Professor Ilaria Bellantuono

MD, PhD

School of Medicine and Population Health

Professor of Musculoskeletal Ageing

Co-Director, The Healthy Lifespan Institute

i.bellantuono@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9037

DU33, D Floor, The Medical School

Full contact details

Professor Ilaria Bellantuono
School of Medicine and Population Health
DU33, D Floor
The Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX

Profile

For enquiries please contact - SMPH-West-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk

I am Professor of Musculoskeletal Ageing and Co-Director of the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) at the University of Sheffield. I am the co-founder and Co-lead of UKAgeNet.

I am a medically trained scientist focused on understanding the biology of ageing and identifying strategies to prevent multimorbidity and frailty through geroprotective interventions. My scientific journey began in stem cell biology, with a PhD in gene therapy for inherited blood disorders at the University of Manchester and postdoctoral work on leukemic and mesenchymal stem cells. This early work continues to shape how I approach the challenges of ageing today.

Current PhD Opportunities:

How well can mice reproduce human frailty?

Research interests

My research aims to delay or prevent the onset of multiple age-related diseases and frailty by targeting the biological processes of ageing itself, using medicinal drugs known as geroprotectors. I focus on generating robust preclinical data in mouse models to support the transition to phase 1 clinical trials aimed at preventing frailty. This includes identifying individuals at risk of frailty and addressing the regulatory challenges involved in advancing these therapies to clinical application.

I work closely with colleagues and experts across various age-related diseases to uncover common mechanisms of ageing—such as DNA repair deficiencies and cellular senescence—that drive multiple long-term chronic conditions. Together, we investigate how diseases cluster, identify compounds that target shared mechanisms, and explore their potential to impact multiple conditions simultaneously. I am also involved in designing clinical trials tailored to these approaches.

In collaboration with industrial partners and regulatory experts, I have contributed to reaching a European-level consensus on the best strategies to bring geroprotectors to the clinic. Our roadmap for achieving this is outlined in: Bellantuono I. Find drugs that delay many diseases of old age. Nature. 2018.

My contribution to the field of ageing has been recognised with the Dunhill Medical Trust Excellence in Leadership Award (Senior), 2024.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Rajovic N, Grubor N, Cirkovic A, Maheswaran R, Bath PA, Green D, Bellantuono I, Milicevic O, Kanazir S, Miljus D , Zivkovic S et al (2024) Insights into relationship of environmental inequalities and multimorbidity: a population-based study. Environmental Health, 23. View this article in WRRO
Bellantuono I, Mortiboys H, Rocha E, Chamoli M, Chinta SJ, Andersen JK, Wallis R, Bezard E, Goldberg M, Greenamyre T , Hirst W et al (2023) Aging, Parkinson’s disease, and models: what are the challenges?. Aging Biology, 1, 1-30. View this article in WRRO
Morsli S, Henriques CM, Ellis PS, Mortiboys H, Baxendale S, Loynes CA, Renshaw SA & Bellantuono I (2023) A p21‐GFP zebrafish model of senescence for rapid testing of senolytics in vivo. Aging Cell, 22(6). View this article in WRRO
Morsli S & Bellantuono I (2021) The use of geroprotectors to prevent multimorbidity: Opportunities and challenges. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 193, 111391-111391.
Cox LS, Bellantuono I, Lord JM, Sapey E, Mannick JB, Partridge L, Gordon AL, Steves CJ & Witham MD (2020) Tackling immunosenescence to improve COVID-19 outcomes and vaccine response in older adults. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 1(2), e55-e57.
Bellantuono I, de Cabo R, Ehninger D, Di Germanio C, Lawrie A, Miller J, Mitchell SJ, Navas-Enamorado I, Potter PK, Tchkonia T , Trejo JL et al (2020) A toolbox for the longitudinal assessment of healthspan in aging mice. Nature Protocols, 15(2), 540-574. View this article in WRRO
Trendelenburg AU, Scheuren AC, Potter P, Müller R & Bellantuono I (2019) Geroprotectors: A role in the treatment of frailty. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 180, 11-20.
Schosserer M, Banks G, Dogan S, Dungel P, Fernandes A, Presen DM, Matheu A, Osuchowski M, Potter P, Sanfeliu C , Tuna BG et al (2019) Modelling physical resilience in ageing mice. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 177, 91-102. View this article in WRRO
Bellantuono I (2018) Find drugs that delay many diseases of old age. Nature, 554(7692), 293-295.
Dudek M, Gossan N, Yang N, Im H-J, Ruckshanthi JPD, Yoshitane H, Li X, Jin D, Wang P, Boudiffa M , Bellantuono I et al (2016) The chondrocyte clock gene Bmal1 controls cartilage homeostasis and integrity. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 126(1), 365-376.
Misra J, Mohanty ST, Madan S, Fernandes JA, Hal Ebetino F, Russell RGG & Bellantuono I (2015) Zoledronate Attenuates Accumulation of DNA Damage in Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Protects Their Function. Stem Cells. View this article in WRRO

All publications

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Research group

PhD Students

Olivia Turner
Ziqian Sun
Josie Cadman
Nikita Soni

Teaching interests

I am the Director of training for the HELSI-Dunhill Medical Trust Doctoral training program whose aims align with the HELSI mission of developing solutions for the prevention of multiple long-term chronic conditions and frailty.

Until 2017 I was the Director of training for the MRC-AR UK Centre for Integrated research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA). The Centre is a is a collaboration between the Universities of Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield and the training includes an MRes and PhD programme.

I also contribute to the Student Selected Components of Phase 1a of the MBChB course.

Professional activities and memberships

Most of my time is now taken by the running of the Healthy Lifespan Institute and UKAgeNet. This has been built from my experience when I have Chaired and led the effort of the COST Action MouseAGE a European network comprising over 200 researchers from 25 EU countries to identify a roadmap to take medicinal drugs targeting mechanisms of ageing (geroprotectors) to the patients.

Previously I headed the Mellanby Centre skelet.AL laboratories (former Bone Analysis Laboratory), which provides access and expertise to contemporary technologies for the analysis of bone to investigators, internally and externally.

I was also the Director of Research for the Department of Oncology and Metabolism and a member of the Faculty Research and Innovation Committee, which oversees the Faculty strategic approach to Research and Innovation. At present I am serving as a panel member for the UKRI Future Leader Fellowship scheme.

I have been the Chair of the BBSRC Bioscience Skills and Careers (BSC) Strategy Advisory Panel, The BBSRC Fellowship portfolio monitoring group and a member of BBSRC Research Advisory Panel, roles I have enjoyed enormously and from which I have gained experience in policymaking in the vital skills and science sector.

I have taken part in evaluation of funding including NC3Rs, Arthritis Research UK and Horizon 2020 panels.