Technologist

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Calabria Marine Centre – CRIMAC
Department of Eco-sustainable Marine Biotechnology (BLUBIO)
C.da Torre Spaccata, Località Torre Spaccata, 87071 Amendolara - Italia

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Contatto Skype: lucia barra

Curriculum vitae

Lucia Barra - GoogleScholar

Research Interests

My research activity is mainly focused on the phyto-remediation of water and sediments of transitional and marine environments through the use of microalgae. Microalgae can be considered suitable for the removal of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) thanks to their ability to immobilize these contaminants on their wall, but also internalized through different types of transporters.
The main objectives of my research are the identification of suitable strains for the bioremediation of contaminated environments and the study of cell growth strategies to optimize the uptake and/or compartmentalization of contaminants within cellular organelles. To this end, the use of solid supports and matrices, including bio-based polymeric materials, are very convenient and are used to evaluate the improvement of the decontaminating power of the species used. The exploration of the production of antioxidant molecules in response to oxidative stress in microalgae and the exploration of their potential use as biostimulants and fertilizers constitute another of the research topics I am focused on. As part of the CRIMAC projects, at the Calabrian headquarters, I am responsible for exploring the microalgal biodiversity of the "Secca di Amendolara" hot spot, to isolate bioactive compounds to be used in bioremediation processes.

Selected Publications

• McNamee SE, Medlin LK, Kegel J, McCoy GR, Raine R, Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Kooistra WHCF, Montresor M, Hagstrom J, Perez Blanco E, Graneli E, Rodrıguez F, Escalera L, Reguera B, Dittami S, Edvardsen B, Taylor J, Lewis JM, Pazos Y, Elliott CT, Campbell K. (2016). Distribution, occurrence and biotoxin composition of the main shellfish toxin producing microalgae within European waters: A comparison of methods of analysis. Harmful Algae, 55: 112-120.
(DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2016.02.008)

• Chandrasekaran R, Barra L, Carillo S, Caruso T, Corsaro MM, Dal Piaz F, Graziani G, Corato F, Pepe D, Manfredonia A, Orefice I, Ruban AV, Brunet C. (2014). Light modulation of biomass and macromolecular composition of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi. Journal of Biotechnology, 192: 114–122. (DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.10.016)

• Barra L, Chandrasekaran R, Corato F, Brunet C. (2014). The challenge of ecophysiological biodiversity for biotechnological applications of microalgae. Marine Drugs.  (DOI: 10.3390/md12031641)

• Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Chen J, Kooistra WHCF. (2013). Specificity of LSU rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for Pseudo-nitzschia species tested through dot-blot-hybridization. Environ Sci Pollut Res.  (DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-1330-1)

• Barra L., Ruggiero, M.V., Sarno, D. et al. Strengths and weaknesses of microarray approaches to detect Pseudo-nitzschia species in the field. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 6705–6718 (2013). (doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1330-1)