FEBS Congress, WILEY-BLACKWELL, 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA, vol. 279 S1, pp. 224-224.

Campioni S;Mannini B;López-Alonso JP;Shalova IN;Penco A;Mulvihill E;Laurents DV;Relini A;Chiti F (2012). Salt anions promote the conversion of HypF-N into amyloid-like oligomers and modulate the structure of the oligomers and the monomeric precursor state.. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, vol. 424, pp. 132-149, ISSN:0022-2836 DOI

B. Mannini; R. Cascella; M. Zampagni; M. van Waarde-Verhagen; S. Meehan; C. Roodveldt; S. Campioni; M. Boninsegna; A. Penco; A. Relini; H.H. Kampinga; C.M. Dobson; M.R. Wilson; C. Cecchi; F. Chiti (2012). Molecular mechanisms used by chaperones to reduce the toxicity of aberrant protein oligomers. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, vol. 109, pp. 12479-12484, ISSN:1091-6490 DOI

B.Ahmad; I.Vigliotta; F.Tatini; S.Campioni; B.Mannini; J.Winkelmann; B.Tiribilli; F.Chiti (2011). The induction of α-helical structure in partially unfolded HypF-N does not affect its aggregation propensity. PROTEIN ENGINEERING, DESIGN & SELECTION, vol. 24, pp. 553-563, ISSN:1741-0126 DOI

B. Mannini; S. Campioni; M. Boninsegna; E. Palagano; R. Cascella; M. Zampagni; A. Penco; M. Wilson; S. Meehan; C. Roodveldt; A. Relini; C. Cecchi; F. Chiti (2011). Chaperones suppress protein oligomer toxicity: Insight into the molecular mechanism of action. In: 36th FEBS Congress of the Biochemistry for Tomorrows Medicine, WILEY-BLACKWELL, COMMERCE PLACE, 350 MAIN ST, MALDEN 02148, MA USA, vol. 278 S1, pp. 117-117.

Tatini F; Pugliese AM; Traini C; Niccoli S; Maraula G; EdDami T; Mannini B; Pedata F; Casamenti F; Chiti F. (2011). Misfolded protein oligomers formed by a model protein mimic the effect of a-beta oligomers on synaptic plasticity involved in Alzheimer's disease. THE FEBS JOURNAL, vol. 278, pp. 481-482, ISSN:1742-4658

Zampagni M; Cascella R; Casamenti F; Grossi C; Evangelisti E; Wright D; Becatti M; Liguri G; Mannini B; Campioni S; Chiti F; Cecchi C. (2011). A comparison of the biochemical modifications caused by toxic and non-toxic protein oligomers in cells. JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, vol. 15, pp. 2106-2116, ISSN:1582-1838 DOI

H.Ramshini; C.Parrini; A.Relini; M.Zampagni; B.Mannini; A.Pesce; A.A.Saboury; M.Nemat-Gorgani; F.Chiti (2011). Large proteins have a great tendency to aggregate but a low propensity to form amyloid fibrils. PLOS ONE, vol. 6, pp. e16075-e16075, ISSN:1932-6203 DOI

S.Campioni;B.Mannini;M.Zampagni;A.Pensalfini;C.Parrini;E.Evangelisti;A.Relini;M.Stefani;C.M.Dobson;C.Cecchi;F.Chiti (2010). A causative link between the structure of aberrant protein oligomers and their toxicity. NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, vol. 6, pp. 140-147, ISSN:1552-4450 DOI

J. Winkelmann; G. Calloni; S. Campioni; B. Mannini; N. Taddei; F. Chiti (2010). Low-level expression of a folding-incompetent protein in Escherichia coli: search for the molecular determinants of protein aggregation in vivo.. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, vol. 398, pp. 600-613, ISSN:0022-2836

Benedetta MANNINI

Biography

Benedetta Mannini recently returned to Italy as a researcher at the University of Florence, following ten years of research abroad. She brings with her a wealth of experience from both academic and industrial environments. After graduating with top honors in Biological Sciences and earning a PhD in Biochemistry and Applied Biology from the University of Florence in 2013, she pursued postdoctoral research at CABIMER in Seville, Spain, and at the University of Cambridge in the UK, where she currently serves as a Visiting Scientist.

From 2019 to 2023, she worked as Principal Scientist responsible for cellular biology at WaveBreak Therapeutics, a spin-off from the University of Cambridge. In this role, she led a team of seven scientists to develop cellular models for studying neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. She also coordinated the cellular biology component of a significant collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Eisai, focused on investigating a drug with potential disease-modifying effects on Parkinson’s disease progression.

Dr. Mannini has authored over 40 publications, with more than 2300 citations (source: Scopus), and has presented her research at numerous scientific conferences.

Benedetta MANNINI

Curriculum

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

09/2023 - present Researcher, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences Mario Serio. University of Florence (Italy), and Visiting scientist in the Centre for Misfolding Diseases (Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge).

01/2019 – 08/2023 WaveBreak Therapeutics (UK): Principal Scientist of the Cell Platform. Built a team from scratch; lead a group of 7 researchers; developed cell systems derived from human stem cells to model neurodegeneration; established high throughput systems for drug discovery; delivered drug efficacy data packages for investors and regulators.

05/2014 – 01/2019 Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge (UK): Research Associate in the groups of Prof. Chris Dobson and Prof. Michele Vendruscolo. Developed a model of stabilized oligomers from the Amyloid-beta peptide; established cultures of immortalized cell line and induced pluripotent stem cell to model protein aggregation; supervision of students; set up collaborations with other academic groups; talk and poster presentations in international conferences.

09/2012 – 12/2012 and 10/2013 – 01/2014 CABIMER Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology & Regenerative Medicine, CSIC-University of Seville (Spain): FEBS short-term fellowship and EMBO short-term fellowship in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt. Investigated the immunogenicity of protein misfolded oligomers in microglia cells; expertise in immortalized cell cultures, ELISA, qPCR, proteomics.

02/2009 – 03/2013 University of Florence: Master’s student in Biological Sciences (highest distinction 110/110 cum laude) and PhD student in Biochemistry and Applied Biology in the lab of Prof. Fabrizio Chiti. Investigated the structure-activity relationship of protein misfolded oligomers; expertise in biophysics, biochemistry, protein purification; supervision of students; set up international collaborations; talk and poster presentations in international conferences.

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

09/2015 Winner of the SIB Medal Award 2015 from SIB (Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).

12/2014 Winner of the 2^nd edition of the Angelo Marai Award from ASIS (Associazione Studi sull’Industria della Salute) and Fondazione Carlo Erba for the most innovative contribution in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

10/2013 – 01/2014 Winner of an EMBO scientific exchange grant (EMBO fellowship - ASTF 450–2013) for a three months project in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt, CABIMER, Seville (Spain).

09/2012 – 12/2012 Winner of a FEBS short-term fellowship and of an EMBO short-term fellowship (EMBO fellowship - ASTF 393 – 2012- not used) for a three months project in the lab of Prof. David Pozo Pérez and Dr Cintia Roodveldt, CABIMER, Seville (Spain).

02/2010 – present Member of SIB (Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

TALKS AND CONGRESSES

2019 Talk at the 6^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (UK).
2018 Talk at the 5^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Taormina (Italy).
2017 Talk at the 3rd International Proteostasis and Disease Symposium in Wollongong (Australia).
2016 Talk at the 4^th annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Seville (Spain).
2016 Talk at the conference “Advances in Biophysical Methods for Protein Characterisation” in Palermo (Italy).
2015 Talk at the 3^rd annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (UK).
2015 Talk at ASIS (Associazione Studi sull’Industria della Salute) Conference in Pisa (Italy).
2014 Talk at the 2^nd annual meeting of the "Centre for Misfolding Diseases (CMD)” in Cambridge (United Kingdom).
2014 Talk at the series of seminars organized by Denothe Centre of the University of Florence (Italy).
2014 Poster at EMBL Conference "Microglia: Guardians of the Brain” in Heidelberg (Germany). Bursary by SIBBM (Società Italiana di Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare).
2012 Talk at the YSP 2012 and Poster at22^nd IUBMB & 37^th FEBS Congress in Seville (Spain). Bursary by FEBS.
2011 Poster at 36^th FEBS Congress in Torino (Italy). Bursary by SIB (Società Italiana di Biochimica e Biologia molecolare).
2011 Poster at EMBO conference "The Biology of Molecular Chaperones” in Grundlsee (Austria). Bursary by YTF FEBS.
2010 Talk at IX Convegno Nazionale INBB “Scienze della vita” in Roma (Italy).
2010 Talk at Congresso Nazionale 2010 della Divisione di Chimica dei Sistemi Biologici “From molecular structure to systems biology” in San Vito di Cadore (Italy). Bursary by SCI (Società Chimica Italiana).
2010 Poster at 35^th FEBS Congress in Gothenburg (Sweden). Bursary by FEBS.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

05-07/2018 Consultant for the establishment of a cell platform for drug discovery at WaveBreak Therapeutics (United Kingdom).

11/2015 Organizer of the 3^rd annual meeting of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in Cambridge (United Kingdom)

02/2014 – 03/2014 Istituto Comprensivo Piero Cironi in Prato (Italy): intermediate school teacher of mathematics, geometry and science.

04/2013 – 05/2013 Liceo Scientifico Niccolò Copernico in Prato (Italy): high school teacher of natural sciences, chemistry, geography, microbiology.

12/2011 – 10/2012 University of Florence (Italy): web editor of the website of the Degree Course in Mathematics and assistant to the Head of Mathematics and Head of Computer Science.

01/2010 – present University of Florence (Italy) and University of Cambridge (UK): thesis supervision. Supervision of undergraduate and PhD students.

PUBLICATIONS AND LINKS

ORCID

Researchgate

Google Scholar

Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge

London Stem Cell Network

Benedetta MANNINI

Interest

Neuroscience; protein misfolding and aggregation linked to diseases; neurodegeneration; structure and biological activity relationship; iPSC-derived model systems; cell systems for drug discovery; translation to humans.