Manola Moretti, PhD

​Dr. Moretti's main field of research is the characterization of biolgical samples by means of AFM imaging, Raman spectroscopy, AFM force spectroscopy and TERS spectroscopy, starting from DNA, protein, to living cells. The ultimate objective of her work is to achieve nanometer resolution chemical information by Raman spectroscopy coupled with AFM imaging.

• Confined laminar flow on a super-hydrophobic surface drives the initial stages of tau protein aggregation. Microelectronic engineering
  M. Moretti, M. Allione, M. Marini, A. Giugni, B. Torre, G. Das, and E. Di Fabrizio Proceedings of Micro-Nano Engineering International Conference, 18-22 Sept. 2017, Braga, Portugal


• Raman study of lysozyme amyloid fibrils suspended on super-hydrophobic surfaces by shear flow. Microelectronic engineering
  M. Moretti, M. Allione, M. Marini, B. Torre, G. Das, and E. Di Fabrizio
  Proceedings of Micro-Nano Engineering International Conference, 19-23 Sept. 2016, Vienna, Austria, Vol. 178, pp. 194–198


• Graphene: A building foundation for efficient plasmonic SERS device
  Das, G., Moretti, M., Torre, B., Allione, M., Giugni, A., Fabrizio, E.D.
  Biochemistry & Analytical Biochemistry 2017, 06 (01)


• Imaging and structural studies of DNA–protein complexes and membrane ion channels
  Marini, M., T. Limongi, A. Falqui, A. Genovese, M. Allione, M. Moretti, S. Lopatin, L. Tirinato, G. Das, B. Torre, A. Giugni, F. Cesca, F. Benfenati, E. Di Fabrizio Nanoscale, (2017), vol. 9(8), pp. 2768-2777


• Tip enhanced raman spectroscopy of rhodamine 6G on nanostructured gold substrate
  Moretti, M., G. Das, B. Torre, M. Allione, and E. Di Fabrizio
  Optics and Lasers in Engineering, (2016), vol.76, pp. 52-56


• The structure of DNA by direct imaging
  M. Marini, A. Falqui, M. Moretti, T. Limongi, M. Allione, A. Genovese, S. Lopatin, L. Tirinato, G. Das, B. Torre, A. Giugni, F. Gentile, P. Candeloro, and E. Di Fabrizio
  Science Advances. Vol. 1, No.7, (2015)


• Visualization of single proteins from stripped native cell membranes: a protocol for high- resolution atomic force microscopy
  C. Marasini, E. Jacchetti, M. Moretti, C. Canale, O. Moran and M. Vassalli
  Microscopy Research and Technique, (2013), vol. 76, (no.7), pp. 723-732


• Reflection-mode TERS on insulin amyloid fibrils with top-visual AFM probes
  M. Moretti, R. Proietti Zaccaria, E. Descrovi, G. Das, M. Leoncini, C. Liberale, F. De Angelis, and E. Di Fabrizio
  Plasmonics (2013), vol. 8, (no. 1), pp. 25-33


• Direct Imaging of DNA Fibers: The Visage of Double Helix
  F. Gentile, M. Moretti, T. Limongi, A. Falqui, G. Bertoni, A. Scarpellini, S. Santoriello, L. Maragliano, R. Proietti Zaccaria and E. Di Fabrizio
  Nano Letters (2012), vol. 12, (no. 12), pp. 6453-8


• Breaking the diffusion limit with super-hydrophobic delivery of molecules to plasmonic nanofocusing SERS structures
  F. De Angelis, F. Gentile, F. Mecarini, G. Das, M. Moretti, P. Candeloro, M.L. Coluccio, G. Cojoc, A. Accardo, C. Liberale, R. Zaccaria Proietti, G. Perroziello, G. Cuda, R. Cingolani and E. Di Fabrizio
  Nature Photonics (2011), vol. 5, pp. 682-687

• Ph.D., Nanotechnology, University of Trieste, Italy, 2008​​
• M.Sc., Biotechnology, Udine, Italy, 2002​
• B.Sc., Agriculture, Udine, Italy, 2000

• ​2019-presnt: Postdoctoral Fellow: Laboratory of Nanomedicine, BESE, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
• 2014- 2019: Postodoctoral fellow, SMILEs Laboratory, PSE, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
• 2010-2014: Postodoctoral Fellow: IIT, Genova, Italy
• 2009-2011: Visiting scientist: Molecular Foundry, LBNL, Berkeley, California, USA
• 2008-2009: Postdoctoral Fellow: CalMed SRL, Catanzaro, Italy​

• Computational Bioscience Research Center
• Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division​