MUGNAINI CLAUDIA

Claudia
Mugnaini
Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia
Professore Associato

Presentation

I consider the synthesis of new biologically active molecules as both a creative and rational process. Creative, because it stems from the ability to imagine new structures and new possibilities for interaction with biological systems; rational, because every synthetic and design choice must be guided by the continuous interplay between chemical structure, physicochemical properties, and biological function.

For me, this is the art of synthetic medicinal chemistry: transforming a biological idea into a concrete molecule, and a molecule into a tool capable of probing, modulating, and understanding complex biological systems.

Office hours

  • Wednesday from 14:00 to 16:00
    Place: Studio del docente - Polo Scientifico Universitario di San Miniato

Contacts

claudia.mugnaini@unisi.it
0577232434 [int.2434],0577234312 [int.4312] (Lab 10128)
stanza google meet

Curriculum Vitae

cv

Teaching activities

In my teaching, my main objective is to provide students not only with the fundamental knowledge of medicinal chemistry, but also with a passion for a discipline that arises from the encounter between different fields of knowledge. I like to present medicinal chemistry as a common language between chemistry, biology, and pharmacology: a discipline that is certainly complex, but precisely for this reason extremely fascinating.

I try to guide students towards understanding drugs not simply as chemical structures, but as the result of a finely balanced interplay between molecular properties, interaction with the biological target, behaviour in the body, efficacy, and safety. For me, conveying this way of looking at drugs means helping them develop curiosity, critical thinking, and awareness of the central role of medicinal chemistry in the research and development of new therapies.

Completion accademic year: 2026/2027

Completion accademic year: 2025/2026

Completion accademic year: 2024/2025

Completion accademic year: 2023/2024

Registration for exams

Research

My research activity is in the field of synthetic medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, and focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of small bioactive molecules, mainly with heterocyclic structures, as tools for the study and modulation of biological targets of pharmacological interest.

My main research lines include:

  • the development of selective ligands for cannabinoid receptors, with particular attention to the CB2 receptor;
  • the design of allosteric modulators of the GABA_B receptor;
  • the identification of new antibacterial compounds and antibiotic adjuvants active against resistant pathogens;
  • the development of multitarget ligands for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.

More recently, my activity has expanded to the design and synthesis of photoactivatable molecules and chemical probes for the study of receptor systems and complex pathological mechanisms.

 

SIENA MEDCHEM Group

Ultime pubblicazioni:

  • Corallo, A.A., Maramai, S., Noli, C., Paolino, M., Brizzi, A., Ligresti, A., et al. (2026). Targeting TRPA1 with Novel Synthetic Compounds Based on Different Scaffolds to Reduce Acute and Chronic Pain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 27(4) [10.3390/ijms27041716]. - view more
  • Videtta, G., Sasia, C., Quadrino, S., Brighenti, V., Bertarini, L., Caroli, C., et al. (2026). A sesquiterpene-rich essential oil from Cannabis sativa L. attenuates symptoms and neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model through a CB2-mediated signalling. PHYTOMEDICINE, 155 [10.1016/j.phymed.2026.158068]. - view more
  • Meftah, S., Wilson, M.A., Elliott, J., Mclay, L., Dobrovolskis, V., Rosencrans, S., et al. (2026). GABAB Receptor signaling in CA1 Pyramidal Cells is not Regulated by Aging in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Amyloid Pathology. ENEURO, 13(2) [10.1523/eneuro.0099-23.2025]. - view more
  • Corallo, A.A., Noli, C., Brizzi, A., Paolino, M., Mugnaini, C., Corelli, F. (2026). Light-Controlled Modulation of the Endocannabinoid System: Photoswitchable Ligands for Cannabinoid and TRPV1 Receptors. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 27(2) [10.3390/ijms27020573]. - view more
  • Poggialini, F., Governa, P., Vagaggini, C., Maramai, S., Lamponi, S., Mugnaini, C., et al. (2025). Light-mediated activation/deactivation control and in vitro ADME-Tox profiling of a donepezil-like Dual AChE/MAO-B Inhibitor. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, 209 [10.1016/j.ejps.2025.107066]. - view more
All publications