From October 2024 he is Assistant Professor of Pharmacology (RTDb – BIOS-11/A, formerly BIO/14) at UniCamillus – Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy. Starting from March 2023 he also has an appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

After high school graduation, he enrolled in biological (BSc) and chemical (MSc) sciences at University of Catania (UniCT), earning both of them with a maximum grade of 110/110 with honors.

During his PhD in Neurobiology (UniCT), he investigated the activity of amyloidogenic peptides involved in protein conformational disorders. He also had the opportunity, supported by an International Internship Programme Scholarship, to work in Prof. Susan Lunte’s group at the University of Kansas (KU) (USA) as a visiting international graduate student (1 year).

In November 2014, he returned to KU as a postdoctoral associate in Prof. Sunil David’s group, where he focused on mechanisms of innate immune responses, publishing two patents.

In July 2015, he joined Prof. Lunte’s group as a postdoctoral associate, focusing on the development of microfluidic-based methods for reactive species detection. His efforts have granted him a prestigious and competitive American Heart Association Fellowship. This fellowship allowed him to continue pursuing his major interest in investigating the protective effects of carnosine against the oxidative stress involved in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

In August 2017, he moved back to Italy as Senior researcher at the Oasi Research Institute (Troina, Enna) (3 years) and then as a Senior Researcher Associate at Department of Drug and Health Sciences (DSFS, UniCT) (2 years) focusing on a research activity that covers multidisciplinary aspects of molecular and clinical pharmacology as well as of toxicology, with particular attention on the neurobiological link between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and depression to identify new pharmacological targets and novel neuroprotection strategies.

From January 2022 to September 2024, he held the position of Assistant Professor (BIO/14 – Pharmacology) at the DSFS (UniCT) with a main project focused on the identification and validation of new pharmacological targets in AD through the use of microfluidics.

Prof. Caruso research activity mainly focuses on the development and application of innovative microfluidic-based technologies for drug discovery in AD (identification and validation of new pharmacological target in in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo AD models) as well as for early diagnosis of cognitive disorders in AD (detection and quantification of plasma biomarkers). As a part of national and international collaborations, he is also investigating the link between microglia/macrophages activity and oxidative stress in the context of AD and depression, as well as the therapeutic potential of carnosine as a new pharmacological strategy leading to neuroprotection.

More information about Prof. Caruso research and teaching activities can be found on his website (https://carusogiuseppe.net/).