معرفی
Maria Grazia Spillantini is Professor of Molecular Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical School, University of Cambridge, UK, a position she has held since 2007. She is head of the Spillantini Laboratory and the Cambridge Brain Bank, and works closely with the Stem Cell Institute. Her academic journey began with a Laurea in Biological Sciences from Florence University, followed by a PhD in Molecular Biology from Cambridge University working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology with Prof Sir Aaron Klug.
Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases characterized by protein aggregation, particularly tauopathies and alpha-synucleinopathies. With her collaborators, she made the groundbreaking discovery identifying alpha-synuclein as the component of filaments forming Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and glial inclusions in multiple system atrophy, effectively opening the field of alpha-synucleinopathies. She also determined tau isoforms in human brain and their aggregation in Alzheimer's disease, and described one of the first mutations in the MAPT gene causing frontotemporal dementia, establishing tau's role in neurodegenerative diseases now known as tauopathies.
Her publication record shows a consistent focus on protein aggregation mechanisms in neurodegeneration, with recent work exploring microglial interactions with tau aggregates, astrocyte dysfunction in tauopathies, synaptic failure in Parkinson's disease models, and biomarker development for Parkinson's disease. Her research has significant translational impact, with at least one compound identified through her work now in Phase 2 Clinical Trials for human patients.
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London (2013)
- Elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, London (2010)
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, UK (2021)
- European Grand Prix for Alzheimer's Research (2021)
- Tudichum Medal of the UK Biochemical Society (2020)
- Jay Van Andel Award for Outstanding achievements in Parkinson's disease (2016)
- 'Camillo Golgi Medal' of the Golgi Foundation (2017)
- Knight Officer of the Order of the 'Star of Italy' (2018)
Professor Spillantini's work is supported by major funding bodies including Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society, Astra Zeneca, Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, EU Horizon 2020, Medical Research Council, Parkinson's UK, and the Paul G. Allen Foundation. Her laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Frontotemporal dementia using patient-derived stem cells and post-mortem brain tissue. The Spillantini Lab is particularly focused on understanding how protein aggregation in neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia leads to neurodegeneration.
