Professional Experience
November 2024 – Present
Associate Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology (BIOS-09/A), Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy.
Researcher (Annex A3) at the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna and Head of the Brain Aging Laboratory.
February 2020 – November 2024
Health Researcher, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Italy.
Head of the Brain Aging Laboratory.
September 2016 – February 2020
Research Collaborator (Co.Co.Co.), IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Italy (5-month maternity leave).
December 2012 – August 2016
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Specialized, Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy (5-month maternity leave and 3-month parental leave).
November 2010 – October 2011
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Education
2016–2017
Master's Degree in Science Journalism and Institutional Science Communication, University of Ferrara, Italy.
2007–2010
PhD in Human Biology and Genetics, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2004–2007
MSc in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology (Molecular Curriculum), University of Bologna, Italy. Graduated with Honors (110/110 cum laude).
2001–2004
BSc in Biotechnology (Biomolecular Curriculum), University of Bologna, Italy. Graduated with Honors (110/110 cum laude).
Research Activity
My research focuses on understanding the contribution of biological aging to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. My work aims to identify molecular markers measurable in accessible biological samples, including blood and blood derivatives, urine, and feces, as indicators of brain aging and as early biomarkers for age-related neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease in individuals with Down syndrome. Current research integrates epigenetic, proteomic, glycomic, inflammatory, and cell-free DNA biomarkers with neuroimaging and clinical data to improve early diagnosis and disease stratification.
Research Funding
- Co-Principal Investigator of the project "Integrating sleep–wake oscillatory activities and liquid biopsy as innovative biomarkers for multimodal diagnosis in preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer's disease" funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (PNRR M6/C2 Call 2023). The project investigates multimodal biomarkers combining plasma proteins, circulating nucleic acids, and electroencephalographic measures for the early, non-invasive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
- Principal Investigator of the project "Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome: insights from epigenetic, glycomic and inflammatory profiles", funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata GR-2019). The project aims to identify blood-based biomarkers of cognitive decline in individuals with Down syndrome through the integration of epigenetic, inflammatory, and glycomic profiling.
- Principal Investigator of the Airalzh Foundation-funded project "Radiogenomics for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease: combining DNA methylation-based liquid biopsy and advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging". The project focuses on developing a blood-based assay for brain-derived circulating cell-free DNA and integrating molecular and MRI data for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.
- Partner in the European ERA PerMed 2021 project "Artificial Intelligence for Personalised Medicine in Depression (ArtiPro)", aimed at developing multimodal biomarkers to predict treatment response in depression using artificial intelligence approaches.
Awards and Honors
- Airalzh Award, SINdem4Juniors 2024.
- Best Abstract Award (IVN Dementias), III Annual Meeting of the Italian Neuroscience Network, Rome, 2023, for the study "Association of peripheral inflammatory and epigenetic profiles with dementia in an Italian cohort of adults with Down syndrome".
- Best Poster Award, SINdem4Juniors 2023, for the presentation "Assessment of brain-derived cell-free DNA in Alzheimer's disease".
- Aging Cell Best Paper Prize 2015 for the publication: Horvath S., Garagnani P., Bacalini M.G. et al. "Accelerated epigenetic aging in Down syndrome." Aging Cell. 2015;14(3):491–495.
