My First Paper: Filippo Dall'Armellina

Posted on: 8 December 2022 by Filippo Dall'Armellina in December 2022 Posts

We continue our 'My First Paper' Campaign, showcasing researchers and their research - with PhD student Filippo Dall'Armellina from the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology.

Your name and your area of research.

My name is Filippo Dall’Armellina. I focus on the neurodegenerative and musculoskeletal events seen in patients with pathogenic mutations of lipid-binding and regulating proteins. I am very passionate about this line of work as I hope it will contribute to curing rare developmental disorders. 

What was the title of your first paper and who was it submitted to?

My first paper is entitled ‘In silico modelling human VPS13 proteins associated with donor and target membranes suggests lipid transfer mechanisms’. I submitted it to Proteins earlier this year as the first author, along with my project supervisors Dr M Stagi and Dr L Swan. You can access it here. 

Artistic view ER-lipid droplet VPS13 contact site

How would you explain what this paper was about to your grandparents?

The properties of proteins described in the past 50 years allow us to use computer-based modelling to predict protein structures.

With this knowledge, we were able to generate the first ever full-length predictive models of a family of proteins called VPS13s as they span the gap between two compartments within the cell.

Discovering how VPS13s are oriented and how their structures can behave inside the cell with respect to leaflets of lipids (fat molecules) has given us valuable insight on how lipid transfer may occur. 

What was the most significant thing for you about that paper?

Obtaining confident predictions of these stable-looking models was challenging at first, so I had to work hard and study the principles that underpin protein modelling in depth. The most significant thing one can take from reading this paper is that we know VPS13s are likely to bind membranes at one end via protein interactions, and at the other end via long helices we called the ‘gondola’ domain. 

What advice would you give to others about submitting their first paper?

Don’t be afraid of bringing up ideas to established researchers as an early career scientist. Having published relevant work as a student is a good way to kickstart your future in research and will help you understand the process of publishing even further.

You can follow Filippo on Linkedin .

If you would like to be part of the #MyFirstPaper campaign (one of the most popular features on the Faculty website), the HLS comms team would love to hear from you. The information we’d require from you is:  

• Your name and your area of research (please identify any web links you’d like us to use)
• What was the title of your first paper and who was it submitted to?
• How would you explain what this paper was about to your grandparents?
• What was the most significant thing for you about that paper?
• What advice would you give to others about submitting their first paper?

Please supply photos of yourself (and any other relevant pictures), plus a link to the paper if possible. Please send all information to hlscomms@liverpool.ac.uk