University

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8483-543X
 

Dr. Emanuela Paldino is a molecular biologist with extensive experience in experimental neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease research. Her scientific activity focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on inflammasome signaling, neuronal cell death pathways, and neuroprotective strategies in Huntington’s disease and other neurological disorders.

After completing her PhD at Sapienza University of Rome and the National Research Council (CNR), she joined IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, where she has spent more than ten years investigating the Huntington neurodegenerative disease in the Neuroanatomy laboratory of Dr.ssa Francesca Romana Fusco, a nationally and internationally recognized expert in Huntington’s disease research, with whom she continues to collaborate. During this period, her work contributed to the identification of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis as a pathogenic mechanism in Huntington’s disease and to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies targeting neuroinflammatory pathways. Her research integrates molecular biology, neuroimmunology, and translational neuroscience, with a particular focus on the mechanisms driving neurodegeneration and on the development of disease-modifying therapies

Since 2024, she has been a Tenure-Track Researcher in Molecular Biology at Link Campus University, where she leads independent research activities.

Her current research is supported by competitive national funding, including a Ministry of Health Young Researchers project investigating the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in Huntington’s disease.


Research Interests

• Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration
• Huntington’s disease
• Neuroinflammation and innate immunity
• NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis
• Neuroprotective and disease-modifying therapies
• Experimental models of neurological disorders
• Translational neuroscience

Research Collaborations

Dr. Paldino actively collaborates with national and international research groups working in the fields of neuroscience, immunology, molecular medicine, and neurodegeneration. Her research network includes collaborations with investigators from IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, the National Research Council (CNR), Roma Tre University, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Tor Vergata University and other academic and clinical institutions involved in translational studies of neurodegenerative diseases. Current collaborative activities focus on neuroimmune mechanisms, inflammasome signaling, patient-derived cellular models, biomarker identification, and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for Huntington’s disease. These multidisciplinary collaborations integrate expertise in neuroscience, stem cell biology, immunology, molecular biology, and clinical neurology.


Current Research Projects

Ministry of Health – Young Researchers Project (Co-PI): Pharmacological inhibition of cellular stress-induced NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis pathway in Huntington’s disease as a paradigm for neurodegenerative disease therapy.

PNRR-MAD-2022-12375639 (researcher collaborator): Investigation of neuroglobin-mediated neuroprotective mechanisms in chronic neurological disorders


Selected Publications

Paldino E., Migliorato G., Fusco F.R. Neuroimmune pathways involvement in neurodegeneration of R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease. Front Cell Neurosci, 2024.
Paldino E., Fusco F.R. Emerging Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome/Pyroptosis in Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci, 2022.
Paldino E. et al. Pyroptotic cell death in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease: new insight on the inflammasome. Cell Death Discovery, 2020.
Paldino E. et al. Modulation of Inflammasome and Pyroptosis by Olaparib in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Cells, 2020.
Paldino E. et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Doxycycline in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Molecular Neurobiology, 2020.
 

Curriculum Vitae