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Daniela Riccardi   PhD

Athro Emeritws Daniela Riccardi

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Timau a rolau for Daniela Riccardi

  • Athro Emeritws

    Ysgol y Biowyddorau

Trosolwyg

The ability of cells to monitor changes in the environment is crucial to life. In humans, excessive exposure to certain noxious external cues can result in a variety of life-threatening diseases such as asthma, smoker’s cough (COPD) and scarring of the lung (pulmonary fibrosis). Previously in my laboratory we have discovered the existence of “sensors” throughout our body. Currently we are investigating: i) The ability of noxious stimuli such as smoke and urban particulate matter to activate these sensors; ii) The consequences of aberrant activation of these sensors at the molecular, cellular and whole organism level; iii) The possibility to use new and existing drugs targeting these sensors to specifically prevent currently incurable inflammatory lung disease.

Useful links

Development of inhaled CaSR antagonists, calcilytics, for asthma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIqz46r9thU&feature=youtu.be

Calcilytics as novel therapeutics for pulmonary fibrosis:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.12.20034751v1

Cyhoeddiad

2025

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Articles

Book sections

Conferences

Ymchwil

Nod yr ymchwil: datblygu gwrthwynebwyr CaSR, calcilytics, fel therapiwteg newydd ar gyfer clefydau ysgyfaint fel asthma, COPD a ffibrosis ysgyfaint

Mae asthma yn parhau i fod yn anwelladwy, yn achos mawr a chynyddol o ddioddefaint byd-eang a marwolaeth gynamserol ac mae'n effeithio ar 340 miliwn o bobl ledled y byd. Mae'r therapi asthma safonol cyfredol yn liniarol ac nid yw 5-10% o ddioddefwyr asthma yn ymateb i unrhyw driniaeth o gwbl. Yr hyn sydd ei angen yw dull newydd o therapi asthma sy'n ddiogel, sy'n targedu achos sylfaenol y clefyd ac sy'n atal gwaethygiadau asthma a achosir gan yr amgylchedd. Yn ystod asthma, cynyddir mynegiant polycationau penodol fel protein cationig eosinophil, prif brotein sylfaenol, sbermin a spermidin) a polyamines fel poly-L-arginin. Rydym wedi gwneud y darganfyddiad bod y CaSR yn cael ei fynegi yn y llwybrau anadlu, lle mae actifadu'r derbynnydd hwn gan polycations a polyamines yn gyrru gorfywiogrwydd llwybrau anadlu, bronchoconstriction a llid mewn asthma alergaidd. Yn gyffrous, blocio'r CaSR gan ddefnyddio calcilytics, gallem atal yr holl effeithiau hyn (Yarova et al, 2015). Yn ddiweddar rydym hefyd wedi dangos bod calcilytics wedi'u hanadlu yn atal llid yn ogystal â'r safon gofal cyfredol, corticosteroidau wedi'u hanadlu, ond maent hefyd yn atal gorymateboldeb llwybr anadlu ac ailfodelu tra nad yw corticosteroidau yn gwneud hynny (Yarova et al, JPET 2020) .

Yn ddiweddar mae fy labordy hefyd wedi darganfod y gall y CaSR hefyd gael ei actifadu gan gemegau sydd wedi'u cynnwys mewn mwg sigaréts a mygdarth ceir, a chan ddeunydd gronynnol trefol (Mansfield et al, 2019), sy'n ymwneud yn gryf â'r CaSR yn natblygiad clefydau na ellir eu trin ar hyn o bryd fel COPD (peswch ysmygwr) a ffibrosis ysgyfaint idiopathig (Wolffs et al, 2025).

Datblygwyd calcilytics llafar i ddechrau fel cyffur gwrth-osteoporosis. Er eu bod yn ddiogel ac yn cael eu goddef yn dda mewn cleifion, terfynwyd eu datblygiad oherwydd diffyg effeithiolrwydd ar gyfer yr arwydd hwn. Ein nod yw ail-bwrpasu calcilytics presennol, a gyflwynir yn topig i'r ysgyfaint, fel therapiwteg newydd i drin anhwylderau llidiol yr ysgyfaint mewn pobl. Yn ogystal, mewn cydweithrediad â'r Athro Andrea Brancale (Ysgol Fferylliaeth Caerdydd), rydym wedi datblygu calsiliteg cwbl newydd (IP newydd) ar gyfer trin clefyd yr ysgyfaint.  

Patent: WO2014049351 Gwrthwynebydd derbynnydd synhwyro calsiwm / cation (casr) fel nps89636 i'w ddefnyddio wrth drin anhwylderau llidiol yr ysgyfaint (asthma neu copd)

Cyfeirnodau:

Cydweithwyr

Cenedlaethol
  • Yr Athro A Brancale, K Broadley, B Hope-Gill, G Taylor, Dr EJ Kidd, WR Ford, B Kariuki, (Caerdydd);
  • Yr Athro K Lewis (Prifysgol Abertawe ac Arloesi Anadlol Cymru);
  • Yr Athro L Mur (Prifysgol Aberystwyth);
  • Yr Athro CJ Corrigan, JPT Ward, C Page a C Hawrylowicz (Coleg y Brenin Llundain)
  • Yr Athro D Thickett (Prifysgol Birmingham)
  • Dr DT Ward (Prifysgol Manceinion)
Rhyngwladol
  • Yr Athro E Kallay, Dr M Schepelmann (Prifysgol Fienna)
  • Dr I Ellinger, R Ecker (TissueGnostics, Fienna)
  • Dr W Chang (UCSF, UDA)
  • Yr Athro G Gamba, Dinas Mecsico (UNAM)
  • Yr Athro YS Prakash a C Pabelick (Clinig Mayo, Rochester, UDA)
  • Dr M Ranieri, Yr Athro G Valenti (Prifysgol Bari, yr Eidal)
  • Yr Athro S Ying (CMU, Tsieina)
Gwaith a ariennir gan

Asthma UK, Sefydliad Masnacheiddio y Brenin, Rhwydwaith Ymchwil y Gwyddorau Byw, Marie Curie ITN "CaSR Amlochrog" ac ETN Marie Curie "Biofeddygaeth CaSR", ysgoloriaeth KESS2, Cronfa Ymchwil Etifeddiaeth Saunders

Grantiau ymchwil gweithredol
  • Marie Curie ETN "Biofeddygaeth"
  • Ysgoloriaeth KESS2

Bywgraffiad

I obtained my BA in Zoology and MRes in Physiopathological methods from the University of Milan, Italy, where I investigated mechanisms of fluid transport across mammalian epithelia. I did my PhD in Physiology working between the University of Milan and the Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, under the supervision of Prof. SC Hebert, in the Renal Division of the Brigham and Women's Hospital. There, in 1993 we identified the first G protein-coupled receptor for an ion, calcium. The paper describing the cloning of the Calcium-Sensing Receptor, CaSR, from parathyroid glands is now a "citation classic" with >2,000 citations. While in Prof Hebert lab, I was awarded a Research Fellowship from the National Kidney Foundation to identify the renal CaSR. The parathyroid and kidney CaR are the target for a novel class of small molecule drugs, the calcimimetics, which were developed for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. In 2004, calcimimetics were the first G protein-coupled receptor allosteric modulators to enter the market and in 2014 calcimimetics were within the top 100 most sold drugs. In 1997, I moved to the UK where I established my independent research group at Manchester University and in 2004 I moved to Cardiff University as a Reader, then Professor (2012) within the School of Biosciences. Currently my group is actively pursuing the development of CaSR-based therapeutics for the treatment of lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis.

Anrhydeddau a dyfarniadau

  • 2002 - John Haddad Young Investigator Award (AIMM/ASBMR)
  • 2000 - The Wellcome Trust Prize for Excellence in Physiology
  • 1995 - First Prize,  Excellence in Research (ASN/NKF)

Aelodaethau proffesiynol

  • 2018 - European Respiratory Society
  • 2018 - Welsh Thoracic Society
  • 1997 - Physiological Society

Safleoedd academaidd blaenorol

  • 2015 - present: Deputy Head of School
  • 2004 - present: Reader and Professor, Cardiff University
  • 1997 - 2004: Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester, UK
  • 1993 - 1997: Research Fellow, renal Division, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA

Pwyllgorau ac adolygu

  • Journal reviewer (e.g., Nature, PNAS, JCI, Science TM, Scientific Reports...)
  • Physiological Society Council (2012-2016)
  • BBSRC pool of experts (2015-2017)

Meysydd goruchwyliaeth

  • Role of the calcium-sensing recepto in inflammatory lung disease
  • Novel therapies for asthma, chronic obstructve pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis
  • Mechanisms of pathological vascular calcification
  • Calcium-sensing receptor-based therapeutics for pulmonary disease

Past projects

All my PhD students have graduated successfully and on time. Here is a list of PhD students I have supervised in the last 5 years:

Main supervisor :

  • Ping Huang - (Marie Cure ETN "CaSR Biomedicine" - Developing CaSR-based therapeutics, calcilytics, for steroid-resistant asthma (2016-2019)
  • Bethan Mansfield (KESS2 PhD student) - Development of calcilytics for inflammatory lung disease (2018-current)
  • Kasope Wolffs - Role of the calcium-sensing receptor in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (2017-current)
  • Richard Bruce - Role of the calcium-sensing receptor in pulmonary remodelling (2017-current)
  • Petar Popov (Masters student)