Announcing the 2019 Magnetochemistry Travel Award for Post-Doctoral Fellows

Abstract

The 2019 Magnetochemistry travel award for post-doctoral fellows has been granted to Dr. Giuseppe Ferrauto from the Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino, Italy.

With the goal of promoting the development of early-career investigators in the fields of molecular magnetism, the relationship between chemical structure and magnetism, and magnetic materials, Magnetochemistry welcomed applications for the 2019 Magnetochemistry Travel Award for post-doctoral fellows. We received a large number of very highly meritorious applications for our Travel Award. It was not an easy task to select the top candidate. Nevertheless, with the assistance of our editorial board members, we have identified one outstanding candidate. On behalf of the Editors of Magnetochemistry, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Magnetochemistry Travel Award for 2019.

The Magnetochemistry Travel Award has been granted to Dr. Giuseppe Ferrauto, postdoctoral fellow at the Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino, Italy. (Figure 1). He will receive 800 CHF to help support travel to present his research at the 14th European Molecular Imaging Meeting in Glasgow, UK.

Dr. Giuseppe Ferrauto obtained a Master Degree in Molecular Biotechnologies (curriculum molecular imaging) at the University of Torino, in 2010. Then, he obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Torino in 2014, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Silvio Aime on lanthanide chemistry and the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents.

After his PhD, he continued to work in the same group with some periodic scientific visits at the Clinatec Center in Grenoble (Fr), under the supervision of Dr. Hana Lahrech.

Over the last years, his research has been primarily aimed at investigating innovative contrast agents for MRI, based on the use of rare earth metals (mainly Gd, Tm, Yb, Eu and Dy). In particular, his research has been focused on the development of highly sensitive MRI agents which are able to create contrast either by affecting the bulk water relaxation times (T₁ and T₂) or through the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) mechanism. The goal of increasing sensitivity has been achieved by properly modifying the chemical properties of lanthanide complexes and by using nano–micro-sized carriers (liposomes, micelles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, giant liposomes, red blood cell membranes, etc.).

From 2016 to 2018, he was awarded with a triennial fellowship from the Italian association for cancer research (FIRC) with the aim of developing innovative MRI contrast agents and procedures for the multiparametric characterization of biochemical features of the prostate cancer microenvironment (pH, vascular volume, hypoxia, etc.). The highest result achieved in this framework was with the use of ex vivo Gd-labeled endogenous RBCs as a probe responsive to vascular volume and hypoxia of the tumor region.

Dr. Giuseppe Ferrauto has co-authored 28 papers, 19 of which as (co-)first and/or corresponding author, three book chapters and three patents. Papers have been published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Nanoletters, ACS Nano and Nature Scientific Reports.

Furthermore, his activity was awarded by prestigious prizes, such as the “Under 35 GIDRM (Italian group for discussion on NMR) Award, 2017”, the “ESMI (European Society for Molecular Imaging) Award for excellent PhD thesis, 2014” and “Vevo Travel Awards for Cancer Track” in 2015 and for molecular imaging in 2019.

The editors, managing editor, and editorial board members congratulate Dr. Giuseppe Ferrauto on winning the 2019 Magnetochemistry Travel Award. We are grateful to all who submitted applications. Once again, we are grateful to MDPI for their generous support of young scholars, and for helping to share their work on an international stage.