Prof. Alessandra Guerrini (F) is born in March 6, 1970 and she is an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Biology (BIO-15) from Febraury 2018, at the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara (from 2006 to 2018 was Researcher-permanent position)
Research activity
From 1997 to 2001, as a collaborator of the ICE (RE) industry, she worked on the optimisation of synthesis and/or biotransformation, extraction and analytical processes relating to the development of active substances of pharmaceutical interest, from the laboratory to the pilot scale.
Since 2001, her research has focused on 1) the phytochemical characterisation of plant sources of interest for the health and agrofood sectors, the development and optimisation of traditional and innovative extraction methods (with supercritical fluids, with Naviglio extractor), separation and analytical methods (TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, GC), and structural investigation (HPLC-MS, GC-MS, NMR), 2) biological activity, bioassay-guided, on phytocomplexes, fractions, pure compounds articulated in vitro tests of antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, β-carotene bleaching) and antimicrobial activity (against human and phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi), in HPTLC autobiographic, cytotoxic (against cancer and keratinocytes cell lines) and genotoxic (Ames, micronucleus test, SOS-chromotest) assays.
Moreover her research has focused on etnobotanical studies on plants used in different traditional medicines –Ecuador, Ayurveda, Western Sahara in particular - employing traditional ethno-pharmaco-botanical research protocols.
She is member of UNIFE "Biomedicine and Biotechnology" PhD, Unife experts’ team for EFSA Agency, Italian Botanical Society and Italian Society of Phytochemistry and Sciences of Medicinal, Food and Perfume Plants, She was member of Academic Senate and Research Council of University of Ferrara from 2014 to 2016. She is academic tutor and co-tutor of italian and international PhD thesis, deputy director of Centre for International Development Cooperation of the University of Ferrara.
National and international grants
- 2010-2013: partecipant of the research project AGERINNOVAPERO grant no. 2010-2107 "Innovations in process and product quality to a pericoltura" (WP 1, Task 1.4 Defense against parasites with biocompatible molecules).
-2011-2014: partecipant of the research project PRIN 2009LR9YLF, where the Research Unit of Alessandra Guerrini is national coordinator. The project is entitled “Phytochemical fingerprinting and bioactivity as a contribution to the Healthy validation (quality, safety, efficacy) of drugs of ayurvedic medicine. Formulation of plant products with isolated and characterized artificial compounds from ayurvedic drugs, and new active principles derived from biotransformation as innovative development of herbal products".
-2013-2014: scientific coordinator of a research project between the Amazon State University (Ecuador) and the University of Ferrara, for phytochemical and bioactivity study of fixed oils and essential oils from plant sources for health benefits.
-2012: scientific coordinator of a competitive project of Decentralized Cooperation: "Support for the activities of the national laboratory of pharmacy and the supply of drugs and medicines for the Sahrawi refugee population in Algeria", funded by the Emilia Romagna Region for the recovery of traditional medicine of Sahrawi people, in close coordination with the Centre for International Development Cooperation of the University of Ferrara.
-2016: FIR 2016 (Grant for research incentivation- University of Ferrara) “Saharawi medinal plants for the development of new products for health applications and new local chains of production with European perspectives of commercialization” (HEALTHSAHARAWI)
-2015: scientific coordinator of research project with the company Agripharma (Vescovana, Pd).
-2016-2018: partecipant of the competitive research project Valsovit-“Sustainable valorization sostenibile of by-produts from wine industry for chemical and health industries”, grant for industrial strategic projects for priority fields POR-FESR 2014-2020, CUP F72I16000010009 (http://www.valsovit.it)
-2017: scientific coordinator of research project “Safety, quality and integration of regional agri-food chains to increase their competitiveness”, POR FSE 2014 2020 EMILIA ROMAGNA, ALTA FORMAZIONE, CUP F71J17000200007.
-2017-2020: partecipant of the competitive research project Bioface-“Green extraction strategies to obtain crude extracts, fractions and pure compounds to be tested with in vitro biological and bioautographic assays for health and nutraceutical applications”, PSR 2014-2020 grant, CUP F73C17000010002
-2017-2018: Intesa San Paolo Foundation grant for health applications of traditional Sahrawi plants
-2018: scientific coordinator of research project with the company CBC Europe
-2018-2019: scientific coordinator of research project with the company Oxon
Present Funding
-2018-2021: MIUR grant for basic activities for research
-2019-2023: scientific coordinator for UNIFE of the competitive cooperation AICS project “Seed of future – Integrated intervention to fight malnutrition” in Ethiopia, AID 011880
-2022-2025: scientific coordinator for UNIFE of the competitive cooperation 8 per mille IRPEF(Presidenza Consiglio dei Ministri, Italy) project on malnutrition of Saharawi population, CUP F79I22000360005
Publication and review activity
Author of 70 international scientific publications (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6553-3938), 68 of them indexed in Scopus (Scopus database (Author ID: 7004559357, total citations 1507, H-index:24)
She is member of Editorial board for Molecules (Fragrances and Flavours Section), Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, and La Granja. She is mainly reviewer for the international journals Molecules, Plant Biosystems.
Teaching Activity
2007 to present: official teacher of "Plant biology and pharmacognosy" in the degree of CTF,
2018 to present: official teacher of "Plant biology" in the degree of Pharmacy.
She has been supervisor of more than 30 experimental and professional degree thesis and 5 PhD thesis.
Research activity
From 1997 to 2001, as a collaborator of the ICE (RE) industry, she worked on the optimisation of synthesis and/or biotransformation, extraction and analytical processes relating to the development of active substances of pharmaceutical interest, from the laboratory to the pilot scale.
Since 2001, her research has focused on 1) the phytochemical characterisation of plant sources of interest for the health and agrofood sectors, the development and optimisation of traditional and innovative extraction methods (with supercritical fluids, with Naviglio extractor), separation and analytical methods (TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, GC), and structural investigation (HPLC-MS, GC-MS, NMR), 2) biological activity, bioassay-guided, on phytocomplexes, fractions, pure compounds articulated in vitro tests of antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, β-carotene bleaching) and antimicrobial activity (against human and phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi), in HPTLC autobiographic, cytotoxic (against cancer and keratinocytes cell lines) and genotoxic (Ames, micronucleus test, SOS-chromotest) assays.
Moreover her research has focused on etnobotanical studies on plants used in different traditional medicines –Ecuador, Ayurveda, Western Sahara in particular - employing traditional ethno-pharmaco-botanical research protocols.
She is member of UNIFE "Biomedicine and Biotechnology" PhD, Unife experts’ team for EFSA Agency, Italian Botanical Society and Italian Society of Phytochemistry and Sciences of Medicinal, Food and Perfume Plants, She was member of Academic Senate and Research Council of University of Ferrara from 2014 to 2016. She is academic tutor and co-tutor of italian and international PhD thesis, deputy director of Centre for International Development Cooperation of the University of Ferrara.
National and international grants
- 2010-2013: partecipant of the research project AGERINNOVAPERO grant no. 2010-2107 "Innovations in process and product quality to a pericoltura" (WP 1, Task 1.4 Defense against parasites with biocompatible molecules).
-2011-2014: partecipant of the research project PRIN 2009LR9YLF, where the Research Unit of Alessandra Guerrini is national coordinator. The project is entitled “Phytochemical fingerprinting and bioactivity as a contribution to the Healthy validation (quality, safety, efficacy) of drugs of ayurvedic medicine. Formulation of plant products with isolated and characterized artificial compounds from ayurvedic drugs, and new active principles derived from biotransformation as innovative development of herbal products".
-2013-2014: scientific coordinator of a research project between the Amazon State University (Ecuador) and the University of Ferrara, for phytochemical and bioactivity study of fixed oils and essential oils from plant sources for health benefits.
-2012: scientific coordinator of a competitive project of Decentralized Cooperation: "Support for the activities of the national laboratory of pharmacy and the supply of drugs and medicines for the Sahrawi refugee population in Algeria", funded by the Emilia Romagna Region for the recovery of traditional medicine of Sahrawi people, in close coordination with the Centre for International Development Cooperation of the University of Ferrara.
-2016: FIR 2016 (Grant for research incentivation- University of Ferrara) “Saharawi medinal plants for the development of new products for health applications and new local chains of production with European perspectives of commercialization” (HEALTHSAHARAWI)
-2015: scientific coordinator of research project with the company Agripharma (Vescovana, Pd).
-2016-2018: partecipant of the competitive research project Valsovit-“Sustainable valorization sostenibile of by-produts from wine industry for chemical and health industries”, grant for industrial strategic projects for priority fields POR-FESR 2014-2020, CUP F72I16000010009 (http://www.valsovit.it)
-2017: scientific coordinator of research project “Safety, quality and integration of regional agri-food chains to increase their competitiveness”, POR FSE 2014 2020 EMILIA ROMAGNA, ALTA FORMAZIONE, CUP F71J17000200007.
-2017-2020: partecipant of the competitive research project Bioface-“Green extraction strategies to obtain crude extracts, fractions and pure compounds to be tested with in vitro biological and bioautographic assays for health and nutraceutical applications”, PSR 2014-2020 grant, CUP F73C17000010002
-2017-2018: Intesa San Paolo Foundation grant for health applications of traditional Sahrawi plants
-2018: scientific coordinator of research project with the company CBC Europe
-2018-2019: scientific coordinator of research project with the company Oxon
Present Funding
-2018-2021: MIUR grant for basic activities for research
-2019-2023: scientific coordinator for UNIFE of the competitive cooperation AICS project “Seed of future – Integrated intervention to fight malnutrition” in Ethiopia, AID 011880
-2022-2025: scientific coordinator for UNIFE of the competitive cooperation 8 per mille IRPEF(Presidenza Consiglio dei Ministri, Italy) project on malnutrition of Saharawi population, CUP F79I22000360005
Publication and review activity
Author of 70 international scientific publications (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6553-3938), 68 of them indexed in Scopus (Scopus database (Author ID: 7004559357, total citations 1507, H-index:24)
She is member of Editorial board for Molecules (Fragrances and Flavours Section), Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, and La Granja. She is mainly reviewer for the international journals Molecules, Plant Biosystems.
Teaching Activity
2007 to present: official teacher of "Plant biology and pharmacognosy" in the degree of CTF,
2018 to present: official teacher of "Plant biology" in the degree of Pharmacy.
She has been supervisor of more than 30 experimental and professional degree thesis and 5 PhD thesis.
