Dr Michelangelo Certo qualified for a MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology cum laude in 2010 and a PhD in Cellular Biochemistry and Pharmacology in 2013 from the University of Calabria (Italy). Post-doc at the Centre of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, University of Calabria (2013-2015), he worked on the characterization of the interactions between the immune system and the brain subjected to ischemic injury for the identification of novel immunotherapeutics for stroke.

In 2015 he was appointed as an expert in the field of Pharmacology by the Department Council at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Calabria. In 2016 Michelangelo was awarded a Research Fellowship from the Italian Society of Pharmacology and he joined the University College London to apply his research to the field of chronic pain. His research has always been devoted to the study of inflammatory mechanisms controlling immunity and inflammation with a focus on therapeutic innovation in the context of cell trafficking, target identification and therapeutic exploitation, reparative and regenerative therapeutics. In 2017 he moved to Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London, where he focused on the investigation of the metabolic control of immune cell effector functions and the implications of the metabolic dependence of immune responses in inflammatory conditions. In 2018 he joined the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham as Senior Research Fellow in Metabolism and Inflammation to investigate the interconnections between metabolic and inflammatory pathways and how specific metabolites, including lactate and fatty acids, can surprisingly act as signalling molecules modulating many aspects the immune-inflammatory response.

His current research activities address the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis (BHF) and Sjogren's syndrome (MRC funded).

MASTER OF RESEARCH IN PHARMACOLOGY
Aim of the research programme: drug-repurposing approach to identify immunomodulatory compounds that could represent good candidates for the treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases.

PhD IN CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY
Dissertation in pharmacology:
Certo, M. (2013). Preclinical characterization of a new therapeutic strategy for cerebral ischemia identified by drug repurposing of a macrolide antibiotic.

M.Sc. IN PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY (cum laude)
Thesis in pharmacology entitled: “Neuroprotective effects of leptin in a model of focal cerebral ischemia in rats”. Main fields: pharmaceutical chemistry, biology and pharmacology.

Cell Metabolism

Lactate

Chronic Inflammation

Atherosclerosis

T Lymphocytes