Laura Piccio

Associate Professor Laura Piccio is an academic at the University of Sydney's School of Medical Sciences, part of the Faculty of Medicine and Health. She holds the NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on immune-inflammatory mechanisms in neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), with a particular emphasis on the role of innate immune cells (macrophages, microglia), the TREM2 receptor, and dietary interventions. She is affiliated with the Brain and Mind Centre and the Charles Perkins Centre.

Her research students include Anjie GE (investigating high-fibre diets and intermittent fasting in MS), Drishya MAINALI (studying extracellular vesicles in MS pathophysiology), and Yifei ZHOU (exploring TREM2-mediated myelin clearance).

Key research themes include: (1) TREM2's role in neurodegeneration and biomarker potential for Alzheimer's disease, and (2) dietary effects on MS progression and neuroinflammation. Recent work highlights the protective effects of intermittent caloric restriction and high-fibre diets on neuroinflammation.

Notable achievements include the NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship and grants from Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia, Brain Australia, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health. Ongoing projects investigate lipid biomarkers in CSF/blood, TREM2 activation in microglia, and microbiome-immune interactions in MS.

Laura Piccio's interdisciplinary approach bridges basic science and clinical translation, with a focus on developing novel therapies targeting metabolic and immune pathways in neurological disorders.