PENNUTO MARIA

PERSONAL INFORMATION

MARIA PENNUTO
Date of birth: July 3rd, 1971
Nationality: Italian
URL for web site:
https://www.biomed.unipd.it/ricerca/aree-tematiche/neuroscience/pathogenesis-neurological-and-neuromuscular-diseases
http://www.vimm.it/scientific-board/maria-pennuto


Current Position
Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy
Vice-Director, Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8634-0767
Researcher ID: E-3270-2019
Scopus Author ID: 55897284500
Loop profile: 122871

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDICATORS
Full text papers in peer-reviewed journals: 80
H-index: 33 Scholar, 29 Scopus
Total number of citations: more than 12,924 at November 2022
Average Impact Factor (H-index past 5 years): 29


Personal Statement: My research focuses on the investigation of pathogenetic mechanisms underlying degeneration of specific neuronal populations in neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. My research contributed to show that two factors are key to the neurodegenerative process: 1) Peripheral tissues, such as skeletal muscle, that regulate body metabolism and energetics, contribute to body weight loss, energy unbalance and neuronal degeneration, and that skeletal muscle damage is often primary and not secondary to neuronal dysfunction and loss; 2) Post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and arginine methylation, modify the aberrant toxic gain of function and neurotoxicity of the disease proteins, and stimulation of specific cellular pathways modulating the function of cellular kinases and arginine methyltransferases that target the disease proteins has therapeutic potential. Based on our work, two compounds, insulin-like growth factor 1 and beta-agonists (clenbuterol) were translated to phase II clinical trials for SBMA.


EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education:
2000 University of Milan (Italy) Ph.D. School in Molecular & Cellular Biology.
1996 University of Rome La Sapienza (Italy) Italian Laurea (cum laude, MSc program) in Biology.

Employment and Experience/Position:
2018- Deputy Director, Group Leader, Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
2017- Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy
2013-2017 Assistant & Associate Professor, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
2009-2014 Group Leader, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
2008-2009 Staff Scientist, Dptm of Neurology, U. of Pennsylvania
2005-2008 Visiting Post-Doc Fellow, NIH-NINDS
2001-2005 Post-Doc Fellow, S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

Career break:
2016 Maternity leave (12 months)

AWARDS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
2022 National Science prize “Cenacolo della Scienza”, Milan, Italy
2019 Marie Curie travel award, MCAA general assembly, Vienna, Austria
2019 Selected International Day of Women in Science, United Nations, Padova, Italy
2017 Arimura Foundation State-of-Art Lecture, 13th International PACAP meeting, Hong Kong
2013 Dulbecco Telethon Institute Career Award
2011 IBRO Woman in Neuroscience Lecture, PACAP international symposium, Israel
2005 Telethon Post-Doctoral Competitive Fellowship Award
2003 Euresco Travel Award
1998 European Science Foundation Travel Award

GRANTS:
Unit Leader or Grant Coordinator: Maria Pennuto
Past:
-NIH-R21 (1R21NS111768-01) 2019-2021 $105,000
-KENNEDY DISEASE ASSOCIATION USA 2019-2020 $50,000
-MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION USA (479363) 2017-2020 $300,000
-UNIVERSITY OF PADOVA (BIRD PROJECT) 2018-2019 €45,000
-AKIRA ARIMURA RESEARCH GRANT 2018-2019 €50,000
-AKIRA ARIMURA RESEARCH GRANT 2016-2017 €50,000
-BANDO DI ATENEO UNIVERSITA’ DI TRENTO 2015-2017 €104,000
-ITALIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH (RF-2011-02350097) 2014-2018 €165,000
-ASSOCIATION FRACAISE MYOPATHIES (AFM-18722) 2014-2018 €32,000
-DULBECCO TELETHON INSTITUTE CAREER AWARD (TCP12013) 2013-2018 €510,000
-MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION USA (196646) 2011-2014 $330,000
-TELETHON-Italy (GGP10037) 2011- 2013 €190,300
-THIERRY-LATRAN FOUNDATION (France) 2011–2012 €125,000
-Marie-Curie FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG (FP7-256448) 2009-2014 €100,000
-KENNEDY DISEASE ASSOCIATION USA 2009 $20,000
-MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION USA (92333) 2008-2011 $179,620
-KENNEDY DISEASE ASSOCIATION USA 2007 $25,000
-ASSOCIATION FRACAISE MYOPATHIES (22221, Coordinator, 2 groups) 2019-2022 €60,000

Ongoing:
-Autifony Pharmaceutical company 2022-2023 €30,000
-Arvinas USA clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company 2021-2023 €110,000
-FONDAZIONE JUST-ITALIA (Coordinator, 2 groups) 2021-2024 €300,000
-FONDAZIONE AIRC-Italy (24423, PI) 2021-2026 €620,000
-TELETHON-Italy (GGP19128, co-PI) 2019-2022 €240,000
-PRIN-MIUR Italy (2017F2A2C5, co-PI) 2019-2022 €113,250
-ASSOCIATION FRACAISE MYOPATHIES (24337, Coordinator, 4 groups) 2019-2022 €180,000
-PROGRAM RARE DISEASES CNCCS-Scarl-Pomezia 2019-2022 €75,000


MEETINGS ORGANIZED:
International Conference committee and organizer:
2022 ENMC workshop on SBMA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2021 International virtual meeting on Kennedy Disease, September 20-22
2019 241th ENMC workshop on SBMA, Feb 15-17, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2015 210th ENMC workshop on SBMA, March 27-29, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2013 Summer school: “The core of neuronal communication: axonal biology, degeneration and regeneration”, Cavalese, Trento, Italy, 30/09- 04/10

National Conference committee and organizer:
2021 Meeting VIMM-fit-Trieste Science Park, Padova, Italy, 26 May
2020 V SBMA Italian meeting, Virtual meeting, Italy, 19 September
2019 Minisymposium “The RNA biology of motor neuron disease”, XVIII Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS) meeting, Perugia, Italy, 26-29 September
2018 IV SBMA Italian meeting, University of Padova, Italy, 5-6 October
2016 III SBMA Italian meeting, University of Milan, Italy, 11-12 November
2016 Fondazione Telethon Tri-Retreat, Rome, Italy, 26-28 May
2015 II SBMA Italian meeting, University of Trento, Italy, 18 April
2013 I SBMA Italian meeting, University of Padova, 29-30 October.

Chair, Scientific Conferences:
2019 XVIII Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS) meeting, University of Perugia, Italy, 26-29 September
2019 VIMM retreat, Treviso, Italy, 12-13 September
2018 Round Table: “Metabolism, exercise & signaling pathways in muscle wasting”, Interuniversity Institute of Myology XV meeting, Assisi (Italy), 11-13 October
2018 Session: “Update on molecular and therapeutic development for SBMA”, IV Kennedy disease Italian meeting, University of Padova, Italy, 5-6 October
2015 Session: “Motor neuron diseases: from molecular targets to trial design”, XVII Telethon Scientific Convention, Riva del Garda Trento (Italy), 9-11 March
2014 Satellite meeting: Motor Neuron Disease, FENS, Milan (Italy), 3-4 July
2011 Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration, Milan (Italy)

INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Prof. Pennuto has been invited to deliver:
60 Plenary Lectures & invited talks to International and National meetings, Symposia, and talks by Universities and Pharmaceutical Companies.

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY:
2016-present Editorial board member of “Scientific Reports”
2020-2021 Guest Editor, Special Issue on Cells.
2013-2017 Editorial board member of “Advances in Neuroscience”