ESR14: Marco Destro

Evaluation Discovery of new Neurotrophin mimics using high-through put screening in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient-derived in vitro models, and taking forward hit compounds into in vivo models.

EuroNeurotrophin Research
In order to assess the potential neuroprotective effects of new neurotrophin mimics, Marco will perform high throughput screening for UNICAEN library and marine microbial extracts, and low throughput for synthetic derivatives, on in vitro cultures of ALS patient and control-derived astrocytes and motor neurones. The top hits will then be tested on in vivo zebrafish models of ALS, and the most promising candidates will be taken forward for in vivo testing in mouse models of ALS.

Host
B9: University of Sheffield, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, United Kingdom

Supervisor
Prof. Dame Pamela Shaw, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience,

Scientific Background
Marco holds a BSc in Biomolecular Sciences and Technologies from the University of Trento (Italy, 2016), and a MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Pavia (Italy, 2018). He carried out his master’s research project (March 2017 to July 2018) in the Laboratory for Research on Neurodegenerative Disorders (Dr. Daniela Rossi PhD) at the Clinical Scientific Institutes Maugeri (ICS Maugeri, Pavia). He investigated whether the High-Mobility Group Box 1 protein (HMGB1) signaling modulates neuroprotective responses and/or pro-inflammatory responses in non-pathological and ALS mouse astrocytes.
In addition, Marco also performed an experimental internship (March 2016 to July 2016) in the Dulbecco Telethon Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases (Prof. Maria Pennuto PhD) at CIBIO (Centre for Integrative Biology, Trento). He studied the interaction between Cyclin-Dipendent Kinase 1 (CDK1) and Androgen Receptor (AR) in the context of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), and developed C. elegans lines stably expressing elongated PolyQ Androgen Receptor.
In November 2018 Marco joined the EuroNeurotrophin project as a PhD student at the University of Sheffield (England, UK).