Immunobiology of neurological disorders
Cinthia Farina
Email: farina.cinthia@hsr.it
Location: DIBIT2, San Gabriele A4, Floor 1, Room 10
Group leader, Immunobiology of neurological disorders Unit
Cinthia Farina is a PhD and neuroimmunologist whose research activity has provided original advancements on the mechanism of action of drugs in multiple sclerosis (MS), the stratification of clinical MS stages via blood transcriptomics and artificial intelligence, the comprehension of cell-cell interactions in MS and the identification of novel therapeutic targets. She has received several awards, including the Young Investigator Award for Multiple Sclerosis Research by the European Charcot Foundation. Dr. Farina has been an elected member of the scientific advisory boards of the Italian Association of Neuroimmunology and the International Society of Neuroimmunology. She is a selected member of The Expert Review Panel of the UK MS Society and serves as reviewer for several granting agencies (e.g. European Research Council, UK Medical Research Council, Agence Nationale de la recherché, DFG Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, Foundation ARSEP, AFM-Téléthon, FISM Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla) and top peer-reviewed scientific journals (e.g. Cell Reports Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, P.N.A.S., Journal of Experimental Medicine, Acta Neuropathologica). In addition to her scientific activity in neuroimmunology, she coordinates the GEDI (Gender and Diversity Inclusion) Team within her institution, whose task is to support gender balance in the organization and gender medicine in clinical and research practices. Cinthia Farina has contributed to the drafting of the National Plan for Gender Medicine and collaborates with the Ministry for Health and the National Observatory for Gender Medicine on issues related to gender pharmacology.
Graduation in Biology, major Molecular and Cellular Biology, Universita’degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
PhD in Human Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
1992-1994: Thesis at the National Institute of Cancer Research in Milan.
1994-1997: Research Fellow at the National Institute of Cancer Research, Milan
1998- 2001: Research Fellow at the Department of Neuroimmunology, directed by Hartmut Wekerle, at the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology and in collaboration with the Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunology directed by Reinhard Hohlfeld, Munich
2001-2005: Research assistant at the Department of Neuroimmunology at the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, Munich
2005-2010: Group Leader at the Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy. Brain Gain program financed by the Ministry for Health.
2010-now: Group Leader at INSpE, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
2018-now: Institutional Representative for Gender Medicine, Coordinator for Gender and Diversity Inclusion.
Best Young Investigator for Multiple Sclerosis Research (1st prize), European Charcot Foundation.
PhD Award, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich.
International Trotula Award, Centro Studi Civitas Hippocratica, Salerno.
National Habilitation as Associate Professor for 06/A2 General and Clinical Pathology, 05/H2 Histology, 05/F1 Applied Biology.