Personale docente

Education and research experience

9/2020 – today: Associate professor in Pharmacology, Dept of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Italy

7/2001 – 9/2020: Assistant professor in Pharmacology, Dept of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Italy.

1/1996 – 12/2000: Ph.D. in “Gastroenterological pharmacology”, University of Parma

4/1999 – 10/1999; 11/2000 – 1/2021: Visiting scientist - Dept. of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, London (UK) – Supervisor: Prof. G. Gabella

11/1989 – 11/1995: Degree in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology (110/110 cum laude)

Financed national and international projects

6/2021: ESR supervisor in the programme H2020-MSCA-ITN-2020, Grant agreement n. 956851 “Boosting advanced doctoral training in innovative colon targeting drug (COLOTAN)” with a project entitled “Enteroids and cytokines: an in vitro model of drug absorption in the inflamed gut”

10/2019-2021: Principal investigator, “CCR6 blockade as novel therapeutic strategy against Inflammatory Bowel Disease”, grant awarded by European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization

2015 – 2018: Co-investigator, Optimization of Eph receptor ligands as molecularly targeted chemotherapeutic drugs” financed by Associazione Italiana per le Ricerca contro il Cancro (AIRC).

10/2011 - 10/2013: Co-investigator, “Study of the mechanisms responsible for dysmotility of the upper digestive tract in the experimental Parkinson’s disease”

9/2008 – 10/2010: Co-investigator, “Pharmacological modulation of the serotonergic system in mesenteric ischemia”

11/2004 – 12/2006: Co-investigator, “Contribution of the serotoninergic system to the functional and inflammatory injuries induced by mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion”

11/2003 – 12/2005: Co-investigator, “Role played by adenosine in experimental mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion injury”

12/2002 – 1/2005: Co-investigator, “Local and remote functional alterations in the inflammatory process activated by mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion”   

Research interests

Prof. Bertoni has participated to several projects focussed primarily on the study of the altered functions of the gastrointestinal tract in patho-physiological conditions through the application of binding, biochemical and functional in vitro and in vivo studies.

On the whole, prof. Bertoni’s research activity has been mainly focussed on two areas:

1) Study of the local and remote functional alterations induced by gut inflammation in murine models of mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion and inflammatory bowel disease and by intestinal obstruction through biochemical assays and in vitro and in vivo functional investigations.

2) Pharmacological characterization of new ligands for histaminic and muscarinic receptor subtypes through binding and biochemical assays, in vitro studies on isolated tissues, in vivo functional studies on anaesthetised animals and behavioural investigations in experimental models of chemical and neuropathic pain.

Her scientific activity is documented by 71 indexed articles on international journals and 84 communications to national and international meetings.

Teaching activity

Since 2001, prof. Bertoni has held every year courses related to “Toxicology” and “Pharmacology” for undergraduate students of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, supporting as well the laboratory activities during the practical course of “Experimental Pharmacology” for undergraduate students in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology and supervising several students for their graduation thesis.