Silvia Marino

Professor Silvia Marino is Professor of Neuropathology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, and Honorary Consultant Neuropathologist at Barts Health NHS Trust. She serves as Director of the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence and leads the Barts Brain Tumour Centre, a clinical research platform funded by Barts Charity to translate basic science discoveries into clinical applications for brain tumor patients.

Her educational background includes:

• Medical degree from the University of Turin, Italy
• Specialized training in Neuropathology and Histopathology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland
• Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam

Professor Marino's research program focuses on applying knowledge of basic stem cell biology to advance understanding of brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma (GBM) and medulloblastoma (MB). Her laboratory investigates deregulated epigenetic mechanisms in tumor initiation and progression, with special emphasis on Polycomb group genes. In GBM research, her team has developed a novel experimental pipeline comparing GBM stem cells to their normal neural stem cell counterparts from the same patient. For MB, her group studies how chromatin modifiers contribute to tumor development and potential therapeutic targeting without adversely affecting normal brain development in children.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on epigenetic regulation in brain tumors, with particular emphasis on BMI1 and other Polycomb group proteins, metabolic adaptations in tumor cells, and comparative analyses between tumor cells and normal neural stem cells. Her work spans molecular biology, cell signaling pathways, and translational applications for potential therapeutic interventions.

Professional recognitions include:

• MD (Medical Doctor)
• FRCPath (Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists)
• Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow of the European Community
• Current Vice-President of the British Neuropathology Society
• Past President of the British Neuro-Oncology Society
• Academic Training Programme Director for Pathology at NHS England London

Professor Marino actively supervises multiple PhD students and offers laboratory experience placements. Her multidisciplinary research group includes laboratory staff, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical collaborators working together on brain tumor research. Current projects are funded by Brain Tumour Research, Cancer Research UK, Barts Charity, Ali's Dream, and NIHR.

She leads the Marino research group at the Blizard Institute, which is part of the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, a strategic partnership between Queen Mary University of London and the charity Brain Tumour Research. The group comprises basic scientists and clinical researchers collaborating to bridge fundamental discoveries with clinical applications for brain tumor patients.