Tullio Pozzan (22 February 1949 – 15 October 2022) was an Italian biochemist who was professor at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

and head of the department of

biomedical sciences Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...

of the

Italian National Research Council The National Research Council (Italian: ''Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR'') is the largest research council in Italy. As a public organisation, its remit is to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome. ...

Early life

Pozzan was born in Venice on 22 February 1949. He was born into a family associated with the medical profession, including a grandfather whom he was named after. Pozzan studied

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the

and received a doctor of medicine degree in 1973.

Career and research

Pozzan was a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He became a full professor of general

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

at the

in 1986 and served as the director of the university's Department of Experimental Biomedical Sciences from 1992 to 2003. From 2009 Pozzan was director of the National Research Council of Italy's Institute of Neuroscience. Pozzan's main scientific interest has been the study of

Calcium in biology Calcium ions (Ca2+) contribute to the physiology and biochemistry of organisms' cells. They play an important role in signal transduction pathways, where they act as a second messenger, in neurotransmitter release from neurons, in contraction ...

and its role in

second messenger system Second messengers are intracellular signaling molecules released by the cell in response to exposure to extracellular signaling molecules—the first messengers. (Intercellular signals, a non-local form of cell signaling, encompassing both first me ...

s. His interests in

calcium signaling Calcium signaling is the use of calcium ions (Ca2+) to communicate and drive intracellular processes often as a step in signal transduction. Ca2+ is important for a wide variety of cellular signaling pathways. Once Ca2+ enters the cytosol of the ...

(Ca²⁺) began with the characterization of Ca²⁺ uptake and release in

mitochondria A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is us ...

. In collaboration with

Roger Y. Tsien Roger Yonchien Tsien (Chinese: 錢永健'';'' February 1, 1952 – August 24, 2016) was an American biochemist. He was a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemi ...

, he participated in 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 led to a series of discoveries on the mechanisms of

calcium metabolism Calcium metabolism is the movement and regulation of calcium ions (Ca2+) ''in'' (via the gut) and ''out'' (via the gut and kidneys) of the body, and ''between'' body compartments: the blood plasma, the extracellular and intracellular fluids, an ...

and in particular it revolutionized the understanding of mitochondrial role in cellular Ca²⁺

homeostasis In biology, homeostasis (British English, British also homoeostasis; ) is the state of steady internal physics, physical and chemistry, chemical conditions maintained by organism, living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning fo ...

. He was also interested in the

signaling pathway In biology, cell signaling (cell signalling in British English) is the process by which a cell interacts with itself, other cells, and the environment. Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all cellular life in both prokaryotes and eukary ...

controlled by

cyclic adenosine monophosphate Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP, cyclic AMP, or 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate) is a second messenger, or cellular signal occurring within cells, that is important in many biological processes. cAMP is a derivative of adenosine tri ...

(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.

Awards and honours

Pozzan was member of the

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

(EMBO), of the

Accademia dei Lincei The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...

, the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life" ...

(FRSC). He was elected a

Foreign Member of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

(ForMemRS) in 2018. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where:

Retirement and death

Pozzan retired from academia in 2019. He died on the afternoon of 15 October 2022, following a brief illness during which he was nursed by his wife Carla.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pozzan, Tullio 1949 births 2022 deaths Foreign members of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Members of the Lincean Academy Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Members of Academia Europaea Italian biochemists Scientists from Venice Academic staff of the University of Padua