Franchi Sara

FranchiSara

Franchi
Sara

Researcher Fellow

Padua headquarters

Email
sarafranchi@cnr.it
Telefono
+39 049 827 5352

BIOGRAPHY

Sara obtained her Bachelor’s (2019) and Master’s (2021) Degrees in Chemistry cum laude at the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova. She then got a research scholarship at the same department and carried out a ten-month research internship at the Nuclear Medicine Unit, University Hospital Basel (Switzerland) in 2022.

Sara obtained a PhD in Molecular Sciences at the University of Padova in 2026 and since October 2025 she has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy, National Research Council (ICMATE-CNR) in Padova, where she is currently working on the chemical and radiochemical synthesis and characterization of radiopharmaceuticals based on technetium-99m and rhenium-188.

During her education and previous research positions Sara mainly focused on the design and development of new chelators for various (radio)metals, spanning from organic synthesis, analytical and inorganic characterization of metal complexes, coordination chemistry, to radiolabeling with nuclides such as lutetium-177, gallium-68, radium-223, copper-61/64, fluorine-18, in vitro and in vivo assays. She also worked on peptide synthesis and characterization as delivery systems for radiopharmaceuticals.

Sara has assisted several students both in analytical chemistry didactic laboratories and during their experimental thesis periods.

RESEARCH AREAS

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Her activity includes the study of:

Design and development of chelators for radiometals
Thermodynamic, structural and kinetic characterization of metal complexes
Radiolabeling with several radionuclides
Quality control and stability of radiopharmaceuticals
In vitro and in vivo assays with radiopharmaceuticals

PROJECTS

Project TARATA – Foundation AIRC

RESEARCH PRODUCTS

Franchi et al., “Heavy Alkaline Earth Radiometals for Cancer Theranostics: Coordination and Radiochemistry of Radium-223 and Barium-131 with Kryptofix 22-Based Chelators”, Inorg. Chem. 64 (45) (2025) 22422-22440.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c03908
Franchi et al., “Unveiling the Decarboxylation of a Malonic Acid-Containing Macrocycle at Acidic pH: Implications and Applications of an Overlooked Phenomenon”, ChemPlusChem (2025) e202500213.
DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202500213
Franchi et al., “Navigating through the coordination preferences of heavy alkaline earth metals: Laying the foundations for ²²³Ra- and ^131/135mBa-based targeted alpha therapy and theranostics of cancer”, J. Inorg. Biochem. 256 (2024) 112569.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112569
Franchi et al., “The Curies’ element: state of the art and perspectives on the use of radium in nuclear medicine”, EJNMMI Radiopharm. Chem. 8 (38) (2023).
DOI: 10.1186/s41181-023-00220-4
Franchi et al., “Bismuth Chelation for Targeted Alpha Therapy: Current State of the Art”, Nucl. Med. Biol. 114-115 (2022) 168-188.
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2022.06.002

RESEARCH PRODUCTS

Zin et al., “Effect of Mo content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of CoCrFeNiMo_x HEA coatings deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering”, Surface and Coatings Technology 476 (2024) 130244.
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2023.130244
Piotto et al., “One-step laser ablation synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with carbon coating for tribological applications”, Tribology International 183 (2023) 108371.
DOI: 10.1016/j.triboint.2023.108371
Mortalò et al., “Surface Optimization of Commercial Porous Ti Substrates by EPD of Titanium Nitride”, Membranes 12(5) (2022) 531.
DOI: 10.3390/membranes12050531
Zin et al., “Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Ta-N and Ta-Al-N Coatings Deposited by Reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering”, Materials 15(9) (2022) 3354.
DOI: 10.3390/ma15093354
M. Deambrosis et al., “Effect of temperature and deposition technology on the microstructure, chemistry and tribo-mechanical characteristics of Ti-B based thin films by magnetron sputtering”, Surface and Coatings Technology 405 (2021) 126556.
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2020.126556