ORCID ID: 0009-0001-3716-547X
Curriculum: Experimental Neuroscience
Tutor: Professor Fabrizio Piazza
Supervisor: Dr Elisabetta De Bernardi
Workplace: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, Monza, 20900 (MB), Italy
I began my academic journey in the Biotechnology program (Pharma curriculum) at the University of Milan, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in October 2021.
My thesis, entitled “Methods for Studying Epigenetic Modifications of Chromatin,” was developed under the supervision of Professor Anna Cariboni and Dr. Antonella Lettieri.
Then I continued my studies with a Master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology at the University of Milan Bicocca, which I completed in March 2024. During this time, I carried out my research thesis: “Analytical Optimization of a Robust Prototype Assay Kit for Anti-Aβ (Auto)Antibody Dosage in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Preliminary Evidence for Its Use as a Diagnostic Biomarker Test for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-Related Inflammation,” at the CAA and AD Translational Research and Biomarkers Laboratory, directed by Professor Fabrizio Piazza.
Interested to further contribute to this research, I undertook a post-graduate research fellowship focused on continuing the project I had started during my thesis work.
This experience further led me to pursue a PhD.
PhD research project
Innovative assays for clinical biomarker validation studies to advance precision medicine in ARIA and CAA-ri
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) remains a challenging diagnosis due to the limitations of current MRI-based criteria, especially in atypical cases. Emerging parallels between CAA-ri and Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA), observed in Alzheimer’s immunotherapy trials, highlight a shared pathophysiology likely driven by immune responses against β-amyloid deposits. Notably, elevated levels of anti-Aβ autoantibodies (aAbs) during CAA-ri episodes suggest their potential as diagnostic biomarkers. Our project aims to analytically and pre-analytically validate an industrial diagnostic kit derived from a robust in-house assay for aAbs quantification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and subsequently evaluate its clinical performance. Upon validation, we will explore its application in peripheral fluids such as plasma to enable less invasive testing. The outcomes may significantly improve the diagnosis and monitoring of CAA-ri and ARIA, deepen our understanding of their pathophysiological mechanisms by integrating aAbs with other biomarkers, and ultimately support precision medicine approaches in neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease therapy.