Enrica Strettoi

Enrica Strettoi serves as Director of Research at the Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR) in Pisa, leading cutting-edge investigations into retinal structure, function, and degenerative pathologies. Her laboratory focuses on translating fundamental neurobiological insights into therapeutic strategies for vision-threatening conditions, with particular emphasis on retinal circuitry preservation and repair mechanisms.

Her research program centers on two interconnected domains: the functional organization of the healthy mammalian retina—including rod-cone interactions, bipolar cell specialization in visual pathways, and ganglion cell roles in circuit formation—and the neurobiology of inherited photoreceptor degeneration in Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). She investigates secondary cone death mechanisms, retinal remodeling processes, and mutation-independent therapeutic approaches such as environmental enrichment and targeted apoptosis inhibition.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong interdisciplinary trajectory bridging molecular neuroscience, ophthalmology, and translational medicine. Key thematic trends include retinal remodeling dynamics across genetic models, nanoparticle-based drug delivery to posterior ocular structures, and collaborative frameworks for advancing clinical trials in inherited retinal diseases. Her work consistently emphasizes the critical window for intervention where rod preservation confers disproportionate cone survival benefits.

Scientific Awards:

• Silver Fellow of ARVO, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2023)
• Nominated among Top Women in European Vision Research and Ophthalmology, European Vision Institute (2021)
• International Research Collaborative Award (IRCA), University of Sydney (2016)

Dr. Strettoi directs a multidisciplinary research ecosystem supported by major grants including THE-Tuscany Health Ecosystem (Italian MUR, 2022-2025), Velux Foundation funding for mutation-independent RP therapies (2019-2023), and EU Marie Curie Switchboard network participation (2015-2019). Her strategic collaborations span university departments, clinical institutes, and international laboratories to integrate molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral methodologies.

The laboratory maintains a robust collaborative infrastructure with Claudia Gargini (University of Pisa Pharmacy Department), Antonino Cattaneo (Scuola Normale Superiore), Simona Capsoni (University of Ferrara), and Stanislao Rizzo (Policlinico Gemelli), creating a synergistic environment for retinal disease modeling, pharmacological intervention testing, and neural circuit analysis using advanced techniques from confocal microscopy to ERG recordings.