Simonato Michele Professore ordinarioMedicinaMED/50 Scienze tecniche mediche applicate ai sensi dell'art. 6 comma 11 della legge 240/2010

Istruzione

1986                Specializzazione in Tossicologia Medica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 70/70 e lode.

1983                Laurea in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, 110/110 e lode.

 

Esperienze professionali

2015-oggi        Professore di Farmacologia, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano

2013-oggi        Chair. Task Force per la ricerca traslazionale dell’International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) e dell’American Epilepsy Society (AES)

2008-oggi        Vice-presidente. Istituto Nazionale di Neuroscienze, Italia

2008-oggi        Direttore. Centro di Neuroscienze, Università di Ferrara

2001-oggi        Professore di Farmacologia e Tossicologia, Università di Ferrara

1994-oggi        Dirigente Medico. Servizio di Farmacologia Clinica, Arcispedale Sant’Anna, Ferrara

1985-2001       Ricercatore Universitario, Università di Ferrara, Ferrara

1988-1993       Research associate, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

1986-1987       Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA

 

Attività di Ricerca

• Sviluppo di vettori per la terapia genica del sistema nervoso centrale sulla base di herpes simplex.
• Coinvolgimento di fattori neurotrofici nello sviluppo di epilessie focali di tipo lesionale: identificazione di target terapeutici e sviluppo di nuove strategie di delivery (terapia genica).
• I sistemi neuropeptidici (dinorfina, OFQ/N, somatostatina, NPY, bradichinina) come target terapeutici per l’epilessia del lobo temporale.
• MicroRNA come biomarcatori e bersagli terapeutici per l’epilessia del lobo temporale.

Selected Publications

 

1. Pitkänen A, Löscher W, Vezzani A, Becker AJ, SIMONATO M, Lukasiuk K, Gröhn O, Bankstahl JP, Friedman A, Aronica E, Gorter JA, Ravizza T, Sisodiya S, Kokaia M, Beck H. Biomarkers in Epilepsy. Lancet Neurol. 15, 843-56, 2016.
2. Johnson MR, Behmoaras J, Bottolo L, Krishnan ML, Pernhorst K, Meza Santoscoy PL, Rossetti T, Speed D, Srivastava PK, Chadeau-Hyam M, Hajji N, Dabrowska A, Rotival M, Razzaghi B, Kovac S, Wanisch K, Grillo F, Slaviero A, Langley SR, Shkura K, Roncon P, De T, Mattheisen M, Niehusmann P, O’Brien TJ, Petrovski S, von Lehe M, Hoffmann P, Eriksson J, Coffey A, Cichon S, Walker M, Simonato M, Danis B, Mazzuferi M, Foerch P, Schoch S, De Paola V, Kaminski RM, Cunliffe VT, Becker AJ, Petretto E. Systems-genetics identifies Sestrin 3 as a regulator of a proconvulsant gene network in human epileptic hippocampus. Nature Comm 6:6031, 2015.
3. Simonato M, Brooks-Kayal AR, Engel J Jr, Galanopoulou AS, Jensen FE, Moshé SL, O’Brien TJ, Pitkanen A, Wilcox KS, French JA. The challenge and promise of anti-epileptic therapy development in animal models. Lancet Neurol 13, 949-60, 2014.
4. Simonato M, Bennett J, Boulis NM, Castro MG, Fink DJ, Goins WF, Gray SJ, Lowenstein PR, Vandenberghe LH, Wilson TJ, Wolfe JH, Glorioso JC. Progress in gene therapy for neurological disorders. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 277-291, 2013.
5. Mazzuferi M, Palma E, Martinello K, Maiolino F, Roseti C, Fucile S, Fabene PF, Schio F, Pellitteri M, Sperk G, Miledi R, Eusebi F, Simonato M. Enhancement of GABAA-current run-down in the hippocampus occurs at the time of the first spontaneous seizure in a model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107, 3180-3185, 2010.
6. Paradiso B., Marconi P., Zucchini S., Berto E., Binaschi A., Bozac A., Buzzi A., Mazzuferi M, Magri E., Navarro Mora G., Rodi D., Su T., Volpi I., Zanetti L., Marzola A., Manservigi R., Fabene P.F., Simonato M. Localized delivery of FGF-2 and BDNF reduces spontaneous seizures in an epilepsy model. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 106, 7191-7196, 2009.
7. Roseti C., Martinello K., Fucile S., Piccari V., Mascia A., Di Gennaro G., Quarato P.P., Manfredi M., Esposito V., Cantore G., Arcella A., Simonato M., Fredholm B.B., Limatola C., Miledi R., Eusebi F. Adenosine receptor antagonists alter the stability of human epileptic GABAA receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105, 15118-23, 2008.
8. Zucchini S., Buzzi A., Barbieri M., Rodi D., Paradiso B., Binaschi A., Coffin J.D., Marzola A., Cifelli P., Belluzzi O., Simonato M. FGF-2 overexpression increases excitability and seizure susceptibility but decreases seizure-induced cell loss. J. Neurosci. 28, 13112-13124, 2008.
9. Palma E., Roseti C., Maiolino F., Fucile S., Martinello K., Mazzuferi M., Aronica E., Manfredi M., Esposito V., Cantore G., Miledi R., Simonato M., Eusebi F. GABAA-current rundown of temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with repetitive activation of GABAA”phasic” receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 20944-20948, 2007.
10. Simonato M., Tongiorgi E., Kokaia M. Angels and demons: neurotrophic factors and epilepsy. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 27, 631-638, 2006.
11. Tongiorgi E., Armellin M., Giulianini P.G., Bregola G., Zucchini S., Paradiso B., Steward O., Cattaneo A., Simonato M. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein are targeted to discrete dendritic laminas by events that trigger epileptogenesis. J. Neurosci. 24, 6842-6852, 2004.
12. Bregola G., Zucchini S., Rodi D., Binaschi A., D’Addario C., Landuzzi D., Reinscheid R., Candelotti S., Romualdi P., Simonato M.: Involvement of the neuropeptide Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ in kainate seizures. J. Neurosci. 22, 10030-10038, 2002.
13. Gallerani M., Manfredini R., Dal Monte D., Calò G., Brunaldi V., Simonato M.: Circadian differences in the individual sensitivity to opiate overdose. Crit. Care Med. 29, 96-101, 2001.
14. Simonato M., Manservigi R., Marconi P., Glorioso J.: Gene transfer into neurones for the molecular analysis of behaviour: focus on herpes simplex vectors. Trends Neurosci. 23, 183-190, 2000.

Education

1986                Medical Toxicology Specialization, University of Florence, Italy, 70/70 cum laude.

1983                Medical Doctor, University of Ferrara, Italy, 110/110 cum laude.

 

Professional experiences

2015-today     Professor of Pharmacology, San Raffaele Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy

2013-today     Chair. Joint Task Force on Translational Research of the  International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) and of the American Epilepsy Society (AES)

2008-today     Vice-president. National Institute for Neuroscience, Italy

2008-today     Director. Center of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, Italy

2001-today     Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Ferrara, Italy

1994-today     Medical staff,  Service of Clinical Pharmacology, Sant’Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy

1985-2001       Researcher and Assistant Professor, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

1988-1993       Research associate, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

1986-1987       Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA

 

Research activity

• Development of gene therapy vectors for neurological diseases, based on herpes simplex.
• Involvement of neurotrophic factors in the development of lesional epilepsies: identification of new therapeutic targets and development of new delivery strategies (gene therapy).
• Neuropeptide systems (dynorphin, OFQ/N, somatostatin, NPY, bradykinin) as therapeutic targets for temporal lobe epilepsy.
• MicroRNA as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for temporal lobe epilepsy.