Giorgio Grasselli

I am an Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Genoa (Dept. of Pharmacy) and Affiliated Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology and San Martino Hospital in Genoa.

I am also a MSCA-Alumnus and current MSCA-PF reviewer.

My team is studying neuronal plasticity at different levels (structural and functional, at the synaptic level as well as looking at intrinsic excitability) using the cerebellum as a model area, to better understand the mechanisms used in this circuit to encode information and memory. We also investigate pathological alterations of the structure and function of this circuit in brain diseases such as multiple sclerosis, autism and other neuropathologies. 

RESEARCH PROFILE: https://www.iit.it/it/web/guest/people-details/-/people/giorgio-grasselli

UNIVERSITY PROFILE: https://www.difar.unige.it/en/node/125

TEAM MEMBERS

• Jasmin Ortolan (Postdoc at UniGE)

• Alessandra La Terra (PhD student at Unige)

CURRENT FUNDING

• 03/2024-02/2027 Single Center Research Project (FISM-2023) (PI), Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (FISM)

• 11/2023-11/2025 Relevant Project for National Interest (PRIN-PNRR) (co-PI), Italian Min. of University and Research

• 10/2023-10/2025 Relevant Project for National Interest (PRIN-2022) (PI & Coordinator), Italian Min. of University and Research

• 01/2022-10/2025 Extended Partnership for Neuroscience “MNESYS” (Member, Spoke 3), Italian Min. of University and Research

PAST FUNDING

• 07/2021-06/2023 5x1000 (PI & Coordinator), San Martino Hospital, Italian Ministry of Health

• 07/2019-06/2021 EU-H2020 Marie-Curie Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF-2018) (EU)

• 01/2017-12/2017 Investigator-initiated Research (PI), Biohaven Pharma (US)

• 01/2016-12/2016 Young Investigator SCA Research Award (PI), National Ataxia Foundation (US)

MAIN METHODS

• patch-clamp electrophysiology in acute brain slices and primary neuronal cultures

• in vivo microinjections

• viral vectors for gene expression/silencing

• immunohistochemistry

• fluorescent/confocal microscopy and morphometric analysis

ALUMNI

• Monica Pontearso (Postdoc at UniGE, 2024), later Postdoc, University of Heidelberg (Germany)

• Matilde Bergamini (MSc Student 2019, PhD Student 2020-2024), later Scientist, Metrion Biosciences (Cambridge, UK)

• Giulia Notti (Undergrad student 2023-'24), later MSc student, University of Genoa

• Federica Palmerio (Graduate Fellow at HSM, 2022-'23), later PhD student, University of Rome Tor Vergata

• Mattia Musto (Postdoc at IIT, 2019-'22), later Senior Research Scientist, Evotec (Verona, Italy)

• Edgar Ricardo Javier Mendoza Seclen (Visiting student, 2021-'22 from Univ. Milan Bicocca)

• Giacomo Marenco (Medical Intern, 2021), later MD Resident in Psychiatry, University of Genoa

PERSONAL & TEAM MEMBERS' AWARDS

• 02/2025 MSCA-PF-2024 Seal of Excellence (Proponent: Monica Pontearso; Supervisor: GG)

• 02/2025 Selected as Participant and for Travel Grant (Alessandra La Terra), RIKEN CBS Summer School, Tokyo (Japan)
  10/2024 Selected for Oral presentation (Alessandra La Terra) at the BraYn Conference

• 06/2022 Poster Award (Matilde Bergamini) at the National PhD Meeting, Italian Society for Neuroscience (SINS)

• 10/2021 Poster Award (Mattia Musto) at FEPS European Physiology Day Virtual Meeting, Federation of European Physiology Societies (FEPS)

• 09/2021 Poster Award (GG) at SINS conference, Italian Society for Neuroscience (SINS)

• 01/2021 Travel award (Mattia Musto) for JNS Meeting, Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS)

• 04/2019 IBRO World Congress Travel Grant (GG), International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)

• 01/2019 Travel award (GG) for JNS Meeting, Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS)

• 06/2018 Young Investigator Award (Premio SIF, GG), Physiological Society of Italy (SIF)