Ricerc@Sapienza

My research focuses on the cellular and molecular physiology of the nervous system, with a particular emphasis on the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegeneration.

Key areas of interest include:

• Human iPSC-derived 2D and 3D brain and retinal organoids as translational models to investigate synaptic and mitochondrial dysfunctions in diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Fragile X  syndrome, and SYNGAP1-related encephalopathy.

• Microglia–neuron–astrocyte interactions and their impact on synaptic plasticity, calcium signaling, and neuroinflammation across development and disease.

• Mitochondrial bioenergetics as therapeutic targets to rescue cellular homeostasis in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative contexts.

• Advanced imaging and electrophysiological platforms (high-content microscopy, calcium imaging, 3D-MEA) for functional analysis of neuronal networks in human-derived systems.

• Alternative methods to animal testing (3R approach) through the development of complex in vitro models integrating bioengineering, omics, and optical readouts.

• Retina-brain axis as a biomarker of neurodegeneration and neurodevelopmental pathology.

Overall, my research aims to bridge neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration, leveraging human stem-cell technologies and mitochondrial biology to identify convergent mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.