Lucia Banci | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 20 May 1954 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | University of Florence |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Florence |
| Thesis | (1978) |
Lucia Banci (born 20 May 1954) is an Italian chemist who is a professor at the University of Florence. Her research considers structural biology and biological nuclear magnetic resonance, with a focus on the role of metal ions in biological systems.
Banci was an undergraduate student at the University of Florence. Her interest in magnetic resonance spectroscopy started with electron paramagnetic resonance, which can be used to study molecules that contain unpaired electrons. [1] Banci remained at the University of Florence for postdoctoral research, and received tenure in 1983.[ citation needed ]
Banci has studied the role of metal ions in biological processes. [2] She extensively developed nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for biological systems, and made use of it to better design and optimise vaccines. [2] She founded the Centro Risonanze Magnetiche (CERM), a magnetic resonance centre in Italy, [2] where she studies globular proteins. [3] Her research resulted in the development of the Meningococcal vaccine. [2]
In 2020, Banci oversaw the installation of the world's first 1.2 GHz nuclear magnetic resonance system. [3] The ultra-high field system can provide information on intrinsically disordered proteins. [3] The instrument makes use of low-temperature superconductors – high-temperature superconductors hybrid magnet technologies. [2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Banci used nuclear magnetic resonance to determine the structure of SARS-CoV-2 and how it could be treated with medicine. [4] [5]
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Dennis Torchia is an American biophysicist who specialized in NMR spectroscopy. He spent most of his career at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the United States National Institutes of Health, where he served as Chief of the Structural Biology Unit before his retirement in 2006.
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Marc Baldus is a physicist and professor of NMR spectroscopy at Utrecht University. He is especially known for his work in the field of structural biology using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. He applies ssNMR methods to establish structure-function relationships in complex biomolecular systems including membrane and Amyloid proteins. In addition, he develops cellular NMR methods to study large molecular transport and insertion systems in bacteria as well as signal transduction mechanisms in eukaryotic cells.
Claudio Luchinat is an Italian chemist. He is author of about 550 publications in Bioinorganic Chemistry, NMR and Structural Biology, and of four books. According to Google scholar, his h-index is 90 and his papers have been quoted more than 33,000 times.
Hartmut Oschkinat is a German structural biologist and professor for chemistry at the Free University of Berlin. His research focuses on the study of biological systems with solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance.
Gerhard Wagner is a German-American physicist. Currently the Elkan Rogers Blout Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, he is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and International Society of Magnetic Resonance.
Alessio Ciulli is an Italian British biochemist. Currently, he is the Professor of Chemical & Structural Biology at the School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, where he founded and directs Dundee' new Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD). He is also the scientific co-founder and advisor of Amphista Therapeutics.
Gaetano T. Montelione is an American biophysical chemist, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Constellation Endowed Chair in Structural Bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.
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Ivano Bertini was an Italian chemist recognized for his significant contributions in the field of bioinorganic chemistry, particularly in NMR spectroscopy of metalloproteins.
