Prof Mario Ariatti
Professor Emeritus
- 031 260 7981
- ariattim@ukzn.ac.za
- PhD, BSc (Hons)
- Biochemistry
- Westville Campus
Prof Ariatti is a founder member of the Department of Biochemistry at the erstwhile University of Durban-Westville, where he served his entire professional career. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and Biochemistry and a DPhil in molecular and mechanistic aspects of ribosomal protein biosynthesis. His research over the past four decades has focused on the design, synthesis, development and assessment of non-viral gene and RNA delivery systems with the design potential for application in humans. In recognition of his contributions he was bestowed with a knighthood (Cavaliere della Stella della Solidarietà) by the President of Italy in 2010. Prof Ariatti serves as Professor emeritus in Biochemistry on the Westville campus, and is a reviewer or a number of focused, international scientific journals.
Publications: Over 100 in accredited journals.
Recent publication: HER2/neu Oncogene Silencing in a Breast Cancer Cell Model Using Cationic Lipid-Based Delivery Systems. A Balgobind, A Daniels, M Ariatti, M Singh. Pharmaceutics 15 (4), 1190 (2023)
Research interests
- Design and synthesis of cationic amphiphiles for the construction of nanoparticles intended for the vehiculation of nucleic acids into human cells.
- Design, synthesis and evaluation of reverse transcriptase inhibitors in the context of HIV.