CURRICULUM VITAE

Born November 13, 1942, in Bari, Italy.

Graduated in Organic Chemistry at the University of Bari (1969).

Since 1994 is Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Basilicata in Potenza, where he has been Director of the Dept. of Biology (95-98). Teacher of Biochemistry and Enzymology in Potenza (4 courses). Lecturer of Neurochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine in Bari (since 1978).

Since 1976 tutor of 64 students for their degree in Biological Sciences (58) (Univ. Bari) or in Food Sciences (11) (Univ. of Basilicata). Tutor of 6 PhD students.

MAIN AREAS OF RESEARCH AND RESULTS ACHIEVED

Biochemistry of proteins and lipids. Structure of membranes. Neurochemistry and Neuroimmunology. NeuroAIDS, multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases. Enzymology. Food sciences.

Scientific activity in Germany: 1)Univ. of Munich, Faculty of Medicine, 1970, 1971-1975, 1976 & 1977; 2) EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), Heidelberg, 1981 & 1983.

Scientific activity in Italy: 1)Univ. Bari, since 1975; 2) Univ. of Basilicata, Potenza, since 1994.

The scientific interests of Paolo Riccio started in 1970 in Munich with Professor Martin Klingenberg at the Institute fuer Physikalisce Biochemie with the study of mitochondria and the purification and characterization of the ADP/ATP carrier. This was the 1st mitochondrial carrier to be isolated in 1974 (FEBS Lett., BBA & Meth. Enzymol.). The same procedure was then used by other groups for the purification of other mitochondrial carriers. In cooperation with Prof. G. von Jagow in Munich, P.R. also succeeded (1976) in the one-step purification of Complex III of the respiratory chain from mitochondria (BBA & Meth. Enzymol.).

In 1975 P.R. moved to the Institute of Biological Chemistry in Bari following the invitation of Prof. Ferdinando Palmieri.

In 1983, with Prof. Ernesto Quagliariello, started with the study of myelin. The most important result was the isolation of myelin basic protein (MBP) in the lipid-bound form (Ital. Patent 1984-1989).

P.R. has also shown that: 1) MBP can directly bind to lymphocytes and can be processed by APC with two different mechanisms; 2) CSF-MBP is a good marker of myelin damage in patients with AIDS dementia complex; 3) lipid-bound MBP is a new autoantigen in EAE; 4) zinc and phosphate can bind to MBP and influence myelin compaction; 5) in addition to MBP, other myelin proteins (P2 & P0) can be purified in the lipid-bound form and possess an ordered structure; 6) lipid-free MBP, added to lipidic Langmuir-Blodgett films, or lipid-bound MBP, form myelin-like multilayers; 7) there is a compositional bias and mimicry toward the nonself proteome in immunodominant epitopes of self and nonself antigens; 8) matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) may have an important role in multiple sclerosis and its level decreases by Interferon beta-1b treatment.

P.R. is an ex-alumnus of EMBL. In 1996 he was awarded the Quagliariello Foundation Prize for scientific activity and moral qualities. In 1997 P.R. was candidate for the Council of the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN).

Publications: 103 scientific papers in International Journals and other minor contributions for about 300 scientific reports. 3 patents, the first in biochemistry, 2nd and 3rd in food sciences.

He organized the following international meetings "Antigenic Properties of Myelin and the Role of Myelin in Pathology", Naples, 1990. (reported in J. Neuroimmunol. (1991) 32, 185-186.), the Workshop "Proteases Involved in Demyelination and their Origins" at the 10th ESN Meeting, Jerusalem, 1994; the ESF Exploratory Workshop on “Myelin Structure and its Role in Autoimmunity”, Potenza, 5-8 June 2002, and three italian meetings respectively in Biochemistry (Potenza 1996) and Neuroimmunology (Bari, 1997), and Food Science (Maratea. 2002).

 

Since 1993 P.R. is a member of the Scientific Commission of the Italian Association for Multiple Sclerosis (AISM), and during 1998-2001 has been an elected member of the Council of the Italian Association of Neuroimmunology (AINI). P.R. is member of the Italian Society of Biochemistry (1978), the Int. Society for Neurochemistry (1985), and the Int. Society of Neuroimmunology.

Referee of J. Neurochem, Bioch. Biophys. Acta, AISM, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, the italian NIH), Italian Ministerium for University and Research (MURST).

Fundings: Istituto Superiore di Sanità (AIDS Project (7x) and MS Project (2x)); AISM & Television Program: 30 Ore per la Vita; MURST (on the recovery of whey proteins); Region Basilicata; European Union (two BIO-MED Projects (1996-1999) on "High resolution structures of myelin proteins" (contractor) and on "T cell autoimmunity in MS" (subcontractor in two subprojects), respectively.