Welcome to the
Pasquale Stano Research Group
University of Salento, Lecce (Italy)

Origins of Life • Synthetic Biology • Systems Chemistry • Artificial Life

​News

• 2023/05/31 - New publication: "Recurrent Neural Networks in Synthetic Cells: A Route to Autonomous Molecular Agents?" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2023/03/23 - New publication: "Synthetic Cell Research: Is Technical Progress Leaving Theoretical and Epistemological Investigations One Step Behind?" in Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
• 2023/01/28 - New publication: "Synthetic Cells Extract Semantic Information from their Environment" in IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communications.
• 2023/01/26 - New publication: "Two possible AI-related paths for bottom-up synthetic cell research" in Communications in Computer and Information Science
• 2023/01/20 - New publication: "Monitoring the Advancements in the Technology of Artificial Cells by determining their Complexity Degree: Hints from Complex Systems Descriptors" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2023/01/11 - New publication: "Toward Interdisciplinary Synergies in Molecular Communications: Perspectives from Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, Communications Engineering and Philosophy of Science" in MDPI Life
• 2022/11/30 - Call for papers: Special Issue "Bio-Chem-ICTs: Synergies between Bio/Nanotechnologies and Molecular Communications" organized for the journal IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communications
• ​2022/09/29 - New publication: "Commentary: Rapid and Facile Preparation of Giant Vesicles by the Droplet Transfer Method for Artificial Cell Construction" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• ​2022/09/17 - New publication: "A Four-Track Perspective for Bottom-up Synthetic Cells" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2022/07/22 - Satellite Workshop "SB-AI 7. What can Synthetic Biology offer to Artificial Intelligence? Strategies and Perspectives for Embodied Chemical Approaches to AI". 22 July 2022, from 10.00 to 13.00 CEST. Virtual Event. Organizers: P. Stano, L. Damiano, Y. Kuruma. 7th Edition. Hosted @ALIFE2022.
• 2022/07/21 - Talk @ALIFE2022 (Special Session: Artificial Perception II): "En route for implanting a minimal chemical perceptron into artificial cells"
• 2022/07/19 - Talk @Chemaliforms II, satellite workshop of ALIFE 2022: "Synthetic (artificial) cells research: is impressive technical progress leaving important theoretical investigations one step behind? " - with Luisa Damiano
• 2022/07/14 - New publication: "Exploring Information and Communication Theories for Synthetic Cell Research" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2022/06/06 - New publication: "Chemical Neural Networks Inside Synthetic Cells? A Proposal for Their Realization and Modeling" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2022/03/16 - Winner of the 2021 Cozzarelli Prize (National Academy of Science, USA) in Class I (Physical and Mathematical Sciences), with the paper: "Chromatophores efficiently promote light-driven ATP synthesis and DNA transcription inside hybrid multicompartment artificial cells" by Emiliano Altamura et al., 2021. 
• 2022/02/11 - 2nd Italian Systems Chemistry Gathering, virtual event, 14.30-18.15.
• 2022/02/03 - Call for Papers: Workshop @ALIFE2022: "SB-AI 7. What can Synthetic Biology offer to Artificial Intelligence? Strategies and Perspectives for Embodied Chemical Approaches to AIsites.google.com/unisalento.it/sb-ai-7/home-page"
• 2021/12/02 - Call for Papers: Special Issue: "Autopoiesis: Foundations of Life, Cognition, and Emergence of Self/Other" organized for the journal BioSystems
• 2021/11/17 - Talk @CIBB2021: "Synthetic cell biotechnology as a useful platform for chemical AI"
• 2021/09/16 - New publication: "A Wetware Embodied AI? Towards an Autopoietic Organizational Approach grounded in Synthetic Biology" in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2021/09/15 - Talk @WIVACE2021: "Bottom-up synthetic cells and two next AI-related possible paths"
• 2021/09/13 - Organization of a Special Issue "Biology in AI. New frontiers in hardware, software and wetware modeling of cognition", for the journal Artificial Life
• 2021/09/13 - New publication: "Synthetic Cells engaged in Molecular Communication: An opportunity for modelling Shannon- and semantic-information in the chemical domain" in Frontiers in Communications and Networks
• 2021/09/03 - New publication: "The Rise of the Nested Multicompartment Model in Synthetic Cell Research" in Frontiers in Biomolecular Sciences.
• 2021/08/04 - Special Session @CIBB2021 (15-17 November 2021, virtual event): "Bio-inspired AI and AI-inspired (bio)chemical intelligence: a viable two-way path?"
• 2021/07/16 - Commemorative Event (22 July 2021, 19.45-21.00 CET): "1971-2021: 50 Years with Autopoiesis. In memory of Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela", organized for the ALIFE2021 Virtual Conference on Artificial Life, 19-23 July 2021
• 2021/05/03 - Satellite Workshop (23 July 2021, 12.30-17.00 CET): "Synthetic Approaches to Biology and Artificial Intelligence" organized for the ALIFE2021 Virtual Conference on Artificial Life, 19-23 July 2021
• 2021/04/21 - Call for Papers: Special Issue: "Fiat Lux! Light-Driven and Light-Controlled Synthetic Biological Parts, Devices, Systems and Processes" organized for the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• 2021/03/17 - ​​Call for Papers: Special Issue: "Membranous and Membraneless Interfaces: Origins of Artificial Cell Complexity" organized for the journal Life (MDPI)

Research Topics
​To be completed ...

Pasquale Stano
Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry (Institutional web-page)
e-mail: pasquale.stano[at]unisalento.it
phone: (+39) 0832 298709
Address: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA), Universita' del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Location: Building B8, Campus Ecotekne, S.P. 6 Lecce-Monteroni (Google Maps)
ORCID / Scopus / Loop / WoS 

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