Michaela Serpi

Dr. Michaela Serpi is a Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry at the School of Chemistry, Cardiff University with extensive experience in drug discovery evidenced by over 20 publications and multiple patents. She has received postdoctoral training across European institutions (Perugia, Copenhagen, and Cardiff Universities) and the University of Southern California, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies including Lundbeck, Bioberica, TSRL, Inhibitex/BMS, and NuCana.

Her academic journey began with a Pharmaceutical Sciences degree from Cagliari State University (1998), followed by a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Perugia (2005). She joined Cardiff University in 2005, held positions at the University of Southern California (2008-2011), and returned to Cardiff for research roles before her 2020 lecturer appointment.

Dr. Serpi's research spans multiple critical areas:

• Antibacterial research targeting Staphylococcus aureus and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms
• Repurposing nucleoside drugs as novel antibiotics against resistant bacterial strains
• Lysosomal storage disorders including cystinosis and Niemann-Pick disease
• Anticancer drug development using ProTide technology

Her technical expertise includes organic chemistry, Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) development, ADME and pharmacokinetic properties, and advanced analytical techniques (LC-MS and NMR spectroscopy) for characterizing novel compounds and studying metabolic pathways.

Her research has been supported by competitive funding including a Wellcome Trust ISSF3 grant (49k) for cystinosis research and a GW4 Seed award that expanded collaborations with Bath, Bristol, Exeter, and Messina universities.

Dr. Serpi's scientific contributions include:

• Glaxo Welcome Fellowship during PhD studies
• Marie Curie Training Site Fellowship
• Contributions to highly competitive NIH grant applications
• Principal Investigator role for NuCana-sponsored translational oncology project

She maintains active collaborations across disciplines with researchers at Cardiff's Schools of Dentistry, Chemistry, Biosciences, and Pharmacy, as well as international partners at St. Andrews University, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and institutions in Belgium.