Stefano Costanzi

Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry

• Dr. Costanzi’s research interests revolve around the study of the cellular targets of drugs, the identification and pharmacological characterization of molecules that modulate their activity, and the examination of the cellular consequences resulting from such pharmacological intervention. Through the application of computational and experimental biochemical pharmacology techniques, the ultimate goal of Dr. Costanzi’s laboratory is to rationally identify molecules potentially endowed with a desired pharmacological activity and subsequently test their biological effect on mammalian cells that express the target of interest either naturally or artificially. The main research focus is on the discovery of compounds that act through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the single family of cellular targets most exploited by currently marketed medicines. Over the years, Dr. Costanzi’s studies have led to the successful identification of a wealth of novel modulators for receptors pharmaceutically relevant to the treatment of a variety of conditions – cancer, thrombosis, ischemia, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes, among others – and resulted in the publication of over ninety articles in international, peer-reviewed journals. Importantly, Dr. Costanzi’s research significantly contributed to defining and expanding the scope of applicability of computational modeling to the study of GPCRs and the discovery of their modulators.

• Degrees

  Dr. Costanzi received a BS/MS degree (laurea) in Chemistry, with a Biochemistry Curriculum, from the University of Camerino in 1997, and a Ph.D. degree in Medicinal Chemistry from the same University in 2000. In 1999 he spent 6 months in the Bioorganic and Biological Chemistry Laboratory of the University of Hull (UK). After his Ph.D. degree, Dr. Costanzi completed his studies with four years of postdoctoral experience conducted at the University of Camerino and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Subsequently, prior to moving to American University, Dr. Costanzi was employed as a staff scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the NIH, were he headed a research group focused on the rational discovery of pharmacologically active molecules.