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Enhancing the future of brain regeneration

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Università di Verona (UNIVR) will develop functional brain tissue to rebuild the part of the hippocampus that is damaged by epilepsy.

 

Università degli studi di Verona https://www.univr.it/en/home

UNIVR is a public university that focuses on innovation and research. The campus is connected to the teaching University hospital (GB Rossi Hospital). To foster the development of research and consolidate the areas of excellence, UNIVR has established the Center of Technology Platforms with innovative infrastructures accessible from all researchers of UNIVR. UNIVR participates in HERMES with the Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, whose mission is to contribute to the development and improvement of preventive medicine and treatment in the hospital environment and the community. The Section of Pharmacology is a well-established unit in the Department and its research programs span target drug discovery, behavioral neuroscience and neural stem cell research.


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This is the UNIVR team of the project, click on the name to expand the bio:

Ilaria Decimo | PI

I hold a PhD in Biotechnology Applied to Biomedical Sciences. I have a strong background in neurobiology, neural stem cells and pharmacology with special focus on in vitro isolation, discovery and characterization of neural stem cell, neurogenesis, neuron differentiation and maturation, in vivo cell transplantation for tissue regeneration.

My research interests focus on regenerative medicine for the brain. I use state-of-the art cutting-edge methodologies for the in vitro and in vivo study of neural stem cells and organoids including comprehensive assessment of stem cell neuronal differentiation, molecular phenotype and maturation and in vivo therapeutic evaluation of stem cell transplantation in neurodegenerative animal models.

Marzia Di Chio | Technician

I am a senior technician with strong expertise in in vitro primary neuronal cell cultures (hippocampal and cortical cells), histological analysis, optical, confocal and electronic microscopy, calcium imaging, as well as in in vivo behavioral assessment of cognitive functions.

My research interests focus on neurobiology of learning and memory, with emphasis on the molecular pathway depending on drugs abuse.

Sissi Dolci | Post-Doc

I have recently obtained my PhD in Neuroscience, Psychological and Psychiatric Sciences, and Movement Sciences. I am expert in cell culture of meningeal stem cells, neural stem cells, primary neuronal cells (hippocampal and cortical cells), in vitro assays, histological analysis, optic and confocal microscopy.

My research interests focus on neural stem cells niches and their application in physiological conditions and neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal cord injury, Alzheimer disease, stroke and ischemia.

Raluca Zamfir | Post-Doc

I obtained my MSc in Medical Biotechnology (University of Turin), with a thesis on Alzheimer’s disease at the Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (Turin). I am a fellowship student at the Pharmacology section (University of Verona) and I have expertise in electronic and confocal microscopy, molecular biology techniques and in vitro neuronal cells (SK-N-BE, NT2, retinoic acid induced HEK293, neural stem cells). My research interests focuse on neurodegenerative diseases and the regenerative potential of the central nervous system, above all the study of neural stem cells morphology and development.

Francesca Ciarpella | Post-Doc

I obtained my PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology at the University of Ferrara where I was trained in neurophysiology with particular attention on in vivo brain inflammatory reaction and electrophysiological signals recording after cerebral chronic implants in animal models. I am currently a post-doc fellow in the Dr. Decimo Ilaria lab and I have strong expertise in in vitro cell culture (cerebral organoids, neural stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, primary fibroblasts and neurons), in vitro assays (including cytotoxicity), immunocyto- and histological analysis, optical and confocal imaging. My research interests focus on regenerative approaches for central nervous system as well as the study, characterization and modulation of neural stem cells.