Professor Laura Ferraiuolo

PhD

Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Population Health

Professor of Cellular Neuroscience and Metabolism

l.ferraiuolo@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2257

+44 114 273 0547 (fax)

+44 114 222 2261 (Administrator: Rebecca Brown)

Room B36, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

Full contact details

Professor Laura Ferraiuolo
Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Population Health
Room B36
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
385a Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ

Profile

I studied Biotechnology at the University of Milan, Italy. During my degree I completed a 2-year internship at the Mario Negri Institute under the supervision of Dr Caterina Bendotti, where I developed a deep interest in motor neuron disease (MND).

In 2005 I joined the former Department of Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield, UK, and won the MND Association Prize studentship that funded my PhD under the supervision of Professor Dame Pamela Shaw and Dr Janine Kirby.

During my PhD I used laser capture microdissection and microarray analysis to interrogate the pathways involved in the response of motor neuron to stress, from expression of mutant SOD1 to intense exercise (Journal of Neuroscience 2007 and Journal of Neurochemistry 2009).

I was then awarded the Peake Fellowship to investigate the crosstalk between motor neurons and astrocytes in MND using microarray analysis and cellular models (Brain 2011) in Sheffield at the Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

I had the great opportunity to deepen my knowledge on glia and gene therapy in Prof Kaspar’s lab in Columbus, Ohio, USA from 2012 to 2014 when I was awarded the prestigious International Outgoing Marie Curie Fellowship funded by the European Union. In Professor Kaspar’s lab I had the opportunity to contribute to the development of new cell models to study ALS in vitro (Neuron 2014 and PNAS 2014) and explore different routes of delivery for gene therapy clinical trials in MND (Molecular Therapy 2013) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) (Molecular Therapy 2014).

At the end of 2014 I came back to Sheffield to complete my Marie Curie Fellowship and the study investigating the role of oligodendrocytes in MND (PNAS 2016).

Since the end of my Fellowship I have established my research team at SITraN, focussing on modelling the role of human glial cells in neurodegenerative diseases (EBioMedicine 2019). I am now Reader in Translational Neurobiology

Research interests

The main research focus of my research group is identifying the role of glia in neurodegenerative conditions, with particular interest in Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Our primary aim is to develop therapeutic strategies using gene therapy approaches.

In MND, like in many other neurodegenerative disorders, neuronal damage and death are the most striking signs of disease, however, our research, along with the work of others, has demonstrated that glia play an active role in neuronal degeneration.

We use various in vitro cell models, including primary cells and genetically reprogrammed human progenitor cells, to investigate the interaction between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes from patients affected by MND with neurons.

The main research tools and techniques used in my laboratory:

Human astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons derived from fibroblasts through genetic reprogramming
Mouse stem cells expressing the green fluorescent protein under the Hb9 promoter, resulting in GFP+ motor neurons
2D and 3D Co-culture system to study the interaction between glia, neurones and other cell types
Viral constructs to target specific therapeutic candidates for gene therapy approaches
Gene expression profiling
High-throughput drug screening for precision medicine approaches

Current projects:

The role of oxidative stress in astrocyte toxicity against motor neurones in MND: a drug screening for Nrf2 activators
A high-throughput drug screening to identify novel therapeutic targets to silence astrocyte toxicity in MND via small chemical compounds
Identifying the mechanisms underlying personalised drug-treatment and patient stratification in MND
Metabolic dysregulation in astrocytes derived from Parkin-mutant patients (collaboration with Dr Mortiboys)
The role of exosomal RNA in astrocyte toxicity

My research group is involved in several internal collaborations with other PIs within SITraN as well as international collaborations in the USA, Australia, Italy and Israel.

Publications

Books

Ferraiuolo L & Kolb SJ (2017) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Oxford University Press.

Journal articles

Castelli LM, Lin Y-H, Sanchez-Martinez A, Gül A, Mohd Imran K, Higginbottom A, Upadhyay SK, Márkus NM, Rua Martins R, Cooper-Knock J , Montmasson C et al (2023) A cell-penetrant peptide blocking C9ORF72 -repeat RNA nuclear export reduces the neurotoxic effects of dipeptide repeat proteins. Science Translational Medicine, 15(685).
Moll T, Odon V, Harvey C, Collins MO, Peden A, Franklin J, Graves E, Marshall JN, Dos Santos Souza C, Zhang S , Castelli L et al (2023) Low expression of EXOSC2 protects against clinical COVID-19 and impedes SARS-CoV-2 replication.. Life Sci Alliance, 6(1).
Bauer CS, Webster CP, Shaw AC, Kok JR, Castelli LM, Lin Y-H, Smith EF, Illanes-Álvarez F, Higginbottom A, Shaw PJ , Azzouz M et al (2022) Loss of TMEM106B exacerbates C9ALS/FTD DPR pathology by disrupting autophagosome maturation. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 16.
Provenzano F, Nyberg S, Giunti D, Torazza C, Parodi B, Bonifacino T, Usai C, Kerlero de Rosbo N, Milanese M, Uccelli A , Shaw PJ et al (2022) Micro-RNAs shuttled by extracellular vesicles secreted from mesenchymal stem cells dampen astrocyte pathological activation and support neuroprotection in in-vitro models of ALS. Cells, 11(23).
Aragón-González A, Shaw PJ & Ferraiuolo L (2022) Blood–brain barrier disruption and its involvement in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(23).
Marchi PM, Marrone L, Brasseur L, Coens A, Webster CP, Bousset L, Destro M, Smith EF, Walther CG, Alfred V , Marroccella R et al (2022) C9ORF72-derived poly-GA DPRs undergo endocytic uptake in iAstrocytes and spread to motor neurons.. Life Sci Alliance, 5(9).
Han Y, King M, Tikhomirov E, Barasa P, Souza CDS, Lindh J, Baltriukiene D, Ferraiuolo L, Azzouz M, Gullo MR & Kozlova EN (2022) Towards 3D bioprinted spinal cord organoids. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(10).
Palminha NM, Dos Santos Souza C, Griffin J, Liao C, Ferraiuolo L & El-Khamisy SF (2022) Defective repair of topoisomerase I induced chromosomal damage in Huntington’s disease. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 79(3).
Zhang S, Cooper-Knock J, Weimer AK, Shi M, Moll T, Marshall JNG, Harvey C, Nezhad HG, Franklin J, Souza CDS , Ning K et al (2022) Genome-wide identification of the genetic basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuron. View this article in WRRO
Perez-Nievas BG, Johnson L, Beltran-Lobo P, Hughes MM, Gammallieri L, Tarsitano F, Myszczynska MA, Vazquez-Villasenor I, Jimenez-Sanchez M, Troakes C , Wharton SB et al (2021) Astrocytic C–X–C motif chemokine ligand-1 mediates β-amyloid-induced synaptotoxicity. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 18(1).
Reid MJ, Wade M, Bell SM, Ferraiuolo L, Perez-Nievas BG & Noble W (2021) Investigating astrocytes as mediators of tau spread. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 17, e051676.
Jiménez-Villegas J, Ferraiuolo L, Mead RJ, Shaw PJ, Cuadrado A & Rojo AI (2021) NRF2 as a therapeutic opportunity to impact in the molecular roadmap of ALS. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 173, 125-141.
Castelli LM, Cutillo L, Souza CDS, Sanchez-Martinez A, Granata I, Lin Y-H, Myszczynska MA, Heath PR, Livesey MR, Ning K , Azzouz M et al (2021) SRSF1-dependent inhibition of C9ORF72-repeat RNA nuclear export : genome-wide mechanisms for neuroprotection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 16(1). View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L & Maragakis NJ (2021) Mini-review: Induced pluripotent stem cells and the search for new cell-specific ALS therapeutic targets. Neuroscience Letters, 755. View this article in WRRO
Ciervo Y, Gatto N, Allen C, Grierson A, Ferraiuolo L, Mead RJ & Shaw PJ (2021) Adipose derived stem cells protect motor neurons and reduce glial activation in both in vitro and in vivo models of ALS. Molecular Therapy — Methods & Clinical Development.
Leah T, Vazquez-Villaseñor I, Ferraiuolo L, Wharton S & Mortiboys H (2021) A Parkinson’s disease-relevant mitochondrial and neuronal morphology high-throughput screening assay in LUHMES cells. Bio-protocol, 11(1). View this article in WRRO
Pasniceanu I-S, Atwal MS, Souza CDS, Ferraiuolo L & Livesey MR (2021) Emerging Mechanisms Underpinning Neurophysiological Impairments in C9ORF72 Repeat Expansion-Mediated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal Dementia.. Front Cell Neurosci, 15, 784833.
Gatto N, Dos Santos Souza C, Shaw AC, Bell SM, Myszczynska MA, Powers S, Meyer K, Castelli LM, Karyka E, Mortiboys H , Azzouz M et al (2020) Directly converted astrocytes retain the ageing features of the donor fibroblasts and elucidate the astrocytic contribution to human CNS health and disease. Aging Cell. View this article in WRRO
Bell SM, De Marco M, Barnes K, Shaw P, Ferraiuolo L, Blackburn DJ, Mortiboys H & Venneri A (2020) Do deficits in mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity contribute to neuropsychological changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease?. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 16(S6).
Schwartzentruber A, Boschian C, Lopes FM, Myszczynska MA, New EJ, Beyrath J, Smeitink J, Ferraiuolo L & Mortiboys H (2020) Oxidative switch drives mitophagy defects in dopaminergic parkin mutant patient neurons. Scientific Reports, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
Myszczynska MA, Ojamies PN, Lacoste AMB, Neil D, Saffari A, Mead R, Hautbergue GM, Holbrook JD & Ferraiuolo L (2020) Applications of machine learning to diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Nature Reviews Neurology, 16, 440-456. View this article in WRRO
Bell SM, De Marco M, Barnes K, Shaw PJ, Ferraiuolo L, Blackburn DJ, Mortiboys H & Venneri A (2020) Deficits in mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity contribute to the neuropsychological changes of alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 10(2). View this article in WRRO
Carling PJ, Mortiboys H, Green C, Mihaylov S, Sandor C, Schwartzentruber A, Taylor R, Wei W, Hastings C, Wong S , Lo C et al (2020) Deep phenotyping of peripheral tissue facilitates mechanistic disease stratification in sporadic Parkinson’s disease. Progress in Neurobiology, 187, 101772-101772.
Allen SP, Hall B, Woof R, Francis L, Gatto N, Shaw AC, Myszczynska M, Hemingway J, Coldicott I, Willcock A , Job L et al (2019) C9orf72 expansion within astrocytes reduces metabolic flexibility in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain, 1-20. View this article in WRRO
Stopford M, Allen S & Ferraiuolo L (2019) A high-throughput and pathophysiologically relevant astrocyte-motor neuron co-culture assay for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis therapeutic discovery. Bio-protocol, 9(17). View this article in WRRO
Allen S, Hall B, Castelli L, Frances L, Woof R, Siskos A, Kouloura E, Gray E, Thompson A, Talbot K , Higginbottom A et al (2019) Astrocyte adenosine deaminase loss increases motor neuron toxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain, 142(3), 586-605. View this article in WRRO
Varcianna A, Myszczynska MA, Castelli LM, O'Neill B, Kim Y, Talbot J, Nyberg S, Nyamali I, Heath PR, Stopford MJ , Hautbergue GM et al (2019) Micro-RNAs secreted through astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles cause neuronal network degeneration in C9orf72 ALS. EBioMedicine, 40, 626-635. View this article in WRRO
Bell SM, Barnes K, Clemmens H, Al-Rafiah AR, Al-ofi EA, Leech V, Bandmann O, Shaw PJ, Blackburn DJ, Ferraiuolo L & Mortiboys H (2018) Ursodeoxycholic Acid Improves Mitochondrial Function and Redistributes Drp1 in Fibroblasts from Patients with either Sporadic or Familial Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of Molecular Biology, 430(21), 3942-3953. View this article in WRRO
Iannitti T, Scarrott J, Likhite S, Coldicott IRP, Lewis KE, Heath PR, Higginbottom A, Myszczynska MA, Milo M, Hautbergue GM , Meyer K et al (2018) Translating SOD1 Gene Silencing toward the Clinic: A Highly Efficacious, Off-Target-free, and Biomarker-Supported Strategy for fALS. Molecular Therapy : Nucleic Acids, 12, 75-88. View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L & Shaw P (2018) Lost in translation: microRNAs mediate pathological cross-talk between motor neurons and astrocytes. Brain, 141(9), 2534-2536. View this article in WRRO
Castelli LM, Lin YH, Ferraiuolo L, Sanchez-Martinez A, Ning KE, Azzouz M, Whitworth A, Shaw PJ & Hautbergue GM (2018) SRSF1-dependent nuclear export of C9ORF72 repeat transcripts: targeting toxic gain-of-functions induced by protein sequestration as a selective therapeutic strategy for neuroprotection. Therapeutic Targets for Neurological Diseases, 4. View this article in WRRO
Hautbergue GM, Castelli LM, Ferraiuolo L, Sanchez-Martinez A, Cooper-Knock J, Higginbottom A, Lin YH, Bauer CS, Dodd JE, myszczynska MA , Alam SM et al (2017) SRSF1-dependent nuclear export inhibition of C9ORF72 repeat transcripts prevents neurodegeneration and associated motor deficits. Nature Communications, 8. View this article in WRRO
Bell SM, Clemmens H, Blackburn DJ, Bandmann O, Ferraiuolo L & Mortiboys H (2017) [P4-034]: MITOCHONDRIAL ABNORMALITIES ARE FOUND IN FIBROBLASTS FROM SPORADIC ALZHEIMER's DISEASE PATIENTS: RECOVERY WITH URSODOXYCHOLIC ACID TREATMENT. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 13(7S_Part_26), P1269-P1269.
Frakes AE, Braun L, Ferraiuolo L, Guttridge DC & Kaspar BK (2017) Additive amelioration of ALS by co-targeting independent pathogenic mechanisms.. Ann Clin Transl Neurol, 4(2), 76-86. View this article in WRRO
Rinaldi F, Motti D, Ferraiuolo L & Kaspar BK (2016) High Content Analysis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L, Meyer K, Sherwood T, Vick J, Likhite S, Frakes AE, Miranda C, Braun L, Heath PR, Pineda R , Beattie CE et al (2016) Oligodendrocytes contribute to motor neuron death in ALS via SOD1-dependent mechanism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(42), E6496-E6505. View this article in WRRO
Glajch KE, Ferraiuolo L, Mueller KA, Stopford MJ, Prabhkar V, Gravanis A, Shaw PJ & Sadri-Vakili G (2016) MicroNeurotrophins Improve Survival in Motor Neuron-Astrocyte Co-Cultures but Do Not Improve Disease Phenotypes in a Mutant SOD1 Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.. PLoS One, 11(10), e0164103-e0164103. View this article in WRRO
Webster CP, Smith EF, Bauer CS, Moller A, Hautbergue GM, Ferraiuolo L, Myszczynska MA, Higginbottom A, Walsh MJ, Whitworth AJ , Kaspar BK et al (2016) The C9orf72 protein interacts with Rab1a and the ULK1 complex to regulate initiation of autophagy. EMBO Journal, 35(15), 1656-1676. View this article in WRRO
Myszczynska M & Ferraiuolo L (2016) New In Vitro Models to Study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Brain Pathology, 26(2), 258-265. View this article in WRRO
Song S, Miranda CJ, Braun L, Meyer K, Frakes AE, Ferraiuolo L, Likhite S, Bevan AK, Foust KD, McConnell MJ , Walker CM et al (2016) Major histocompatibility complex class I molecules protect motor neurons from astrocyte-induced toxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature Medicine, 22, 397-403. View this article in WRRO
Sun S, Sun Y, Ling S-C, Ferraiuolo L, McAlonis-Downes M, Zou Y, Drenner K, Wang Y, Ditsworth D, Tokunaga S , Kopelevich A et al (2015) Translational profiling identifies a cascade of damage initiated in motor neurons and spreading to glia in mutant SOD1-mediated ALS. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(50), E6993-E7002. View this article in WRRO
Baker DJ, Blackburn DJ, Keatinge M, Sokhi D, Viskaitis P, Heath PR, Ferraiuolo L, Kirby J & Shaw PJ (2015) Lysosomal and phagocytic activity is increased in astrocytes during disease progression in the SOD1 G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 9. View this article in WRRO
Meyer K, Ferraiuolo L, Schmelzer L, Braun L, McGovern V, Likhite S, Michels O, Govoni A, Fitzgerald J, Morales P , Foust KD et al (2015) Improving Single Injection CSF Delivery of AAV9-mediated Gene Therapy for SMA: A Dose–response Study in Mice and Nonhuman Primates. Molecular Therapy, 23(3), 477-487. View this article in WRRO
Marino M, Papa S, Crippa V, Nardo G, Peviani M, Cheroni C, Trolese MC, Lauranzano E, Bonetto V, Poletti A , DeBiasi S et al (2015) Differences in protein quality control correlate with phenotype variability in 2 mouse models of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurobiology of Aging, 36(1), 492-504. View this article in WRRO
Thomsen GM, Gowing G, Latter J, Chen M, Vit J-P, Staggenborg K, Avalos P, Alkaslasi M, Ferraiuolo L, Likhite S , Kaspar BK et al (2014) Delayed Disease Onset and Extended Survival in the SOD1G93A Rat Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis after Suppression of Mutant SOD1 in the Motor Cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(47), 15587-15600.
Highley JR, Kirby J, Jansweijer JA, Webb PS, Hewamadduma CA, Heath PR, Higginbottom A, Raman R, Ferraiuolo L, Cooper-Knock J , McDermott CJ et al (2014) Loss of nuclear TDP-43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes altered expression of splicing machinery and widespread dysregulation of RNA splicing in motor neurones. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology, 40(6), 670-685.
Frakes AE, Ferraiuolo L, Haidet-Phillips AM, Schmelzer L, Braun L, Miranda CJ, Ladner KJ, Bevan AK, Foust KD, Godbout JP , Popovich PG et al (2014) Microglia Induce Motor Neuron Death via the Classical NF-κB Pathway in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neuron, 81(5), 1009-1023.
Meyer K, Ferraiuolo L, Miranda CJ, Likhite S, McElroy S, Renusch S, Ditsworth D, Lagier-Tourenne C, Smith RA, Ravits J , Burghes AH et al (2014) Direct conversion of patient fibroblasts demonstrates non-cell autonomous toxicity of astrocytes to motor neurons in familial and sporadic ALS. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), 829-832.
Ferraiuolo L & Meyer K (2014) Astrocyte toxicity in motor neuron disease: progress and future hopes. Future Neurology, 9(2), 149-161.
Ferraiuolo L (2014) The non-cell-autonomous component of ALS: new in vitro models and future challenges. Biochemical Society Transactions, 42(5), 1270-1274.
Nardo G, Iennaco R, Fusi N, Heath PR, Marino M, Trolese MC, Ferraiuolo L, Lawrence N, Shaw PJ & Bendotti C (2013) Transcriptomic indices of fast and slow disease progression in two mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain, 136(11), 3305-3332.
Ferraiuolo L, Frakes A & Kaspar BK (2013) Neural Stem Cells as a Therapeutic Approach for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Molecular Therapy, 21(3), 503-505.
Foust KD, Salazar DL, Likhite S, Ferraiuolo L, Ditsworth D, Ilieva H, Meyer K, Schmelzer L, Braun L, Cleveland DW & Kaspar BK (2013) Therapeutic AAV9-mediated Suppression of Mutant SOD1 Slows Disease Progression and Extends Survival in Models of Inherited ALS. Molecular Therapy, 21(12), 2148-2159.
Cooper-Knock J, Kirby J, Ferraiuolo L, Heath PR, Rattray M & Shaw PJ (2012) Gene expression profiling in human neurodegenerative disease.. Nat Rev Neurol, 8(9), 518-530.
Ferraiuolo L & Kaspar BK (2012) Gene Delivery Improvement for Treating the Lysosomal Storage Disorder Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. Human Gene Therapy, 23(8), 793-795.
Ferraiuolo L, Kirby J, Grierson AJ, Sendtner M & Shaw PJ (2011) Molecular pathways of motor neuron injury in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.. Nat Rev Neurol, 7(11), 616-630.
Ferraiuolo L, Higginbottom A, Heath PR, Barber S, Greenald D, Kirby J & Shaw PJ (2011) Dysregulation of astrocyte-motoneuron cross-talk in mutant superoxide dismutase 1-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.. Brain, 134(Pt 9), 2627-2641.
Kirby J, Ning K, Ferraiuolo L, Heath PR, Ismail A, Kuo S-W, Valori CF, Cox L, Sharrack B, Wharton SB , Ince PG et al (2011) Phosphatase and tensin homologue/protein kinase B pathway linked to motor neuron survival in human superoxide dismutase 1-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.. Brain, 134(Pt 2), 506-517. View this article in WRRO
Cox LE, Ferraiuolo L, Goodall EF, Heath PR, Higginbottom A, Mortiboys H, Hollinger HC, Hartley JA, Brockington A, Burness CE , Morrison KE et al (2010) Mutations in CHMP2B in lower motor neuron predominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).. PLoS One, 5(3), e9872. View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L, De Bono JP, Heath PR, Holden H, Kasher P, Channon KM, Kirby J & Shaw PJ (2009) Transcriptional response of the neuromuscular system to exercise training and potential implications for ALS.. J Neurochem, 109(6), 1714-1724.
Ferraiuolo L, Heath PR, Holden H, Kasher P, Kirby J & Shaw PJ (2007) Microarray analysis of the cellular pathways involved in the adaptation to and progression of motor neuron injury in the SOD1 G93A mouse model of familial ALS.. J Neurosci, 27(34), 9201-9219.
Pasinelli P, Meyer K, Ferraiuolo L, Culibrk RA & Sattler R () Editorial: The role of glial cells in neurodegeneration. Frontiers in Molecular Medicine, 3.
Matuszyk MM, Garwood CJ, Ferraiuolo L, Simpson JE, Staniforth RA & Wharton SB () Biological and Methodological Complexities of Beta‐Amyloid Peptide; Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Journal of Neurochemistry.
Ferraiuolo L () Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and therapy development: Where are we and where are we going. Journal of Neurology & Neurophysiology, s1(01).
Bell SM, Barnes K, De Marco M, Shaw PJ, Ferraiuolo L, Blackburn DJ, Venneri A & Mortiboys H () Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Biomarker of the Future?. Biomedicines, 9(1), 63-63.
Kok JR, Palminha NM, Dos Santos Souza C, El-Khamisy SF & Ferraiuolo L () DNA damage as a mechanism of neurodegeneration in ALS and a contributor to astrocyte toxicity. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences.

Chapters

Allen C, Shaw PJ & Ferraiuolo L (2017) Can Astrocytes Be a Target for Precision Medicine? In El-Khamisy (Ed.), Personalised Medicine View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L, Meyer K & Kaspar B () The Use of Human Samples to Study Familial and Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: New Frontiers and Challenges, Current Advances in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis InTech
Cooper-Knock J, J. J, Ferraiuolo L, F. E, J. P & Kirby J () Insights Arising from Gene Expression Profiling in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis InTech

Conference proceedings papers

Matuszyk M, Ferraiuolo L, Taylor A, Davis P, Staniforth R, Garwood C, Simpson J & Wharton S (2022) Characterising the astrocyte response to oligomeric and fibrillary A beta 1-42 in Alzheimer's disease. NEUROPATHOLOGY AND APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Vol. 48
Matuszyk M, Ferraiuolo L, Taylor A, Davies P, Staniforth R, Garwood C & Wharton S (2021) Characterising the varying astrocyte response to oligomeric and fibrillar A beta(1-42). NEUROPATHOLOGY AND APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Vol. 47 (pp 18-19)
Bell S, De Marco M, Barnes K, Shaw P, Ferraiuolo L, Blackburn D, Mortiboys H & Venneri A (2020) Do deficits in Mitochondrial Spare Respiratory Capacity contribute to Neuropsychological changes seen in Alzheimer's disease?. NEUROLOGY, Vol. 94(15)
Matuszyk MM, Ferraiuolo L, Taylor A, Davis P, Staniforth R, Garwood CJ & Wharton SB (2020) Characterising the varying astrocyte response to oligomeric and fibrillar A beta. NEUROPATHOLOGY AND APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Vol. 46 (pp 25-25)
Giaccio P, Destro M, Shaw PJ, Ferraiuolo L, Roussis V & Ioannou E (2020) Marine-Derived Microorganisms as Potential Sources of Neurotrophin Mimetics for the Treatment of Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation. MARINE DRUGS, Vol. 18(1)
Allen SP, Hall B, Castelli L, Francis L, Woof R, Higginbottom A, Myszczynska M, Allen CF, Stopford MJ, Webster CP , De Vos K et al (2018) Inosine reverses motor neuron toxicity observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient astrocytes with an adenosine deaminase deficiency. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, Vol. 1859 (pp e23-e23)
Meyer K, Ferraiuolo L, Nagendran S, L'Italien J, Sproule DM, Du M, Cardenas J, Burghes A, Foust KD, Kaspar AA , Likhite S et al (2017) CSF delivery of AAV9-mediated gene therapy for SMA, a lethal neuromuscular disease in children: a dose-response study in mice and nonhuman primates. NEUROLOGY, Vol. 88
Iannitti T, Scarrot JM, Coldicott IRP, Kaspar BK, Ferraiuolo L, Shaw PJ & Azzouz M (2016) Gene Therapy for Familial ALS Using AAV9 Mediated Silencing of Mutant SOD1. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 27(7) (pp A12-A12) View this article in WRRO
Ferraiuolo L, Higginbottom A, Heath PR, Barber S, Greenald D, Kirby J & Shaw PJ (2012) DYSREGULATION OF THE CROSS-TALK WITH ASTROCYTES AS A CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR TO MOTOR NEURON INJURY IN MOTOR NEURON DISEASE. JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY, Vol. 83(3)

Datasets

Gatto N, Souza CDS, Bell S, Shaw A, Myszczynska M, Powers S, Meyer K, Heath P, Castelli L, Karyka E , Mortiboys H et al Directly converted astrocytes retain the ageing features of the donor fibroblasts and elucidate the astrocytic contribution to human CNS health and disease..

Preprints

Xia Z, Prescott E, Wareing H, Matuszyk M, Dakin H, Dimou E, Hidari E, Zhang Y, Lam J, Danial J , Leah T et al (2022) Co-aggregation with Apolipoprotein E modulates the function of Amyloid-β in Alzheimer's disease, Research Square Platform LLC.
Xia Z, Prescott EE, Wareing HE, Matuszyk MM, Dakin H, Dimou E, Zuo E, Zhang YP, Lam JYL, Danial JSH , Leah T et al (2021) Co-aggregation with Apolipoprotein E modulates the function of Amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s disease, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Moll T, Odon V, Harvey C, Collins MO, Peden A, Franklin J, Graves E, Marshall JNG, Santos Souza CD, Zhang S , Azzouz M et al () Low expression of EXOSC2 protects against clinical COVID-19 and impedes SARS-CoV-2 replication, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Marchi PM, Marrone L, Brasseur L, Bousset L, Webster CP, Destro M, Smith EF, Walther CG, Alfred V, Marroccella R , Robinson D et al () C9orf72-derived poly-GA DPRs undergo endocytic uptake in iNPC-derived astrocytes and spread to motor neurons, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Perez-Nievas BG, Johnson L, Beltran-Lobo P, Hughes MM, Gammallieri L, Tarsitano F, Myszczynska MA, Vazquez-Villasenor I, Jimenez-Sanchez M, Troakes C , Wharton SB et al () Astrocytic C-X-C motif chemokine ligand-1 mediates β-amyloid-induced synaptotoxicity, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Castelli LM, Sanchez-Martinez A, Lin Y-H, Upadhyay SK, Higginbottom A, Cooper-Knock J, Gül A, Walton A, Montmasson C, Cohen R , Bauer CS et al () A cell-penetrant peptide blocking C9ORF72-repeat RNA nuclear export suppresses neurodegeneration, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Castelli LM, Cutillo L, Souza CDS, Sanchez-Martinez A, Granata I, Myszczynska MA, Heath PR, Livesey MR, Ning K, Azzouz M , Shaw PJ et al () Safety and efficacy of C9ORF72-repeat RNA nuclear export inhibition in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Zhang S, Cooper-Knock J, Weimer AK, Shi M, Moll T, Harvey C, Nezhad HG, Franklin J, dos Santos Souza C, Wang C , Li J et al () Genome-wide Identification of the Genetic Basis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Schwartzentruber A, Boschian C, Lopes FM, Myszczynska MA, New EJ, Beyrath J, Smeitink J, Ferraiuolo L & Mortiboys H () Oxidative switch drives mitophagy defects in dopaminergic parkin mutant patient neurons, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Zhang S, Cooper-Knock J, Weimer AK, Shi M, Moll T, Harvey C, Nezhad HG, Franklin J, Souza CDS, Wang C , Li J et al () Genome-Wide Identification of the Genetic Basis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Lucas RM, Bauer CS, Chinnaiya K, Schwartzentruber A, MacDonald R, Collins MO, Aasly JO, Brønstad G, Ferraiuolo L, Mortiboys H & Vos KJD () LRRK2-mediated phosphorylation of HDAC6 regulates HDAC6-cytoplasmic dynein interaction and aggresome formation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Research group

Matthew Stopford, PhD

My desire to study molecular biology in a medical context was sparked whilst I was an undergraduate student studying Genetics at the University of Manchester. I completed my PhD in 2016 in the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), where I studied how a repeat expansion in the DNA may cause C9ORF72-related Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). I am currently a post-doctoral research associate working with Dr Laura Ferraiuolo and Dr Richard Mead in collaboration with BenevolentAI, a biotechnology company based in London. BenevolentAI have created an artificial intelligence system to identify novel therapeutics for ALS, and I am validating any drug candidates for efficacy in both ALS patient-derived in vitro models, as well as in vivo models of ALS.

Nora Markus, PhD

I completed my BSc in Biological Sciences (Hons Neuroscience) at the University of Edinburgh, where I became interested in neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. Thus, I went on to do a PhD studying neuroprotective and neurodestructive Ca2+ signalling pathways in cortical neurons at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Prof. Giles Hardingham, which I completed in 2017. I am currently a postdoctoral research associate in the laboratories of Dr Laura Ferraiuolo and Dr Richard Mead. I am working in collaboration with the biotechnology company BenevolentAI, to test compounds they identify for treating glial toxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in human ALS patient-derived neural cells in vitro and mouse ALS models in vitro and in vivo.

Monika Myszczynska, MSc

I graduated from Keele University in 2013 with a BSc (dual hons) in English and Neuroscience and MSc in Neuroscience Research in 2014. As a part of my MSc project, I completed a placement at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, where I worked on a project investigating the role of neuropoietic cytokines on adult murine neural stem cells, with a focus on JAK-STAT pathway inhibition. After two years of working as a research technician in the Ferraiuolo lab, I am now studying towards a PhD in collaboration with BenevolentAI. My project aim is to unveil the modes of action of novel ALS drug candidates by combining translatome profiling and next-generation sequencing. Outside the lab, I am an active volunteer in fundraising, outreach and public engagement activities.

Noemi Gatto, MSc

I obtained my MSc in Biology Applied to Biomedical Research at the University of Milan. In 2014, I joined the Molecular Neurobiology group, led by Dr Caterina Bendotti at the Mario Negri Institute, where I evaluated the effects of an anti-inflammatory drug in in vitro and in vivo models of ALS. Since my strong interest in this neurodegenerative disorder, I decided to pursue a PhD in Sheffield, where I am investigating the role of wild-type SOD1 in sporadic ALS cases, under the supervision of Dr Laura Ferraiuolo.

Chloe Allen, BSc

In 2014, I graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BSc in Biological Sciences. During my Developmental Biology module in my final year, I learnt about how adult cells were being reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells which I found fascinating. This led me into my position as a Research Assistant at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute from September 2014, contributing to the derivation of a large bank of iPSCs for the HIPSCI project.

In 2016, I was awarded the DiMeN DTP scholarship under the supervision of Dr Laura Ferraiuolo. My research project will investigate to possibility of moving towards a personalised medicine approach in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis through the identification of drugs suited to patient genotype. I will investigate this using an in vitro model of astrocytes derived from the reprogramming of patient fibroblasts.

Andre Varcianna, MSc

In 2014 I graduated from Coventry University with a BSc(Hons) in Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. During my final year I undertook a research project investigating the mechanism by which the bronchodilator ipratopium bromide induces cardiotoxicity. I continued to develop my passion for research by studying a Masters in Biomedical and Translational Medicine at the University of Liverpool, where I gained a particular interest in neurodegenerative diseases and stem cells. Most recently I have joined Dr Laura Ferraiuolo's lab as a research technician and am very keen to further investigate the causes of motor neuron disease.

Allan Shaw MSc

In 2014, I graduated from the University of Salford with a BSc (Hons) in Biology with Studies in the USA, during this degree I undertook an exchange programme to the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA. I then moved to Sheffield to undertake an MSc in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. During the MSc I completed an extended research project under the supervision of Professor John Haycock, where I refined a 3D co-culture model of the epidermis, developed for toxicology testing.

After graduating in 2015, I joined the Centre for Stem Cell Biology within The University of Sheffield as a Research Technician under the joint supervision of Professor Peter Andrews, Professor Marcelo Rivolta and Dr Zoe Hewitt. Funded by the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform, I generated fully characterised banks of human pluripotent stem cells (hESC/iPSC) with a focus on developing clonal lines from mosaic populations with common genetic variance. I also developed a xeno-free version of Prof. Rivota’s established protocol for the generation of Otic Neural Progenitors, which aims to be fully-GMP compliant moving towards the clinic.

I have joined the lab group of Dr Laura Ferraiuolo as a Research Assistant to work on a collaboration with Pfizer Inc. and Prof Dame Pamela Shaw aiming to correlate in vitro astrocyte toxicity with disease pathology and clinical progression in C9ORF72-related Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).

Jannigje R Kok, MSc

I graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2018 with an MScR in Neuroscience, following a BSc (hons) in Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience) at the same university. My research interests are primarily focused on studying mechanisms of neurodegeneration in motor neuron diseases. For my master’s research project, I used array tomography to investigate synapse loss in the prefrontal cortex of mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) carrying mutations in the TARDBP gene. In 2018, I started my PhD in the Ferraiuolo lab group in collaboration with Prof El-Khamisy, funded by the MRC DiMeN DTP PhD programme, where I am currently studying whether astrocyte-induced DNA damage contributes to motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Lai Mei Wan, Msc

In 2017, I graduated from The University of Manchester with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry. During my final year I conducted a research project on focal adhesion dynamics in cells grown on 2D and 3D culture. Following my degree, I decided to pursue a Masters in Cell and Gene Therapy at University College London (UCL), where I learnt about the potential uses of stem cells and gene editing for treating disease. During my time there, I became particularly interested in translational research and undertook a project on the use of combinatorial treatments for MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

I am now working as a research technician in the School of Medicine and Population Health under the supervision of Dr Laura Ferraiuolo, where I am keen to further my research skills and contribute towards advancing the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

Cleide Souza, PhD

In 2008, I graduated from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), with a BSc in veterinary medicine. During my Master in Tropical Animal Science I had the opportunity to work with mouse and human neural cells derived from pluripotent stem cells as well as primary culture of neurons and glial cells. This led me into my PhD in “Morphological Sciences” at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro under the supervision of Professor Stevens Rehen, with a collaborative period at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London in Professor Jack Price Lab. Here I used Human iPS Cells as Model of study for Neurodevelopment disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia.

After my PhD I undertook a post-doc in neuroimmunology at Laboratory of Neurochemistry where we investigated the inflammatory response and mechanisms of neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases. As part of the project I investigated the effect of compounds derived from plants as new alternative agents for treatment of these disorders to promote neurogenesis and synaptogenesis.

In 2016, I was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Sheffield, researching “The Diagnostic and Drug Discovery Initiative for Alzheimer’s Disease, Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)”, where I used iPS as a disease modelling and drug screening platform for Alzheimer disease. Most recently I have joined Dr Laura Ferraiuolo’s lab as a Research Associate to work on a collaboration with AstraZeneca and Prof El-Khamisy’s team at the University of Sheffield. This project focuses on the neurotoxic properties of ALS patient astrocyte on human neurons derived from direct reprogramming of patient fibroblasts.

Sophie Nyberg, PhD

I became interested in drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) while studying for my BSc in Biomedical Science at the University of Sheffield. I enjoy interdisciplinary approaches to biological questions, and obtained my PhD in Nanomedicine from the University College London under the supervision of Prof. Giuseppe Battaglia. My PhD entailed using biocompatible polymer nanoparticles

(polymersomes) targeted across the blood-brain barrier as CNS drug delivery vehicles. I completed my first post-doc at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Alain Dabdoub, working on drug delivery across the blood-inner ear barrier.

I am now a post-doc in Dr Ferraiuolo’s and Mead’s teams collaborating with BenevolentAI on a project developing biomarkers for ALS and validating the mechanism of action of novel ALS drugs.

Marco Destro, MSc

In 2016, I graduated from the University of Trento with a BSc in Biomolecular Sciences and Technologies. This course provided for a 4 month experimental internship where I had the opportunity to join the Dulbecco Telethon Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases (Prof. Maria Pennuto PhD) at CIBIO (Centre for Integrative Biology, Trento). During this internship, I studied the interaction between Cyclin-Dipendent Kinase 1 and Androgen Receptor in the context of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, and developed C. elegans lines stably expressing elongated PolyQ Androgen Receptor.

In 2018, I completed my MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Pavia. During the MSc, I carried out a 2-year experimental internship in the Laboratory for Research on Neurodegenerative Disorders (Dr. Daniela Rossi PhD) at the Clinical Scientific Institutes Maugeri (ICS Maugeri, Pavia), where I started working on the role of glia in MND.

In September 2018 I was awarded with the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship (funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 under grant agreement No 765704), and I joined the Euroneurotrophin ITN as a PhD student at the University of Sheffield; supervised by Dr. Laura Ferraiuolo and Prof. Dame Pamela Shaw. My PhD project is aimed at evaluating the neuroprotective effects of neurotrophins in novel patient models of Motor Neuron Disease (MND/ALS).

Grants

Thierry Latran Fondation
The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)
Parkinson’s UK
Medical Research Council (MRC)

Teaching activities: I teach on the MSc courses in Translational Neuroscience, Translational Pathology and Molecular Medicine focussing on disease cell modelling and disease mechanisms. I also supervise MSc and BMedSci students during their research projects.

Professional activities and memberships

Membership of societies and scientific communities

2019 – Local Organising Committee of the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy meeting
2017 – Editorial Board Member, Frontiers in Neurodegeneration
2012 - Society for Neuroscience, USA
2008 - Biochemical Society, UK
2008 - British Society for Cell Biology, UK
Reviewer for several journals, including Cell Stem Cells, PNAS, Brain and Glia
Reviewer for several funding bodies, including the MRC, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and The ALS Association
Enthusiastic participant to fundraising activities and public events.

For some of our past and future activities:
http://festivalofthemind.group.shef.ac.uk/stars-brain/
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cinescience-sheffield-tickets-38413545950