Dr Marcella Bassetto
(she/her)
Senior Lecturer
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am a medicinal organic chemist working in the drug discovery research field. I hold an MSc degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Padova University, and a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Cardiff University, which I completed in 2013, with a thesis on the computer-aided identification and synthesis of novel antiviral agents to inhibit HCV replication. With my post-graduate and early post-doctoral work, I have applied computational methods to design, and then synthesise, novel chemical entities with pharmaceutical activities as antiviral and anticancer agents.
As a research associate, I worked in the group of late Professor Chris McGuigan, the inventor of the phosphoramidate pro-drug technology for antiviral and anticancer nucleosides. After briefly joining a pharmaceutical company in Rome, where I contributed to the development of novel therapeutic agents for a range of human conditions, I returned to Cardiff University as a research associate, and in 2016 was awarded a Sêr Cymru II individual research fellowship, to optimise new small organic molecules as potential antiviral agents for Chikungunya and Zika viruses.
In September 2019, I was awarded a Lectureship in Chemistry at Swansea University Department of Chemistry, becoming Senior Lecturer in February 2022. Starting in January 2023, I have been appointed Senior Lecturer at Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. My current drug discovery research focusses on the computer-aided design and synthesis of new biologically active small molecules to treat a range of human conditions, with a major focus on viral diseases (norovirus, CHIKV, ZIKV, enteroviruses, Ebola virus, coronaviruses, arenaviruses) and inherited blinding conditions.
I have been a STEM Ambassador since 2016.
Publication
2024
- Ng, M. Y., Song, Z. J., Tan, C. H., Bassetto, M. and Hagen, T. 2024. Structural investigations on the mitochondrial uncouplers niclosamide and FCCP. FEBS Open Bio 14(7), pp. 1057-1071. (10.1002/2211-5463.13817)
- Ng, M. Y. et al. 2024. Conjugating uncoupler compounds with hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains to achieve adipose tissue selective drug accumulation. Scientific Reports 14(1), article number: 4932. (10.1038/s41598-024-54466-2)
2023
- Queirós-Reis, L., Mesquita, J. R., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2023. Exploring the fatty acid binding pocket in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - confirmed and potential ligands. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling 63(23), pp. 7282–7298. (10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00803)
- Gushchina, V. et al. 2023. The calcium-sensing receptor modulates the prostaglandin E 2 pathway in intestinal inflammation. Frontiers in Pharmacology 14, article number: 1151144. (10.3389/fphar.2023.1151144)
- Salerno, M. et al. 2023. Rational design of novel nucleoside analogues reveals potent antiviral agents for EV71. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 246, article number: 114942. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114942)
2022
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2022. Structural investigations on novel non-nucleoside inhibitors of human norovirus polymerase. Viruses 15(1), article number: 74. (10.3390/v15010074)
- Picarazzi, F. et al. 2022. Identification of small molecular chaperones binding p23h mutant opsin through an in silico structure-based approach. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling 62(22), pp. 5794-5805. (10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01040)
- Menendez-Gonzalez, J. B., Strange, K. E., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Rodrigues, N. P. and Ferla, S. 2022. Ligand-based discovery of a novel GATA2 inhibitor targeting acute myeloid leukemia cells. Frontiers In Drug Discovery 2, article number: 1013229. (10.3389/fddsv.2022.1013229)
- Gill, M. R. et al. 2022. A ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex disrupts actin cytoskeleton assembly and blocks cytokinesis. Angewandte chemie-international edition 61(27), article number: e202117449. (10.1002/anie.202117449)
- Hucke, F. I. L., Bestehorn-Willmann, M., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Zanetta, P. and Bugert, J. J. 2022. CHIKV strains Brazil (wt) and Ross (lab-adapted) differ with regard to cell host range and antiviral sensitivity and show CPE in human glioblastoma cell lines U138 and U251. Virus Genes 58, pp. 188-202. (10.1007/s11262-022-01892-x)
2021
- Pasqualetto, G., Pileggi, E., Schepelmann, M., Varricchio, C., Rozanowska, M., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2021. Ligand-based rational design, synthesis and evaluation of novel potential chemical chaperones for opsin. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 226, article number: 113841. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113841)
- Padalino, G. et al. 2021. Anti-schistosomal activities of quinoxaline-containing compounds: From hit identification to lead optimisation. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 226, article number: 113823. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113823)
- Bassetto, M. and Brancale, A. 2021. The search for antivirals to treat alphavirus infections. In: Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry., Vol. 57. Coronaviruses and other Novel Antiviral Targets Elsevier, pp. 133-151., (10.1016/bs.armc.2021.09.002)
- Queirós-Reis, L., Gomes da Silva, P., Gonçalves, J., Brancale, A., Bassetto, M. and Mesquita, J. R. 2021. SARS-CoV-2 virus-host interaction: currently available structures and implications of variant emergence on infectivity and immune response. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(19), article number: 10836. (10.3390/ijms221910836)
- Schepelmann, M. et al. 2021. Stereo-specific modulation of the extracellular calcium-sensing receptor in colon cancer cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(18), article number: 10124. (10.3390/ijms221810124)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2021. Structure-activity relationship studies on novel antiviral agents for norovirus infections. Microorganisms 9(9), article number: 1795. (10.3390/microorganisms9091795)
- Flude, B. M. et al. 2021. Targeting the complement serine protease MASP-2 as a therapeutic strategy for coronavirus infections. Viruses 13(2), article number: 312. (10.3390/v13020312)
2020
- Fernández-García, Y. et al. 2020. Diketo acids inhibit the cap-snatching endonuclease of several Bunyavirales. Antiviral Research 183, article number: 104947. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104947)
- ter Horst, S., Fernandez-Garcia, Y., Bassetto, M., Günther, S., Brancale, A., Neyts, J. and Rocha-Pereira, J. 2020. Enhanced efficacy of endonuclease inhibitor baloxavir acid against orthobunyaviruses when used in combination with ribavirin. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 75(11), pp. 3189-3193. (10.1093/jac/dkaa337)
- Thames, J. E. et al. 2020. Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel flexible nucleoside analogues that inhibit flavivirus replication in vitro. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 28(22), article number: 115713. (10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115713)
- Bauer, L. et al. 2020. Rational design of highly potent broad-spectrum enterovirus inhibitors targeting the nonstructural protein 2C. PLOS Biology 18(11), article number: e3000904. (10.1371/journal.pbio.3000904)
- Pasqualetto, G. et al. 2020. Computational studies towards the identification of novel rhodopsin-binding compounds as chemical chaperones for misfolded opsins. Molecules 25(21), article number: 4904. (10.3390/molecules25214904)
- Bassetto, M. et al. 2020. Novel nucleoside analogues as affective antiviral agents for Zika virus infections. Molecules 25(20), article number: 4813. (10.3390/molecules25204813)
- Bugert, J. J., Hucke, F., Zanetta, P., Bassetto, M. and Brancale, A. 2020. Antivirals in medical biodefense. Virus Genes 56(2), pp. 150-167. (10.1007/s11262-020-01737-5)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2020. Rational modifications, synthesis and biological evaluation of new potential antivirals for RSV designed to target the M2-1 protein. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 28(8), article number: 115401. (10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115401)
2019
- Elajnaf, T. et al. 2019. Nutritional and pharmacological targeting of the calcium-sensing receptor influences chemically induced colitis in mice. Nutrients 11(12), article number: 3072. (10.3390/nu11123072)
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2019. A new antiviral scaffold for human norovirus identified with computer-aided approaches on the viral polymerase. Scientific Reports 9(1), article number: 18413. (10.1038/s41598-019-54903-7)
- Pertusati, F., Ferla, S., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Kandil, S., Westwell, A. D. and McGuigan, C. 2019. A new series of bicalutamide, enzalutamide and enobosarm derivatives carrying pentafluorosulfanyl (SF5) and pentafluoroethyl (C2F5) substituents: Improved antiproliferative agents against prostate cancer. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 180, pp. 1-14. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.07.001)
- Pasqualetto, G. et al. 2019. Novel small-molecule chaperones to overcome opsin misfolding, mistrafficking and aggregation in retinal blinding diseases. Presented at: 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 28 April - 02 May 2019Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, Vol. 60. Vol. 9. ARVO
- Pileggi, E., Pasqualetto, G., Rozanowska, M., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2019. Development of novel treatments against inherited blinding diseases Retinitis pigmentosa and Leber's congenital amaurosis [Abstract]. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society 257, article number: 318.
- Bassetto, M., Van Dycke, J., Neyts, J., Brancale, A. and Rocha-Pereira, J. 2019. Targeting the viral polymerase of diarrhea-causing viruses as a strategy to develop a single broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. Viruses 11(2), article number: 173. (10.3390/v11020173)
- Bassetto, M. and Slusarczyk, M. 2019. Therapeutic use of fluorinated nucleosides – progress in patents. Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst 7(6), pp. 277. (10.4155/ppa-2018-0028)
2018
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2018. Rational modifications on a benzylidene-acrylohydrazide antiviral scaffold, synthesis and evaluation of bioactivity against Chikungunya virus. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 149, pp. 56-68. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.054)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2018. In silico screening for human norovirus antivirals reveals a novel non-nucleoside inhibitor of the viral polymerase. Scientific Reports 8(4129), article number: 4129. (10.1038/s41598-018-22303-y)
- Tardugno, R. et al. 2018. Design, synthesis and evaluation against Chikungunya virus of novel small-molecule antiviral agents. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 26(4), pp. 869-874. (10.1016/j.bmc.2018.01.002)
2017
- Bassetto, M., Ferla, S., Giancotti, G., Pertusati, F., Westwell, A. D., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2017. Rational design and synthesis of novel phenylsulfonyl-benzamides as anti-prostate cancer agents. MedChemComm 8(7), pp. 1414-1420. (10.1039/C7MD00164A)
- Brancale, A., Shailubhai, K., Ferla, S., Ricci, A., Bassetto, M. and Jacob, G. S. 2017. Therapeutically targeting guanylate cyclase-C: computational modeling of plecanatide, a uroguanylin analog. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives 5(2), article number: e00295. (10.1002/prp2.295)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N. and Brancale, A. 2017. Shape-based virtual screening, synthesis and evaluation of novel pyrrolone derivatives as antiviral agents against HCV. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 27(4), pp. 936-940. (10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.12.087)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N., Courtney-Smith, M. and Brancale, A. 2017. In silico identification, design and synthesis of novel piperazine-based antiviral agents targeting the hepatitis C virus helicase. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 125, pp. 1115-1131. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.10.043)
2016
- Bassetto, M., Massarotti, A., Coluccia, A. and Brancale, A. 2016. Structural biology in antiviral drug discovery. Current Opinion in Pharmacology 30, pp. 116-130. (10.1016/j.coph.2016.08.014)
- Bassetto, M., Ferla, S., Pertusati, F., Kandil, S., Westwell, A., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2016. Design and synthesis of novel bicalutamide and enzalutamide derivatives as antiproliferative agents for the treatment of prostate cancer. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 118, pp. 230-243. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.04.052)
- Ferla, S., Bassetto, M., Pertusati, F., Kandil, S., Westwell, A. D., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2016. Rational design and synthesis of novel anti-prostate cancer agents bearing a 3,5-bis-trifluoromethylphenyl moiety. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 26(15), pp. 3636-3640. (10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.06.001)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N. and Brancale, A. 2016. Computer-aided identification, synthesis and evaluation of substituted thienopyrimidines as novel inhibitors of HCV replication. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.07.035)
2015
- Cancellieri, M., Bassetto, M., Widjaja, I., van Kuppeveld, F., de Haan, C. A. and Brancale, A. 2015. In silico structure-based design and synthesis of novel anti-RSV compounds. Antiviral Research 122, pp. 46-50. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.08.003)
2014
- Wang, X. et al. 2014. Potent, long-acting cyclopentane-1,3-Dione Thromboxane (A2)-receptor antagonists. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 5(9), pp. 1015-1020. (10.1021/ml5002085)
2013
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2013. Concise synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-aroyl-5-amino benzo[b]thiophene derivatives as a novel class of potent antimitotic agents. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 56(22), pp. 9296-9309. (10.1021/jm4013938)
- Bassetto, M. et al. 2013. Computer-aided identification, design and synthesis of a novel series of compounds with selective antiviral activity against chikungunya virus. Antiviral Research 98(1), pp. 12-18. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.01.002)
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2013. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(alkoxycarbonyl)-3-anilinobenzo[b]thiophenes and thieno[2,3-b]pyridines as new potent anticancer agents. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 56(6), pp. 2606-2618. (10.1021/jm400043d)
- Bassetto, M. 2013. Computer-aided design, synthesis and evaluation of potential anti-HCV agents. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2012
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2012. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-substituted-4-(3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl)-5-aryl thiazoles as anticancer agents. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 20(24), pp. 7083-7094. (10.1016/j.bmc.2012.10.001)
Articles
- Ng, M. Y., Song, Z. J., Tan, C. H., Bassetto, M. and Hagen, T. 2024. Structural investigations on the mitochondrial uncouplers niclosamide and FCCP. FEBS Open Bio 14(7), pp. 1057-1071. (10.1002/2211-5463.13817)
- Ng, M. Y. et al. 2024. Conjugating uncoupler compounds with hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains to achieve adipose tissue selective drug accumulation. Scientific Reports 14(1), article number: 4932. (10.1038/s41598-024-54466-2)
- Queirós-Reis, L., Mesquita, J. R., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2023. Exploring the fatty acid binding pocket in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - confirmed and potential ligands. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling 63(23), pp. 7282–7298. (10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00803)
- Gushchina, V. et al. 2023. The calcium-sensing receptor modulates the prostaglandin E 2 pathway in intestinal inflammation. Frontiers in Pharmacology 14, article number: 1151144. (10.3389/fphar.2023.1151144)
- Salerno, M. et al. 2023. Rational design of novel nucleoside analogues reveals potent antiviral agents for EV71. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 246, article number: 114942. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114942)
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2022. Structural investigations on novel non-nucleoside inhibitors of human norovirus polymerase. Viruses 15(1), article number: 74. (10.3390/v15010074)
- Picarazzi, F. et al. 2022. Identification of small molecular chaperones binding p23h mutant opsin through an in silico structure-based approach. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling 62(22), pp. 5794-5805. (10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01040)
- Menendez-Gonzalez, J. B., Strange, K. E., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Rodrigues, N. P. and Ferla, S. 2022. Ligand-based discovery of a novel GATA2 inhibitor targeting acute myeloid leukemia cells. Frontiers In Drug Discovery 2, article number: 1013229. (10.3389/fddsv.2022.1013229)
- Gill, M. R. et al. 2022. A ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex disrupts actin cytoskeleton assembly and blocks cytokinesis. Angewandte chemie-international edition 61(27), article number: e202117449. (10.1002/anie.202117449)
- Hucke, F. I. L., Bestehorn-Willmann, M., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Zanetta, P. and Bugert, J. J. 2022. CHIKV strains Brazil (wt) and Ross (lab-adapted) differ with regard to cell host range and antiviral sensitivity and show CPE in human glioblastoma cell lines U138 and U251. Virus Genes 58, pp. 188-202. (10.1007/s11262-022-01892-x)
- Pasqualetto, G., Pileggi, E., Schepelmann, M., Varricchio, C., Rozanowska, M., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2021. Ligand-based rational design, synthesis and evaluation of novel potential chemical chaperones for opsin. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 226, article number: 113841. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113841)
- Padalino, G. et al. 2021. Anti-schistosomal activities of quinoxaline-containing compounds: From hit identification to lead optimisation. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 226, article number: 113823. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113823)
- Queirós-Reis, L., Gomes da Silva, P., Gonçalves, J., Brancale, A., Bassetto, M. and Mesquita, J. R. 2021. SARS-CoV-2 virus-host interaction: currently available structures and implications of variant emergence on infectivity and immune response. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(19), article number: 10836. (10.3390/ijms221910836)
- Schepelmann, M. et al. 2021. Stereo-specific modulation of the extracellular calcium-sensing receptor in colon cancer cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(18), article number: 10124. (10.3390/ijms221810124)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2021. Structure-activity relationship studies on novel antiviral agents for norovirus infections. Microorganisms 9(9), article number: 1795. (10.3390/microorganisms9091795)
- Flude, B. M. et al. 2021. Targeting the complement serine protease MASP-2 as a therapeutic strategy for coronavirus infections. Viruses 13(2), article number: 312. (10.3390/v13020312)
- Fernández-García, Y. et al. 2020. Diketo acids inhibit the cap-snatching endonuclease of several Bunyavirales. Antiviral Research 183, article number: 104947. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104947)
- ter Horst, S., Fernandez-Garcia, Y., Bassetto, M., Günther, S., Brancale, A., Neyts, J. and Rocha-Pereira, J. 2020. Enhanced efficacy of endonuclease inhibitor baloxavir acid against orthobunyaviruses when used in combination with ribavirin. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 75(11), pp. 3189-3193. (10.1093/jac/dkaa337)
- Thames, J. E. et al. 2020. Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel flexible nucleoside analogues that inhibit flavivirus replication in vitro. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 28(22), article number: 115713. (10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115713)
- Bauer, L. et al. 2020. Rational design of highly potent broad-spectrum enterovirus inhibitors targeting the nonstructural protein 2C. PLOS Biology 18(11), article number: e3000904. (10.1371/journal.pbio.3000904)
- Pasqualetto, G. et al. 2020. Computational studies towards the identification of novel rhodopsin-binding compounds as chemical chaperones for misfolded opsins. Molecules 25(21), article number: 4904. (10.3390/molecules25214904)
- Bassetto, M. et al. 2020. Novel nucleoside analogues as affective antiviral agents for Zika virus infections. Molecules 25(20), article number: 4813. (10.3390/molecules25204813)
- Bugert, J. J., Hucke, F., Zanetta, P., Bassetto, M. and Brancale, A. 2020. Antivirals in medical biodefense. Virus Genes 56(2), pp. 150-167. (10.1007/s11262-020-01737-5)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2020. Rational modifications, synthesis and biological evaluation of new potential antivirals for RSV designed to target the M2-1 protein. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 28(8), article number: 115401. (10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115401)
- Elajnaf, T. et al. 2019. Nutritional and pharmacological targeting of the calcium-sensing receptor influences chemically induced colitis in mice. Nutrients 11(12), article number: 3072. (10.3390/nu11123072)
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2019. A new antiviral scaffold for human norovirus identified with computer-aided approaches on the viral polymerase. Scientific Reports 9(1), article number: 18413. (10.1038/s41598-019-54903-7)
- Pertusati, F., Ferla, S., Bassetto, M., Brancale, A., Kandil, S., Westwell, A. D. and McGuigan, C. 2019. A new series of bicalutamide, enzalutamide and enobosarm derivatives carrying pentafluorosulfanyl (SF5) and pentafluoroethyl (C2F5) substituents: Improved antiproliferative agents against prostate cancer. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 180, pp. 1-14. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.07.001)
- Pileggi, E., Pasqualetto, G., Rozanowska, M., Brancale, A. and Bassetto, M. 2019. Development of novel treatments against inherited blinding diseases Retinitis pigmentosa and Leber's congenital amaurosis [Abstract]. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society 257, article number: 318.
- Bassetto, M., Van Dycke, J., Neyts, J., Brancale, A. and Rocha-Pereira, J. 2019. Targeting the viral polymerase of diarrhea-causing viruses as a strategy to develop a single broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. Viruses 11(2), article number: 173. (10.3390/v11020173)
- Bassetto, M. and Slusarczyk, M. 2019. Therapeutic use of fluorinated nucleosides – progress in patents. Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst 7(6), pp. 277. (10.4155/ppa-2018-0028)
- Giancotti, G. et al. 2018. Rational modifications on a benzylidene-acrylohydrazide antiviral scaffold, synthesis and evaluation of bioactivity against Chikungunya virus. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 149, pp. 56-68. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.054)
- Ferla, S. et al. 2018. In silico screening for human norovirus antivirals reveals a novel non-nucleoside inhibitor of the viral polymerase. Scientific Reports 8(4129), article number: 4129. (10.1038/s41598-018-22303-y)
- Tardugno, R. et al. 2018. Design, synthesis and evaluation against Chikungunya virus of novel small-molecule antiviral agents. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 26(4), pp. 869-874. (10.1016/j.bmc.2018.01.002)
- Bassetto, M., Ferla, S., Giancotti, G., Pertusati, F., Westwell, A. D., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2017. Rational design and synthesis of novel phenylsulfonyl-benzamides as anti-prostate cancer agents. MedChemComm 8(7), pp. 1414-1420. (10.1039/C7MD00164A)
- Brancale, A., Shailubhai, K., Ferla, S., Ricci, A., Bassetto, M. and Jacob, G. S. 2017. Therapeutically targeting guanylate cyclase-C: computational modeling of plecanatide, a uroguanylin analog. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives 5(2), article number: e00295. (10.1002/prp2.295)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N. and Brancale, A. 2017. Shape-based virtual screening, synthesis and evaluation of novel pyrrolone derivatives as antiviral agents against HCV. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 27(4), pp. 936-940. (10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.12.087)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N., Courtney-Smith, M. and Brancale, A. 2017. In silico identification, design and synthesis of novel piperazine-based antiviral agents targeting the hepatitis C virus helicase. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 125, pp. 1115-1131. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.10.043)
- Bassetto, M., Massarotti, A., Coluccia, A. and Brancale, A. 2016. Structural biology in antiviral drug discovery. Current Opinion in Pharmacology 30, pp. 116-130. (10.1016/j.coph.2016.08.014)
- Bassetto, M., Ferla, S., Pertusati, F., Kandil, S., Westwell, A., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2016. Design and synthesis of novel bicalutamide and enzalutamide derivatives as antiproliferative agents for the treatment of prostate cancer. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 118, pp. 230-243. (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.04.052)
- Ferla, S., Bassetto, M., Pertusati, F., Kandil, S., Westwell, A. D., Brancale, A. and McGuigan, C. 2016. Rational design and synthesis of novel anti-prostate cancer agents bearing a 3,5-bis-trifluoromethylphenyl moiety. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 26(15), pp. 3636-3640. (10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.06.001)
- Bassetto, M., Leyssen, P., Neyts, J., Yerukhimovich, M. M., Frick, D. N. and Brancale, A. 2016. Computer-aided identification, synthesis and evaluation of substituted thienopyrimidines as novel inhibitors of HCV replication. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.07.035)
- Cancellieri, M., Bassetto, M., Widjaja, I., van Kuppeveld, F., de Haan, C. A. and Brancale, A. 2015. In silico structure-based design and synthesis of novel anti-RSV compounds. Antiviral Research 122, pp. 46-50. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.08.003)
- Wang, X. et al. 2014. Potent, long-acting cyclopentane-1,3-Dione Thromboxane (A2)-receptor antagonists. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 5(9), pp. 1015-1020. (10.1021/ml5002085)
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2013. Concise synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-aroyl-5-amino benzo[b]thiophene derivatives as a novel class of potent antimitotic agents. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 56(22), pp. 9296-9309. (10.1021/jm4013938)
- Bassetto, M. et al. 2013. Computer-aided identification, design and synthesis of a novel series of compounds with selective antiviral activity against chikungunya virus. Antiviral Research 98(1), pp. 12-18. (10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.01.002)
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2013. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(alkoxycarbonyl)-3-anilinobenzo[b]thiophenes and thieno[2,3-b]pyridines as new potent anticancer agents. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 56(6), pp. 2606-2618. (10.1021/jm400043d)
- Romagnoli, R. et al. 2012. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-substituted-4-(3′,4′,5′-trimethoxyphenyl)-5-aryl thiazoles as anticancer agents. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 20(24), pp. 7083-7094. (10.1016/j.bmc.2012.10.001)
Book sections
- Bassetto, M. and Brancale, A. 2021. The search for antivirals to treat alphavirus infections. In: Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry., Vol. 57. Coronaviruses and other Novel Antiviral Targets Elsevier, pp. 133-151., (10.1016/bs.armc.2021.09.002)
Conferences
- Pasqualetto, G. et al. 2019. Novel small-molecule chaperones to overcome opsin misfolding, mistrafficking and aggregation in retinal blinding diseases. Presented at: 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 28 April - 02 May 2019Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, Vol. 60. Vol. 9. ARVO
Thesis
- Bassetto, M. 2013. Computer-aided design, synthesis and evaluation of potential anti-HCV agents. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Areas of expertise:
- Molecular modelling
- Computer-aided drug design
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Synthetic organic chemistry
- Antiviral research
Contact Details
Redwood Building, Floor 1, Room 1.73A, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB