Biografia

---

2023-today Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR) in Naples
2011-2022 Permanent Researcher at the Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB-CNR) in Naples
2005-2006 Collaboration contract with the European Molecular Biology Lab, Hamburg Outstation, Germany. Period September 2005- March 2006. Activity: “Cloning and expression on protein targets from the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis”.
2002-2005 PhD in Molecular Physiology and Structural Biology” at University of Padua.
2001 Master degree in Chemistry at Federico II University in Naples

Interessi di ricerca

---

Her primary research interests focus on the functional and structural characterization of protein targets from human pathogens. This research line was established during her postdoctoral fellowship at EMBL Hamburg (2005–2006), where she began investigating M. tuberculosis (Mtb). In her work she combines structural and molecular biology to biochemistry to decipher nee molecular mechanisms and design novel entities against infectious diseases. In this field, she has been responsible of two national grants, and coordinator of a PRIN 2022 PNRR focused on structural vaccinology against TB (FIGHT_TB: FIndinG High-grade anTigens towards an innovative TB vaccines). During PRIN 2022 PNRR she was responsible of a student fellow in the framework of PRIN 2022 PNRR activities.
For the MUR PRIN 2020 (MOY-FLY project, 2022-2025) we was tutor of one Post-Doc and one student fellows. She is currently scientific tutor of a Post-doc fellow “New Frontiers against emerging pathogens "ESKAPE 2”– CODICE DSB.AD008.992) and co-tutorof a PhD student (PhD in “Scienze del Farmaco” XLI Cycle UNINA), within the project proposal “Targeting KRAS isoforms in Cancer” funded by AIRC (Project PI Prof. A De Simone)

Pubblicazioni scelte

---

1. Structural and binding studies of the mycobacterial heat shock protein reveal a silent state and offer insights into dendritic cell activation. Barra G, Sala M, Scala MC, Campiglia P, Kim H-J, Ruggiero A, Berisio R. Int J Biol Macromol 2026 Mar 5:353:151218. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.151218.
2. Computational, crystallographic, and biophysical characterizations provide insights into calcium and phosphate binding by human annexin A4. Di Micco S, Scala MC, Sala M, Barra G, Ghilardi O, Campiglia P, Bifulco G, Vitagliano L, Ruggiero A. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 May;308(Pt 3):142600. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.142600.
3. Structure based design of effective HtpG-derived vaccine antigens against M. tuberculosis. Ruggiero A, Choi HG, Barra G, Squeglia F, Back YW, Kim HJ, Berisio R. Front Mol Biosci. 2022 Aug 11;9:964645. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.964645.
4. Structural studies of KCTD1 and its disease-causing mutant P20S provide insights into the protein function and misfunction. Balasco N, Ruggiero A, Smaldone G, Pecoraro G, Coppola L, Pirone L, Pedone EM, Esposito L, Berisio R, Vitagliano L. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Oct;277(Pt 4):134390. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134390.
5. Maleness-on-the-Y (MoY) orchestrates male sex determination in major agricultural fruit fly pests.Meccariello A, Salvemini M, Primo P, Hall B, Koskinioti P, Dalíková M, Gravina A, Gucciardino MA, Forlenza F, Gregoriou ME, Ippolito D, Monti SM, Petrella V, Perrotta MM, Schmeing S, Ruggiero A, Scolari F, Giordano E, Tsoumani KT, Marec F, Windbichler N, Arunkumar KP, Bourtzis K, Mathiopoulos KD, Ragoussis J, Vitagliano L, Tu Z, Papathanos PA, Robinson MD, Saccone G. Science. 2019 Sep 27;365(6460):1457-1460. doi: 10.1126/science.aax1318.