Massimiliano Mascelloni

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Doctoral Researcher

Contact details

Address
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Title of PhD: In Quest of New Fingerprints of Exposure to Air Toxics

Supervisors: Dr Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Professor R. M. Harrison and Professor Mark Viant

The aim of Massimiliano’s research project is to characterize urinary biomarkers of exposure which can be linked to low-level inhalation of VOCs using GC-MS and LC-MS. He is also working towards discovery of new biomarkers related to exposure to VOCs, PM2.5, PAHs and quinones and black carbon using metabolomic techniques (NMR spectroscopy).

He is collaborating with Professor Silvia Fustinoni (University of Milan) and Dr Marcus Cooke (University of Leicester) for this project and has spent time at both institutions for laboratory work.

View research project details

His research is supported by a scholarship from the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC).

Qualifications

 

M.Sc. Molecular Biology with specialization in Proteomics and Biochemistry (2006-2009), Univesità degli Studi di Siena, Italy
B.Sc. Molecular Biology with specialization in Glycobiology and Biochemistry (2002-2006), Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy

Biography

Massimiliano holds a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from University of Siena, Italy where he specialized in proteomics and biochemistry. His research was focused on protein separation and identification in human serum by 2D-LC-SDS PAGE followed by protein mass fingerprinting, aiming to develop the method for biomarker discovery. Prior to that, he completed a B.Sc. in Molecular Biology from University of Siena where his specialization was in glycobiology and biochemistry. During the undergraduate program, Massimilano conducted research in glycoprotein purification and identification as well as immunochemical staining and characterization of glycoproteins in cells. He started the PhD program in October 2010 and has been working in collaboration with researchers at the university’s School of Medicine, University of Milan (Italy) and University of Leicester (UK) for research work. He has spent three months at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Milan for laboratory analysis.

Research

Research interests

Environmental biomarker discovery, environmental metabolomics, oxidative stress, biomonitoring

Other activities

In 2011 and 2012, Massimiliano won University of Birmingham Roberts Funding Award together with departmental colleagues and organized national-level symposia.

Massimiliano likes to spend his free time landboarding, kitesurfing or skiing.

Awards

  • Wellcome Trust ISSF Grant (2013)
  • CEFIC PhD Studentship (2010-)
  • University of Birmingham Roberts Funding Award (2011 and 2012)

Other Projects

Development of in-vivo and in-vitro methodologies to assess oxidative stress caused by ambient pollutants (funded by the Wellcome Trust Institutional Support Fund).

The aim of the project is to develop an analytical methodology suitable to detect multiple oxidative stress biomarkers both in-vivo and in-vitro systems and to apply this methodology to assess the association between oxidative stress and inhaled exposures to pollutants.

Publications

Poster Presentations

Mascelloni, M., Harrison, R.M., Viant, M. and Delgado-Saborit, J.M. 2011. Development of analytical methods to characterise biomarkers of exposure and effect to low-level VOCs. In: From Exposure to Health Effects: Novel Approaches to find the Linkage. Birmingham, United Kingdom, 17 May, 2011.. Birmingham, United Kingdom, 17 May, 2011.

Mascelloni M., Cooke M. S., Fustinoni S., Mercadante R., Polledri E., Olgiati L., Campo L., Harrison R. M., Delgado-Saborit J. M., 2013. Relationship between Relationship between exposure to low level VOCs and oxidative stress. In: ISBM (International symposium on biological monitoring in occupational and environmental health). Manchester, United Kingdom, 9th-11th September 2013.