Dr. Federico Ivan Brigante

Dr. Brigante completed his PhD in 2022 at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. His doctoral research focused on the development of metabolomics workflows, employing both targeted and untargeted approaches. Utilizing advanced techniques such as HPLC-MS and NMR, combined with multivariate statistical analysis, Dr. Brigante contributed to the comprehensive study of complex biological systems through robust analytical methodologies.

Dr. Brigante’s research aims to functionally characterize the biosynthetic pathway of diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs), with a particular focus on the key rearrangement step leading to the formation of the C-19 backbone and subsequent skeleton decoration steps. The project investigates the hypothesis that a conserved biosynthetic mechanism—shared among diverse plant species—converts a terpene precursor into a nitrogen-containing DA scaffold, with species-specific enzymes introducing structural diversity. Leveraging reference genomes (when available), metabolomics, and de novo transcriptomics, Dr. Brigante seeks to identify the full complement of genes involved in DA biosynthesis. This work has the potential to unlock new insights into plant alkaloid metabolism and lay the groundwork for sustainable DA production through heterologous expression systems.