Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine

Biography

Prof. B. Marchetti is a member of > 30 national and international neuroscientific societies, published > 100 full papers in peer reviewed Journals, > 100 full length Chapters in Books; presented > 200 Abstracts at both National and International Meetings, acts as Invited Speaker and Conference Chairman in National and International Meetings, organized uccessful Workshops in the field, and acts as Guess Editor of Special Issues. Prof Marchetti’s research projects are sponsorized by Italian Ministry of Health, Italian Ministry of University Research, the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and European Research Council (ERC) Projects; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds de recherche du Québec en santé (FRQS); Fondazione con il Sud - Bando Capitale Umano ad Alta Qualificazione 2015 grant; and Network of Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (CoEN) 2017, Pathfinder III project grant

Research Interest

Prof. Marchetti’s fields of interests include hormones, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and neuroprotection, glia-neuron interactions in neurodegenerative diseases including, Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s (PD) and Huntington’s diseases (HD). Research fields of the Team have expanded from the study of the Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), stress, inflammatory mediators in programming the predispostion to disease entities (including endocrine and neurological disorders) such as experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (a rodent model of Multiple Sclerosis), the MPTP and 6-OHDA rodent models of PD in transgenic GR knock out mice, expressing from early embryonic life a GR antisense RNA. The critical role of estrogens in neuroprotection and neuroinflammation has been also highlighted studying the effect of P450 aromatase KO mice in DA neuronal systems and vulnerability to PD, in particular the role of gender and estrogens in astrocyte and microglia response to PD neurotoxins, together with the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of estrogen in neuroprotection, and the associated therapeutical interventions. The class of non-steroidal antiflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as the nitric-oxide releasing NSAIDs (such as NO-Flurbiprofen) have been characterized for their ability to exert a significant degree of neuroprotection of the nigrostriatal DA neurons in rodent models of the disease. More recent BM research activities focus on the study of adult neurogenesis and neurodegeneration/neuroprotection in PD, on intercellular communications between glial cells, neurons and stem/neuroprogenitor cells (NSCs), highlighting the role of inflammation in the plasticity of subventricular zone (SVZ)-NSCs and their therapeutical implications for nigrostriatal DA neurorestoration in rodent models of PD, in setting in vitro and in vivo models to elucidate novel signaling pathways involved in neuronal cell