Laura Civiero

The brain is a network of neuronal connections surrounded by a scaffold of glial cells with a multitude of crucial functions. A specific type of glial cells, astrocytes, are emerging as modulating factors in diverse brain diseases. Civiero studies how astrocytes contribute to the removal of unwanted and neurotoxic molecules in an effort to maintain brain homeostasis. Her discoveries will help manipulating this function for therapeutic purposes. She is employing a plethora of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo approaches to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind astrocyte dysfunction and to screen drugs in a high throughput fashion.

Iovino L, Giusti V, Pischedda F, Giusto E, Plotegher N, Marte A, Battisti I, Di Iacovo A, Marku A, Piccoli G, Bandopadhyay R, Perego C, Bonifacino T, Bonanno G, Roseti C, Bossi E, Arrigoni G, Bubacco L, Greggio E, Hilfiker S, Civiero L. Trafficking of the glutamate transporter is impaired in LRRK2-related Parkinson's disease. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 May 21. doi: 10.1007/s00401-022-02437-0.

Serpe C, Monaco L, Relucenti M, Iovino L, Familiari P, Scavizzi F, Raspa M,Familiari G, Civiero L, D'Agnano I, Limatola C, Catalano M. Microglia-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Reduce Glioma Growth by Modifying Tumor Cell Metabolism and Enhancing Glutamate Clearance through miR-124. Cells. 2021 Aug 12;10(8):2066. doi: 10.3390/cells10082066.

Streubel-Gallasch L, Giusti V, Sandre M, Tessari I, Plotegher N, Giusto E, Masato A, Iovino L, Battisti I, Arrigoni G, Shimshek D, Greggio E, Tremblay ME, Bubacco L, Erlandsson A, Civiero L. Parkinson's Disease-Associated LRRK2 Interferes with Astrocyte-Mediated Alpha-Synuclein Clearance. Mol Neurobiol. 2021 Jul;58(7):3119-3140. doi: 10.1007/s12035-021-02327-8.

Iovino L, Tremblay ME, Civiero L. Glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in Parkinson's disease: The role of glial cells. J Pharmacol Sci. 2020 Nov;144(3):151-164. doi: 10.1016/j.jphs.2020.07.011.

Tremblay ME, Cookson MR, Civiero L. Glial phagocytic clearance in Parkinson's disease. Mol Neurodegener. 2019 Apr 5;14(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s13024-019-0314-8.