Marco Pravetoni, PhD

The Pravetoni group focuses on development and translation of medical interventions against substance use disorders (SUD) and other chemical and biological threats. Current efforts are: 1) vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and small molecules to treat or prevent SUD, opioid use disorders (OUD) and overdose, 2) mechanisms and biomarkers underlying or predicting efficacy of immunotherapeutics and medications in pre-clinical models of SUD and OUD patients, 3) novel strategies to enhance vaccine or medication efficacy, including immunomodulators, small molecules, adjuvants, nanoparticles, polymers and other delivery platforms, 4) Vaccines, mAb, and clinical biomarkers against infectious diseases (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2), 5) biosensors for field detection or diagnosis.

Education

PhD in Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, 2008

Department Affiliations

Scholarly Expertise

  • Vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, immunology, pharmacology, chemical threats, immunoprofiling

Recent Publications

In vitro biophysical and pharmacological profiling predicts in vivo efficacy of anti-carfentanil monoclonal antibodies in mice.
(2025 Jul 12)
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 770(): 151995
Hoppe BK, Seaman RW Jr, Hannon B, Gay E, Hicks D, Baehr C, Hill HJ, Pandit SG, Baldridge A, Berner V, AuCoin DP, Runyon S, Pravetoni M

Bivalent Hapten Display Strategies for Conjugate Vaccines Targeting Opioid Mixtures Containing Fentanyl.
(2025 Apr 16)
Bioconjug Chem 36(4): 676-687
Baehr C, Jahan R, Gebo A, Vigliaturo J, Song D, Rahman MT, Tronconi D, Khaimraj A, Seaman R, Marecki C, Kim CM, Persano S, Runyon SP, Pravetoni M

CD56(bright) cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells and NK-cell engagers synergize against non-small cell lung cancer cancer-stem cells.
(2025 Feb 12)
J Immunother Cancer 13(2):
Guevara Lopez ML, Gebo A, Parodi M, Persano S, Maus-Conn J, Mingari MC, Loiacono F, Orecchia P, Sivori S, Cantoni C, Gentili M, Facchinetti F, Ferracini R, Vallera DA, Felices M, Bertolini G, Pravetoni M, Roz L, Vitale M

A humanized monoclonal antibody attenuates fentanyl self-administration and reverses and prevents fentanyl-induced ventilatory depression in rhesus monkeys.
(2025 Feb 5)
Psychopharmacology (Berl)
Galbo-Thomma LK, Marecki C, Kim CM, Hiranita T, Taylor JR, Maguire DR, Hicks D, Gebo A, Khaimraj A, Baehr C, Pravetoni M, France CP

A cationic liposome-formulated Toll Like Receptor (TLR)7/8 agonist enhances the efficacy of a vaccine against fentanyl toxicity.
(2025 Jan 13)
bioRxiv
Hamid FA, Le NN, Song D, Amin H, Hicks L, Bird S, Siram K, Hoppe B, Demeler B, Evans JT, Burkhart D, Pravetoni M

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