Dr Tiziana Sgamma

Dr Tiziana Sgamma is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science in the School of Allied Health Sciences at De Montfort University (UK). After obtaining her BSc and MSc in Biotechnology from the Università degli Studi della Tuscia in Italy she obtained her PhD in Plant and Environmental Sciences from the University of Warwick, UK.

During her post-doctoral research, she worked on the development and the application of novel DNA-based techniques to the identification and authentication of medicinal plants and phytomedicines.

Her current research interest focus on around the unambiguous identification of plant as a crucial step in the quality control of medicinal plants in order to guarantee the identity and a constant and reliable quality of the starting material.

Dr Tiziana Sgamma is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and she is involved in pedagogic research.

• Biomolecular Technology Research Group

Masiero E., Banik D., Abson J., Greene P., Slater A., Sgamma T., (2017) Genus-Specific Real-Time PCR and HRM assays to distinguish Liriope from Ophiopogon samples. Plants 2017, 6 (4), 53

Quansah E., Sgamma T., Jaddoa E., Zetterstrom TSC (2017) Chronic methylphenidate regulates genes and proteins mediating neuroplasticity in the juvenile brain. Neuroscience Letters, 654, pp. 93-98

Sgamma T., Lockie-Williams C., Kreuzer M., Williams S., Scheyhing U., Koch E., Slater A., Howard C. 2017. DNA barcoding for industrial quality assurance. Planta Med. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-113448.

Sgamma T. (2016) Juvenility. In: Brian Thomas, Brian G Murray and Denis J Murphy (Editors in Chief), Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences, Vol 1, Waltham, MA: Academic Press, pp. 437–441

Sgamma T., Pape J., Massiah A., Jackson S. (2016). Selection of reference genes for diurnal and developmental time-course real-time PCR expression analyses in lettuce. Plant Methods 12 1–9. 10.1186/s13007-016-0121-y

Sgamma T., Cirilli M., Caboni E., Maurizio M., Thomas B. and Muleo R. (2016). In vitro plant culture system induces phase transition in fruit-bearing plants. Acta Hortic. 1110, 13-20
DOI:10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1110.3 https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1110.3

Booker A., Zhai L., Gkouva C., Li S., Frommenwiler D., Reich E., Howard C., Sgamma T., Williams S., Slater A. and Heinrich M. (2016) Comparison of different Rhodiola species using NMR- metabolomics, HPTLC and DNA barcoding techniques. In: 9th Joint Natural Products Conference, 24 to end of 27 Jul 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sgamma T. and Jackson S. (2015) Regulation framework for flowering. In: P Poltronieri, Yiguo Hong, eds. Applied Plant genomics and Biotechnology, Edition: Elsevier, Woodhead Publishing, pp.115-132

Slater A., Cayrou C., Howard C., Scheyhing U., Schoetz K., Sgamma T., Williams S. and Koch E. (2015) DNA Authentication of raw herbal drugs for Industrial Quality Assurance. Planta Medica, 81, (16), pp. 1397-1397

Sgamma T., Thomas B., Muleo R. (2015).Ethylene inhibitor silver nitrate enhances regeneration and genetic transformation of Prunus avium (L.) cv Stella. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) 120:79–88 doi:10.1007/s11240-014-0581-6

Sgamma T., Jackson A., Muleo R., Thomas B., Massiah A.J.(2014). TEMPRANILLO is a regulator of juvenility in plants. Scientific Reports 4, 3704

Sgamma T., Cirilli M., Caboni E., Frioni E., Iacona C.,  Zecchini M., Thomas B., Muleo R. (2014) Phase Transition in Woody Plants: From Juvenile to Adult and Back. Refereed conference proceedings, Acta Horticulturae.

• Research Interest:  DNA barcoding tests for the authentication of medicinal plant material used in herbal medicines.
• Plant DNA barcoding
• Maximizing secondary metabolite production from medicinal plants by plant tissue cultures and biotechnological approaches
• Understanding the role of genotypic variation and environmental changes in regulating medical plant secondary metabolites
• Plant secondary products
• Molecular biology
• Genetics
• DNA barcode
• Plant Biotechnology
• Gene regulation
• Real-Time PCRMedicinal plants

• Biochemistry and Cell Biology
• Molecular Genetics and Genomics
• Bioanalytical Instrumentation and Techniques
• Research and Diagnostic Techniques
• Gene Cloning, Protein Expression & Analyses 
• Advanced Biomedical Practice
• Applied Biotechnology in Biomedical Sciences

• Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)
• Advanced Biomedical Science MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert
• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert

First Supervisor to Purvi Mali – PhD Student

Internal sandwich year placements 2018-19 (Herbal Forensic): Student Sandwich year placements - Fixed term (12-month), full-time (37-hour) role remunerated at point 5 on the single pay spine (£16K). Principal investigator.

Higher Education Innovation Fund 2017/18: DNA barcoding of National Plant Collections (£8,300) Principal investigator.

Higher Education Innovation Fund 2016/17: Development of Networks for the DNA barcoding of National Plant Collections (£3,000) Co-investigator.

Higher Education Innovation Fund 2016/17: DNA tests for toxic weed contamination of herbal medicines (£14,500) Co-investigator.

VC2020 project scheme to establish the molecular technology research group 2016 (£5,000) Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Principal investigator.