Assoc ProfessorAntonio Benedetto

My first research interest/line is dedicated to the interaction of a relatively new class of organic electrolytes, known as ionic liquids (ILs), with the basic building blocks of living matter including lipids and biomembranes, proteins and amyloids, and eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, with the aim to understand the chemical-physical properties relevant to the development of applications in bio-medicine, pharmacology, material science, and bio-nanotechnology. Neutron scattering and atomic force microscopy are the two major techniques used for these investigations, which are combined with a series of complementary approaches including computer simulations and several cell biology assays.

Controlling Amyloid Fibril Properties Via Ionic Liquids: The Representative Case of Ethylammonium Nitrate and
Tetramethylguanidinium Acetate on the Amyloidogenesis of Lysozyme
V. Pillai, P. Kumari, S. Kolagatla, V.G. Sakai, S. Rudić, B. Rodriguez, M. Rubini, K. Tych, A. Benedetto
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 13, 7058, (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01505

Sub-Toxic Concentrations of Ionic Liquids Enhance Cell Migration by Reducing the Elasticity of the Cellular Lipid Membrane
P. Kumari, V. Pillai, B.J. Rodriguez, M. Prencipe, A. Benedetto
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11, 7372, (2020)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02149

Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids and Bio-Membranes: Setting the Stage for Applications in Pharmacology,
Bio-Medicine and Bio-Nanotechnology
A Benedetto and P. Ballone
Langmuir, 34, 9579, (2018)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b04361


My second line of research is dedicated to the development of a new neutron scattering method/spectroscopy for dynamics. This novel approach is based on the detection of the solely elastic-scattered intensity and offers several advantages in comparison to standards methods for dynamics, which make it particularly suitable for the study of biomolecules. Theoretical approaches and Monte Carlo computations are the two methods employed here, which are completed by a series of test experiments at large-scale neutron scattering facilities.

Experimental demonstration of the novel “van-Hove integral method (vHI)” for measuring diffusive dynamics by elastic
neutron scattering
A. Benedetto and G.J. Kearley
Scientific Reports, 11, 14093, (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93463-7

Dynamics from elastic neutron-scattering via direct measurement of the running time-integral of the van Hove
distribution function
A. Benedetto and G.J. Kearley
Scientific Reports, 9, 11284, (2019)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46835-z


My third research line focuses on water dynamics in confinement, with a special focus on water molecules confined at biological surfaces. Other interests include the investigation of the dynamics-function relationship in proteins. Neutron scattering and classical molecular dynamics simulations are the two major approaches adopted in these studies.

Low-Temperature Decoupling of Water and Protein Dynamics Measured by Neutron Scattering
A. Benedetto
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 8, 4883, (2017)
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02273


Methods:
Neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy and computer simulations are the three major approaches me and my team are using with the aim to link molecular, if not, atomistic-scale mechanisms to behaviours and processes taking place at the meso-scale. A series of complementary approaches are also used which include static and dynamic light scattering, calorimetry, fluorescence and electronic microscopies, Raman and infrared spectroscopies and a palette of different biological methods as, for example, cell survival assays, western blotting of key proteins, flow cytometry, cell migration and scattering assays.