Prof. Elena Petricci obtained her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Siena (Italy) in 2004 working with Professor Maurizio Botta on the microwave-assisted solid and solution phase synthesis of bioactive nucleosides. During her doctoral studies she also joined the research group of Professor Pierre Vogel at the école Polytecnique Fédérale de Lausanne (SW) as visiting PhD student, working on the synthesis of azasugars. In 2004 she was at the University of Siena as Research Fellow, working on the development of new sustainable methodologies for the synthesis of bioactive molecules.
Elena started her independent career as Research Associate at the University of Siena in 2006. In 2008 she worked as visiting researcher at the Karl Franzens University of Graz (AU) in Prof. O. C. Kappe’s research group, working on microwave-assisted and flow process. In 2009 she spent one year at The Scripps Reasearch Institute in San Diego (CA), in Prof. P. S. Baran’s research group working on the total synthesis of stephacidine and herquiline A and B. Since July 2019, she is Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Siena.
Her reasearch interests are:
1999 – 2000: Solid phase organic synthesis of small molecules and synthesis of solid supported reagents for amines acylation.
2000 – 2004: Microwave assisted Solid Phase and Solution Phase Organic Synthesis of nucleosides as new anti-HIV agents.
2002: Stage at the EPFL of Lausanne (CH) in the Laboratories of Prof. Pierre Vögel. Studies on the synthesis of enantiomerically pure azanorbornones as inhibitors of β-glycosidase and important synthetic intermediates.
2004 – 2006: Synthesis of small molecules as anti-HIV agents.
2004 – 2006: Development of new methodologies for the synthesis of small libraries of bioactive molecules in solution and solid phase.
From 2006: Microwave assisted synthesis with gas reagents: stereoselective hydroformilation, microwave assisted tandem hydroformilation and Pictect-Spengler reaction for the synthesis of indole alkaloids. Synthesis of cyclopamine. Microwave assited intramolecular Huisgen’s reaction.
July 2008: Continuous flow hydrogenation of pyridines at the Karl Franzens University of Graz, AU in Prof. O. C. Kappe’s research group.
2009: Total synthesis of Herquile A and B; Synthesis of stephacidine derivatives at the Scripps Reasearch Institute in San Diego (CA), in Prof. P. S. Baran’s research group (sabbatical year).
From 2010: Iron catalyzed aminocarbonylation and hydroformylation of alkynes and alkenes; Iron catalyzed reductive amination. Pd and Ru catalyzed hydrogen borrowing and hydrogen transfer reactions in domino and tandem protocols in environmentally friendly reaction media (i.e. biomass derivatives), and micellar catalysis.
From 2010: Development and synthesis of new inhibitors of the DNA repairing machinery targeting the MRN complex. Development and synthesis of new Smo and Gli agonists and antagonists. Development and synthesis of new antitubercular agents.
From 2014: Development and Synthesis of new Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs). New inhibitors of 4-HPPD for the treatment of Alkaptunuria rare disease. Micellar catalysis.
From 2019: Development of paper for pakaging from row materials and agroforestal waste (i.e. Algae, chestnut shell).