ESR 9: Maria Elena Castellani

Low energy electron damage in DNA

Host: Prof. Jan Verlet

B3:  Department of Chemistry

LightDyNAmics Research

Scientific Background

Scientific Publications

The aim of the project is to unravel the mechanisms of DNA damage caused by low energy electrons. In order to do so, femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in the gas phase will be used. The research will first focus on small nucleotides and oligonucleotides, moving on to larger and more complex structures such as G-quadruplexes. Attention will also be paid to molecular interactions, particularly base stacking.

M. Elena Castellani graduated in 2016 from University of Bologna with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, after conducting her research project in computational organic chemistry. She moved to Amsterdam later in the same year, where she completed her Master’s degree in 2018 in Biomarkers and chemical clinical analysis. Her research project focused on developing a mass-spectrometry based experimental method for glycan analysis, as well as a bioinformatics tool to analyse the data.

1. Maria Elena Castellani (ESR9), Cate S. Anstöter, Jan R. R. Verlet (2019) On the stability of a dipole-bound state in the presence of a molecule. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
2. Maria Elena Castellani (ESR9), Davide Avagliano (ESR10), Leticia González, Jan R. R. Verlet (2020) Site-Specific Photo-oxidation of the Isolated Adenosine-5′-triphosphate Dianion Determined by Photoelectron Imaging. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
3. Maria Elena Castellani (ESR9), Davide Avagliano (ESR10),  Leticia González, Jan R. R. Verlet (2021) Ultrafast Dynamics of the Isolated Adenosine-5′-triphosphate Dianion Probed by Time-Resolved Photoelectron Imaging. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
4. Maria Elena Castellani (ESR9), Jan R. R. Verlet (2021) Intramolecular Photo-Oxidation as a Potential Source to Probe Biological Electron Damage: A Carboxylated Adenosine Analogue as Case Study. Molecules