Neuroscience
Michele Simonato
Email: simonato.michele@hsr.it
Location: DIBIT1 A3, Floor 3, Room 72
Research associate, Division of neuroscience
Full professor, Università degli Studi di Ferrara
The goal of my research is to develop innovative and advanced therapies for neurological diseases. In particolar, my research activity is focused on:
- Developing gene therapy vectors for neurological diseases, based on herpes simplex;
- Understanding the involvement of neurotrophic factors in the development of lesional epilepsies;
- Identifying new therapeutic targets and developing of new delivery strategies (gene therapy);
- Studying Neuropeptide systems (dynorphin, OFQ/N, somatostatin, NPY, bradykinin) as therapeutic targets for temporal lobe epilepsy;
- Using MicroRNA as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for temporal lobe epilepsy.
2019-today Professor of Pharmacology, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Milan, Italy
2015-2019 Professor of Pharmacology, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
2013-today Chair. Joint Task Force on Translational Research of the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) and of the American Epilepsy
Society (AES)
2008-today Vice-president. National Institute for Neuroscience, Italy
2008-today Director. Center of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, Italy
2001-today Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Ferrara,
Italy
1994-today Medical staff, Service of Clinical Pharmacology, Sant'Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy
1985-2001 Researcher and Assistant Professor, University of Ferrara, Ferrara,
Italy
1988-1993 Research associate, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
1986-1987 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
Ingusci S, Cattaneo S, Verlengia G, Zucchini S, Simonato M. A Matter of Genes: The Hurdles of Gene Therapy for Epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr. 19, 38-43, 2019.
Paolone G, Falcicchia C, Lovisari F, Kokaia M, Bell WJ, Fradet T, Barbieri M, Wahlberg LU, Emerich DF, Simonato M. Long-Term, Targeted Delivery of GDNF from Encapsulated Cells Is Neuroprotective and Reduces Seizures in the Pilocarpine Model of Epilepsy. J Neurosci. 39, 2144-56, 2019.
Nanobashvili A, Melin E, Emerich D, Tornøe J, Simonato M, Wahlberg L, Kokaia M. Unilateral ex vivo gene therapy by GDNF in epileptic rats. Gene Ther. 26, 65-74, 2019.
Han F, Miyagawa Y, Verlengia G, Ingusci S, Soukupova M, Simonato M, Glorioso JC, Cohen JB. Cellular Antisilencing Elements Support Transgene Expression from Herpes Simplex Virus Vectors in the Absence of Immediate Early Gene Expression. J Virol. 92, e00536-18, 2018.
Falcicchia C, Paolone G, Emerich DF, Lovisari F, Bell WJ, Fradet T, Wahlberg LU, Simonato M. Seizure- Suppressant and Neuroprotective Effects of Encapsulated BDNF-Producing Cells in a Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2018 Mar 9;9:211-224.
Srivastava PK, Roncon P, Lukasiuk K, Gorter JA, Aronica E, Pitkänen A, Petretto E, Johnson MR, Simonato M. Meta- Analysis of MicroRNAs Dysregulated in the Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus of Animal Models of Epilepsy. eNeuro 4(6), 2017.
Verlengia G, Miyagawa Y, Ingusci S, Cohen JB, Simonato M, Glorioso JC. Engineered HSV vector achieves safe long-term transgene expression in the central nervous system. Sci Rep. 7, 1507, 2017.
Pitkänen A, Löscher W, Vezzani A, Becker AJ, Simonato M, Lukasiuk K, Gröhn O, Bankstahl JP, Friedman A, Aronica E, Gorter JA, Ravizza T, Sisodiya S, Kokaia M, Beck H. Biomarkers in Epilepsy. Lancet Neurol. 15, 843-56, 2016.
Johnson MR, Behmoaras J, Bottolo L, Krishnan ML, Pernhorst K, Meza Santoscoy PL, Rossetti T, Speed D, Srivastava PK, Chadeau-Hyam M, Hajji N, Dabrowska A, Rotival M, Razzaghi B, Kovac S, Wanisch K, Grillo F, Slaviero A, Langley SR, Shkura K, Roncon P, De T, Mattheisen M, Niehusmann P, O'Brien TJ, Petrovski S, von Lehe M, Hoffmann P, Eriksson J, Coffey A, Cichon S, Walker M, Simonato M, Danis B, Mazzuferi M, Foerch P, Schoch S, De Paola V, Kaminski RM, Cunliffe VT, Becker AJ, Petretto E. Systems-genetics identifies Sestrin 3 as a regulator of a proconvulsant gene network in human epileptic hippocampus. Nature Comm 6:6031, 2015.
Simonato M, Brooks-Kayal AR, Engel J Jr, Galanopoulou AS, Jensen FE, Moshé SL, O'Brien TJ, Pitkanen A, Wilcox KS, French JA. The challenge and promise of anti-epileptic therapy development in animal models. Lancet Neurol 13, 949-60, 2014.
Simonato M, Bennett J, Boulis NM, Castro MG, Fink DJ, Goins WF, Gray SJ, Lowenstein PR, Vandenberghe LH, Wilson TJ, Wolfe JH, Glorioso JC. Progress in gene therapy for neurological disorders. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 277-291, 2013.
Mazzuferi M, Palma E, Martinello K, Maiolino F, Roseti C, Fucile S, Fabene PF, Schio F, Pellitteri M, Sperk G, Miledi R, Eusebi F, Simonato M. Enhancement of GABAA-current run-down in the hippocampus occurs at the time of the first spontaneous seizure in a model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107, 3180-3185, 2010.
Paradiso B., Marconi P., Zucchini S., Berto E., Binaschi A., Bozac A., Buzzi A., Mazzuferi M, Magri E., Navarro Mora G., Rodi D., Su T., Volpi I., Zanetti L., Marzola A., Manservigi R., Fabene P.F., Simonato M. Localized delivery of FGF-2 and BDNF reduces spontaneous seizures in an epilepsy model. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 106, 7191-7196, 2009.
Zucchini S., Buzzi A., Barbieri M., Rodi D., Paradiso B., Binaschi A., Coffin J.D., Marzola A., Cifelli P., Belluzzi O., Simonato M. FGF-2 overexpression increases excitability and seizure susceptibility but decreases seizure-induced cell loss. J. Neurosci. 28, 13112-13124, 2008.
Palma E., Roseti C., Maiolino F., Fucile S., Martinello K., Mazzuferi M., Aronica E., Manfredi M., Esposito V., Cantore G., Miledi R., Simonato M., Eusebi F. GABAA-current rundown of temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with repetitive activation of GABAA"phasic" receptors. Proc. Natl. 2007
1986 Medical Toxicology Specialization, University of Florence, Italy
1983 Medical Doctor, University of Ferrara, Italy