Tullio Pozzan graduated in Medicine at the University of Padova and from 1978 to 1981 worked as post doc at the Department of Biochemistry in Cambridge (UK). He was nominated full Professor in 1986 and he served as Department chairman at the University of Padua for 12 years. He was a member of EMBO, of the Accademia dei Lincei, of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and of the Royal Society of Canada.
His main scientific interest were the study of Ca2+ as a universal intracellular second messenger. His interests in Ca2+ signaling began with the characterization of Ca2+ uptake and release in isolated mitochondria. In collaboration with R.Y. Tsien (Nobel laureate in 2008), he participated to the development of the intracellular trappable fluorescent Ca2+ indicators. His research group developed the first genetically encoded probes with selective subcellular localization. This new approach lead to a series of discoveries on the mechanisms of subcellular Ca2+ handling and in particular it revolutionized the understanding of mitochondrial role in cellular Ca2+ homeostasis.
In his later years, he became interested in the signaling pathway controlled by cAMP. His group generated the first genetically encoded fluorescent cAMP probe, contributed to establishing the concept of cAMP microdomains and described the existence of an autonomous cAMP homeostatic mechanism within the matrix of mitochondria.
Professor Tullio Pozzan ForMemRS died on 15 October 2022.
Professional position
- Emeritus Professor of General Pathology, University of Padova
- Emeritus Professor of General Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova
