Associate Professor of Applied Biology at Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences in Rome, Italy.

Chiara Milanese, PhD, is an accomplished neuroscientist with extensive experience in the study of the nervous system, particularly its alterations in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. She was recently appointed Associate Professor of Applied Biology at Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences in Rome, Italy.

Born in Cuneo, Italy, Dr. Milanese pursued her academic training at the University of Turin, where she earned a Master of Science in Biomedical Biotechnology (with honors) and a PhD in Neuroscience. Her early research focused on synaptogenesis and synapse consolidation in invertebrate neuronal models, laying the groundwork for her subsequent contributions to the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

During her postdoctoral fellowship at the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (PIND) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Milanese’s research shifted to the molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease. She focused on the relationship between major biochemical abnormalities found in dopaminergic neurons: oxidative damage and α-synuclein pathology, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Her scientific interests then expanded to the molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative processes and genomic instability. As a Senior Scientist in Dr. Mastroberardino’s group at the Department of Molecular Genetics at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, Dr. Milanese consolidated her studies on the role of redox homeostasis and bioenergetics in neurodegenerative diseases. She contributed to the dissection of mechanisms governing DNA damage accumulation and metabolic redesign in animal models of accelerated aging, demonstrating a connection between alpha-synuclein proteotoxicity and neuronal genomic integrity.

Recently, Dr. Milanese worked as a Researcher at the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) in Milan, focusing on DNA damage repair and transcriptional stress, with a particular emphasis on their roles in aging and neuronal degeneration. She worked with a variety of biological systems, ranging from pre-clinical animal models to patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), contributing to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Her research interests currently focus on DNA damage repair, transcriptional stress, and biomarker discovery in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Milanese has a strong publication record with numerous peer-reviewed articles and has been recognized with several awards, including the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi Award. She is also an active peer reviewer for several scientific journals and has participated in various international research collaborations.

In addition to her research, Dr. Milanese is deeply involved in academic mentorship, having supervised multiple PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate students across Europe and the United States. Her contributions to the field are marked by her innovative approaches to studying the biology of aging and neurodegeneration, making her a respected figure in the scientific community.