There are 3 Federico II projects financed with almost 4 million euros from FIS

The Fund aims to promote the development of fundamental research on the model of the ERC – European Research Council, a prestigious program dedicated to basic research.

It covers all areas of fundamental research and is aimed at emerging scientists and experienced scientists. Of the 50 million, in fact, 20 are Starting Grants and 30 Advanced Grants.

The University Frederick II with three projects admitted to funding, FIS ranks first among Italian universities and research centres, on a par with Bocconi, Padua, Pisa and Rome Sapienza.

The Federician projects financed by the Italian Science Fund are equal to 6,4% of the total admitted and benefit from almost 8% of the allocated funds, a percentage that rises to approximately 13,3% of the funds allocated to research projects conducted by established researchers, as all three are Advanced Grants.

The projects 'VOCVOX' and 'COMPELLING' were funded for the development of fundamental research activities for the Macro-sector LS – Life Sciences.

'VOCVOX – Plants talk, but do they listen? Deciphering volatile organic compounds (VOC)-based plant alphabet' by Francesco Loreto, Professor of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, received a grant of 1.500.000,00 euros.

'COMPELLING – COronavirus-induced Membrane ProtEin and Lipid remodeLING', by Antonella (Maria Antonietta) De Matteis, Professor of Applied Biology, Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, received €1.205.890,00.

The 'ABYNE' Project was funded for the development of fundamental research activities for the Macro-sector SH – Social Sciences and Humanities.

'ABYNE – Arguing by necessity. Editing and reading middle Byzantine commentaries on the Corpus Hermogenianum', by Aglae Pizzone, currently associate professor of medieval literature at the University of Southern Denmark, where she also coordinates a Marie Curie Doctoral Net, has been awarded a grant of €1.171.686,78.

This latest project demonstrates the attractiveness of the University of Napoli Federico II. Pizzone states: 'The Department of Humanistic Studies of UniNa, with its great tradition in the field of Byzantine studies and its interdisciplinary vocation, represents the ideal home for Abyne'.

'There are 3 Federico II projects admitted to FIS funding, obtained following a particularly stringent selection process. A number equivalent to that of the other universities that have had the greatest success, confirming the positioning of Federico II at the top of research in Italy – underlines Matteo Lorito, rector of Federico II –. The most heartfelt wishes and congratulations go to the project leaders on behalf of the entire University for this important recognition'.

Our projects

Professor Francesco Loreto explains the project 'Plants talk, but do they listen? Deciphering volatile organic compounds (VOC)-based plant alphabet – VOCVOX' as follows: 'It is known that plants emit volatile substances (VOCs) that serve to communicate with other organisms, for example pollinating insects or herbivores. It seems that VOCs can also play a role in the relationships between plants, conveying messages of various types (attraction, repulsion, protection, information and "warning") from the emitting plants to the receiving ones.

But how do plants VOCVOX sense VOCs? We animals have a nose and a neural system to decode the olfactory message. But what about plants? The aim of the project is to understand if plants have a nose, and how it works. This information will enable sustainable plant protection practices, improving crop productivity and the well-being of the agricultural ecosystem,' he concludes.

'Our group's interest is focused on studying the dynamics and functioning of the various membrane compartments within our cells – says Professor Antonella De Matteis, speaking about the project 'COMPELLING – COronavirus-induced Membrane ProtEin and Lipid remodeLING'-. In general, viruses use and remodel these compartments to invade cells, to replicate and to spread to neighboring cells.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we have realized how little was known about the strategy implemented by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to use and remodel host cell membranes to its advantage and we decided to put our skills at the service of this global health emergency.

'In our work published in Nature last year (PMID: 35551511) – recalls De Matteis – we identified a viral protein that is fundamental for the ex-novo generation of a membrane compartment, a real niche, dedicated to the replication of the virus sheltered from the host cell's surveillance systems.

Now, with the FIS-funded COMPELLING project, we aim to identify the host cell factors that the virus usurps to build its replication niche and to allow its progeny to propagate and infect other cells. Identifying these factors will allow for effective countermeasures against current and future variants of SARS-CoV-2, but also against other coronaviruses.'

'ABYNE aims to offer new insights into Middle Byzantine rhetoric (843-1204), starting from an analysis of the exegetical activity around the so-called “Corpus Hermogenianum”, a set of rhetorical treatises attributed to Hermogenes of Tarsus (2nd-3rd century) – explains Professor Aglae Pizzone -. Through the publication and study of hitherto unpublished or little-known texts, Abyne intends to contribute to the debate on the epistemic status of rhetoric and the “two cultures” – humanistic and scientific'.

Over the course of five years, a team that will include, in addition to the PI, Professor Roberto Delle Donne (Medieval History), Dr. Nicoletta Rozza (Medieval and Humanistic Latin Literature) and Dr. Michela Ponticorvo (Psychometrics), all from the Department of Humanistic Studies at Federico II, together with 2 RTDA, a research fellow and two PhD students, will investigate the theoretical and ethical reflections on the nature of language stimulated by the corpus, showing how the creative and transgenerational reading of a manual has ended up providing transversal cognitive tools, thus contributing to shaping an entire culture.

'A collaboration is planned with the University of Southern Denmark and in particular the Citizen Knowledge Center, specialized in organizing and (training) Citizen Science initiatives, or collaborative science – Pizzone continues -. There is also an international advisory board that ranges from Germany to the United States'.