Manolis Fanto

Manolis Fanto is Reader in Functional Genomics at King's College London, holding appointments in the School of Neuroscience and Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience. He leads the Fanto Lab, which investigates cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration using Drosophila and mouse models, focusing on autophagy dysfunctions and glial support mechanisms.

Research examines neuronal cell death pathways in neurodegenerative disorders including Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Motor Neurone Disease, Huntington's Disease, and Ataxias. The lab focuses on autophagy-lysosome system failures, post-mitotic neuronal cell cycle dysregulation, and glial contributions to neurodegeneration. Key molecular interests include atrophin proteins as transcriptional co-factors, nuclear degradation via karyoptosis, and CREB3-mediated cell death pathways.

Publications highlight mechanisms of nucleophagy-based nuclear breakdown in neurodegeneration, autophagy disorders, and polyglutamine toxicity models. Collaborative projects investigate nuclear envelope dysfunction and develop Drosophila models for neurodegenerative disease research.