Chiara Maria Giulia De Luca

Presentazione:

BIOLOGIST
SC Neurologia 5 - Neuropatologia
(italian version)

I obtained my master degree in Neurobiology at the University of Pavia, in 2017. I am currently enrolled in the 4th year of the PhD programme in Molecular Biology, at the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA, Trieste) but I carry on my research activity at the Neuropathology laboratory of the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute (U.O. Neurologia 5). Since 2022, I am a health researcher at the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute.

Research activity

My research activity consists in the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders with special focus on the processes of protein misfolding and aggregation, and in the development of ultrasensitive tests (RT-QuIC) for an early and definitive diagnosis of different types of neurodegeneration, especially Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and dementia with Lewy bodies.

In particular, the goal of my project is to develop analytical protocols for the analysis of peripheral tissues (such as olfactory mucosa, skin biopsy, urine, tears), that can be periodically collected with non invasive procedures, thus allowing to monitor the progression of the disease and the effect of any drug treatments.

I also carry out in vivo studies on mouse models to deepen the mechanisms of protein aggregation at the basis of synucleinopathies, and in vitro studies to evaluate the effect of specific compounds/proteins on the modulation of such aggregation. Moreover, I work on the evaluation of the composition of microbiota in the olfactory mucosa of patients with different forms of synucleinopathy, to identify any correlation between the presence of specific classess of microrganisms and the onset of the pathology.

Topics of interest