Prof. Irene Messana got her master’s degree in Chemistry cum laude at the University of Rome in July 1977. Irene Messana worked at the Superior Institute of Health, Drug Chemistry Laboratory, Rome, as post-doctor from 1977 up to 1981 and performed research in the field of alkaloid chemistry. In 1981, she took up the position of researcher at the Catholic University of Rome in the Faculty of Medicine. Since October 2000, she has been a full Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Cagliari, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences. Irene Messana is a research scientist with contributions in the biological and medical sciences. Her particular skills include the following: Separation and structural and functional characterization of secondary metabolites from plants, with the aim of searching for new therapeutic agents; Implementation of methods based on HPLC and capillary electrophoresis for purification and characterization of proteins; Functional characterization of oxygen carrier proteins, with particular interest in hemoglobin and adaptive molecular strategies to extreme habitats; Study of energetic metabolism, with particular interest in the oxygen-dependent modulation of erythrocyte metabolism; Application of NMR spectroscopy and Mass spectrometry to the analysis of biofluids; and Characterization of peptide components of saliva from humans and mammals.