Roberto Scarpato

ACADEMY
Graduated in Biological Sciences at Pisa University.
Ph.D. in Toxicology (University of Milan).
Associate professor in Genetics (Department of Biology).
He teaches Molecular genetics (master degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology), Toxicology and mutagenesis (Master degree in Molecular Biotechnologies) and Environmental mutagenesis (First degree in Biological Sciences).
First level Master of Pisa University “Aromatic and medicinal plants for the industry” (2007-2008; 2008-2009; 2009-2010; 2012-2013).
Research Doctorate in Microbiology and Genetics (Pisa University, 2008); School of Doctorate in Biological and Molecular Sciences (Pisa University, 2009-2011); Research Doctorate in Molecular Medicine (Siena University, 2012-2018).

RESEARCH
Member of the European Environmental Mutagenesis Society (EEMS) and of Societa' Italiana di Mutagenesi Ambientale e Genomica (SIMAG).
Since 1988 Dr R. Scarpato has been working in the field of cytogenetics and mutagenesis (environment and medicine) at this unit where he is the referent of the laboratory of mutagenesis, cytogenetics and molecular cytogenetics.

National and international research projects:
• National Institute for Cancer Research (IST), research project: "PHA in particulate matter aromatici as markers of pollution in the La Spezia town".
• EC programme STEP, contract CT91-0161 "Biomonitoring of human populations exposed to pesticides".
• Member for the Italian Ministery of Health of the European Community Revision National Programme on Active Substances of Pesticides.
• EC contract no. EV5V-CT92-0201 "Assessement of the aneuploidogenic potential of some anticancer drugs".
• EC contract no. QLK4-CT99-01368 "Genetic polymorphysms and biomonitoring of styrene".
• Ministero Italiano del Lavoro e della Previdenza Sociale Progetto no. 1096 "Use of novel methodologies fo evaluating genetic risk in sperm of workers occupationally exposed".
• Ministery of Defence and CISAM (S. Piero a Grado, Pisa), project EC TA ERG 101.013 "RF Biological Effects"
• Pisa University project "BIOlogical Responses to CLIMAte change: from genes to ecological communities (BIOCLIMA)".
• AREA SPECIALE 15B: SCIENZE E TECNOLOGIE PER LA QUALITÀ E LA SICUREZZA DEGLI ALIMENTI “Beneficial soil microbes as tools for reducing chemical inputs and improving food quality and safety”.
• PRIN 2008: “Obesità ed infiammazione nel bambino. Valutazione del ruolo dell'infiammazione nel modulare il danno genomico spontaneo nel bambino obeso e in un modello sperimentale di obesità nel ratto e della risposta infiammatoria indotta dall'assunzione di pasti a diversa composizione in macronutrienti e a sessione di esercizio fisico nel bambino obeso”.
• Funding project of Regione Toscana: Regional Health Research Program 2009 B55E09000560002: Early diagnosis of organ metabolic and inflammatory damage related with cancer and cardio-metabolic risk in childhood obesity. Validation of panel-oriented biomarkers in obese animals and implementation in children and adolescents.
• Strategia d’impresa in settori di nicchia per l’economia agroindustriale del mediterraneo (PYRGI).
• Internship between the Department of Biology (University of Pisa) and CSIRO (Food and Nutritional Science, Nutritional Genomics and DNA Damage) (Australia).

Main research topics :
• Use of Ames test and of cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic assays to study potential genotoxic activity of chemical substances and their mechanism of action in relation to the impact they can have on human health.
• Cytogenetic assays to pre-screen biological activity, including genotoxicity or antimutagenesis, of newly isolated compounds of plant origin.
• Cytogenetic monitoring (MN, SCE and CA in peripheral lymphocytes) and genotipic characterization (GSTM1 GSTT1 and NAT2) of exposed or non exposed people.
• FISH analysis on human somatic (peripheral lymphocytes) and germinal (sperm) interphase cell nuclei for the vitro or in vivo detectio