Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome
Piergiorgio Strata
As a Scientific Institute for Hospitalisation and Treatment, the Santa Lucia Foundation carries out intensive research work in the fields of neuromotor rehabilitation and, more generally, of neuroscience. Research programmes are an essential activity in the field of care because they make it possible to discover new rehabilitation cures and treatments in the interests of the community. The Neuroplasticity Laboratory, directed by Prof. Piergiorgio Strata, is using the cerebellum as a model to study neuronal mechanisms such as axonal remodelling, spinogenesis and synaptic plasticity. More recently, through the development of lentiviral vectors, RNA interference strategies and gene expression analysis, the laboratory has started to explore the possibility to up or down-regulate specific targets in the CNS in vivo as a tool to develop better treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.
Piergiorgio Strata Professor Structural and functional analysis of cerebellar cortex
Paolo Cesare Post Doc Molecular biology, gene expression analysis, electrophysiology, in vitro studies
Georgia Mandolesi Post Doc Immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, electrophysiology, in vivo studies
Eleonora Autuori PhD student Immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, in vivo studies
Giorgio Grasselli PhD student Molecular biology, in vitro studies
Vladimiro Batocchi Research Assistant Immunohistochemistry, animal surgery
Relevant publications
1.Cesa R, Scelfo B, Strata P. Activity-dependent presynaptic and postsynaptic structural plasticity in the mature cerebellum. J Neurosci. 2007 Apr 25;27(17):4603-11.
2. Milasin JM, Buffo A, Carulli D, Strata P (2007) Intensive remodeling of Purkinje cell spines after climbing fibers deafferentation does not involve MAPK and Akt activation. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1096: 230-238.
3. Sacchetti B, Sacco T, Strata P. (2007) Reversible inactivation of amygdala and cerebellum but not perirhinal cortex impairs reactivated fear memories. Eur J Neurosci 25: 2875-2884.
Graduate programme
The program in Molecular and Cellular Biology offers a unique multidisciplinary training experience leading to a Doctorate degree. The Biology Department in partnership with several private and public institutions in the Rome area have formed a Program that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries to offer the student research training in nearly 30 different laboratories. Graduate students can select from research opportunities in areas as diverse as gene expression, developmental biology and bio-informatics. Graduate students are expected to devote their full time to research and study. The main goal of our program consists in enabling students to become independent, creative, and productive researchers by cultivating their skills in a multidisciplinary environment.
During the first year, students with different backgrounds (physics, computer science, chemistry) are required to attend biology courses, while students with a biology background will be trained in disciplines such as statistics or bio-informatics. In addition, students participate in a Journal Club in which they learn to critically evaluate original research articles. In the second and third years, graduate students present their research progress to other students and faculty. The Graduate Student Seminars are an opportunity to gain communication skills and to learn about ongoing research of other students and research laboratories. Professors from outside the institution are invited for monthly seminars and symposia. These are opportunities to meet visiting scientists who are leaders in their fields and to learn of their latest findings.
