Dr Rosalin Bonetta has recently represented Malta as a management committee member at the final ECOSTBio meeting, held in Berlin between 9th and 11th April 2018. Dr Bonetta is a post-doctoral Research Support Officer within the Centre of Molecular Medicine and Biobanking, forming part of Prof Therese Hunter’s team of researchers working in the field of biochemistry and protein science.
ECOSTBio falls within the framework of the COST program and consists of a European network in which, different research groups tackle chemical problems that involve electronic spin. This COST Action CM1305, headed by Prof Marcel Swart from the University of Girona, has been ongoing since 2014 and includes 250 researchers from 28 different countries. A special issue was compiled by Chemistry—A European Journal to commemorate the final ECOSTBio meeting.
Dr Bonetta is a contributing author to two publications that were accepted in this issue, which is free to access until the end of April. The publications are entitled “Potential Therapeutic Applications of MnSODs and SOD-Mimetics” (R. Bonetta) and “A Single Mutation is Sufficient to Modify the Metal Selectivity and Specificity of a Eukaryotic Manganese Superoxide Dismutase to Encompass Iron” (T. Hunter, R. Bonetta, A. Sacco, M. Vella, P. Sultana, C. H. Trinh, H. Fadia, T. Borowski, R. Garcia-Fandiño, T. Stockner, G. J. Hunter). The latter publication is a collaborative effort between the University of Malta, University of Leeds, Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry (Krakow), University of Santiago de Compostela and the Medical University of Vienna.
Dr Bonetta has also presented her work at previous meetings organized by ECOSTBio in Lisbon (March 2017) and Dublin (December 2017), and had the opportunity to chair a meeting session in the latter.
Additionally, Dr Bonetta was awarded a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) grant by this COST Action to carry out molecular dynamics simulations of proteins at the Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, in collaboration with Prof Tomasz Borowski. In structural biology, simulations are required to understand the movement of macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Such studies can be coupled with biophysical experimental data for a better interpretation of results or can be useful for modelling and predicting interactions with other molecules.
ECOSTBio has provided invaluable opportunities for collaborations, new friendships and research in the field of structural biochemistry to the University of Malta during its years of activity.