Roberto Avola

Roberto Avola graduated in Biological Sciences on December 1974. - From January 1975 up to October 1977, he was Contract Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Catania. - From October 1977 up to December 1982, he was Assistant Professor Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Catania. - From November 1978 up to December 1982, he was Contract Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Catania. - From December 1982 up to June 1986, he was Associated Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Catania. - From June 1986 up today, he is Full Professor of Biochemistry at the School “Faculty of Medicine” of University of Catania. - Since Academic year 1978-79 up today, he taught Biochemistry in many Graduate School of “Faculty of Medicine”: (Reumathology, Nefrology, -Cardiology, Sport Medicine, Pediatric Sciences, Pediatric Surgery, Medical Genetics, Endocrinology, Hemathology, Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Pathology) - Since February 01th, 2013 up January 31th, 2015, was elected member of the National Board of Full Professors S.S.D. BIO/10, executive unit of the National College of Professors SSD BIO/10. - Since November 01th, 2014 is DEAN of Professors of Biochemistry, University of Catania. - Since November 01th, 2014 is DEAN of the School "Faculty of Medicine" at University of Catania; as well as he is DEAN of a lot of Specialization Schools post degree of Medical Area at University of Catania. - He attended in 1977 the Neurobiological Laboratory of Cell Biology at CNR in Rome directed by Professor Rita Levi Montalcini, working on some sensitive and simpathetic neurons in culture and neuroblastoma cell lines. - He awarded two Research Fellowship during 1980 and 1984, at the "Centre de Neurochimie" of CNRS in Strasbourg, attending a Research Project about the study of the endogeneous syntesis of choline by radiolabelled precusors in neuronal and glial cell cultures and of CDP-choline effects on cultured neuronal and glial cell metabolism. - He is Member of: "Italian Society of Experimental Biology” (SIBS), " Italian Society of Biochemistry" (SIB), " Italian society of Neuroscience" (SINS). - He is also member of: "European Society for Neurochemistry" (ESN), "International Society for Neurochemistry" (ISN), "International Society for Developmental Neuroscience" (ISDN). - Roberto Avola participated actively to several national and international meetings; in addition he is author of approximately 130 scientific publications on qualified international journals with impact factor. Research topics 1. Role of angiogenic and chemotactic molecules on brain metastasis mechanisms in an in vitro models of onco-hematology pathologies". 2. Effect of alpha-lipoic acid in hematologic and solid tumors cells (neuroblastoma cells) to assess the cytoprotection, chemoresistance and its outreach to some conventional drugs. 3. Effect of antioxidants (lipoic acid) and Choline containing compounds on proliferative and differentiative parameters in astroglial cell cultures. 4. Effect of growth factors, steroid hormones (estrogens, and glucocorticoids), astroglial conditioned media on cytoskeletal proteins expression, MAP KINASE, PARP, caspase-3, annexin-5 (well known markers of apoptotic process) in primary astrocyte cultures. 5. Effect of astroglial conditioned media on neural proliferation and differentiation; effects of growth factors (EGF, bFGF, IGF-I) on DNA and RNA labeling and ERK-1 expression on rat astrocytes mantained under various colture conditions.