**About the Editors**

**Riccardo Miggiano** graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Parma and received a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical and Food Biotechnologies at University of Piemonte Orientale. By adopting different experimental approaches, including the use of complementary biochemical and biophysical techniques his research activity mainly focus on (i) the biochemical and structural characterization of individual enzymes involved in alkylated-DNA repair in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb); (ii) the identification and characterization of macromolecular complexes participating to the maintenance of Mtb genome stability and/or to the co-ordination of DNA repair with other vital aspects of the pathogen biology; (iii) protein engineering studies for the design of self-labeling fluorescent protein-tag. He was visiting researcher at the Institute of Biosciences and BioResources of CNR in Naples, at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and at the City University of New York. In 2017 Dr. Miggiano was awarded with a research gran<sup>t</sup> from Fondazione Cariplo that sees him as Principal investigator (PI) and coordinator of the project "Deciphering molecular aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA repair to disclose its role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in humans". His activity resulted in 23 published papers and 19 protein structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Moreover, Dr. Miggiano is a co-founder of the IXTAL spin-off (www.ixtal.it), a biotech company that operates in the field of protein science.

**Menico Rizzi** graduated in Chemistry at the University of Pavia Italy and received a Ph.D. in Molecular Biotechnologies at University Cattolica "Sacro Cuore". He is an expert in structural biology and enzymology and coordinates a group investigating proteins of medical interest, with a particular focus on poverty-linked diseases. Prof. Rizzi has a successful record as a group leader in European Commission funded projects and received funding also from National Agencies and Private Foundations. Visiting scientist/professor at the University of York (UK), University of Kyoto (JP) and at the Japanese National Institute for infectious disease (Tokyo, JP). Member of the scientific committee of several National and International Congresses including FEBS and FASEB meetings and lecturer in International PhD Schools supported by UNESCO. Past President of the "Proteins" division of the Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of the Evaluation Board of the University of Piemonte Orientale and University of Genova (Italy). Expert member of the International nonproprietary name (INN) program of the World Health Organization. Since April 2020 Prof. Rizzi is a member of the governing board of ANVUR, the Italian National Agency for the evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes.

**Davide M. Ferraris** graduated in Chemistry at the University of Torino (Italy) and was a Marie-Curie fellow at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI; Braunschweig, Germany) and received a Ph.D. in Infection Biology from the Hannover Medical School (MHH, Germany). His interests and activities include the structural and biochemical studies of enzymes and proteins involved in infectious diseases, and the development of enzymes for custom industrial applications. He was the recipient of the 2017 "Roche for Research" grant, and is the co-founder and Managing Director of the company IXTAL (www.ixtal.it) which offers R&D services in protein sciences to pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

*Editorial*
