Valeria Crippa

Researcher on a fixed-term basis at the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences of the University of Milan, obtained a PhD in Endocrinological and Metabolic Sciences from the University of Milan in 2009 and a master's degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies in 2005, also from the University of Milan.

It deals with the study of the molecular mechanisms associated with two motor neuron diseases (MND), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). In particular, the focus is on the role of the protein quality control (PQC) system and the degradative mechanisms involved in the removal of mutated/misfolded proteins associated with both diseases. In this context, it has demonstrated the importance of a small chaperone protein, HSPB8, in the autophagic removal of various proteins associated with the two diseases (e.g. SOD1, TDP-43 and its C-terminal fragments), both in cellular models and in a Drosophila ALS model (TDP). It has shown that approaches aimed at enhancing HSPB8 can contribute to maintaining proteostasis and can delay the progression of MND. To this end, in collaboration with the group of Prof. Provenzani (CIBIO, TN, ITALY), they have identified two drugs capable of positively modulating the transcription of HSPB8. Both drugs have countered the accumulation of misfolded species of TDP-43 and TDP-25, responsible for motor neuron death in ALS models.

The results obtained have been the starting point for a collaboration with Professor Jessica Mandrioli (Modena Polyclinic), which has led to the proposal of a phase II clinical trial for ALS, recently funded by AIFA. In recent months, attention has shifted focusing on the possible role of extracellular vesicles, both exosomes and microvesicles, in ALS and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), demonstrating that pathological proteins are specifically transported by both types of vesicles.

She is the author of 40 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and more than 200 abstracts presented at national and international conferences.