Cecilia Laterza graduated from the University of Padua in Medical Biotechnologies in 2008 and she specialized her studies in neuroscience and stem cell therapy during her PhD (Prof. Martino’s laboratory of Neuroimmunology, San Raffaele scientific institute, Milan) and her first postdoc (Prof. Kokaia’s lab of restorative neurology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Sweden).
In 2019 she was awarded with a Marie Sklodowska Marie Fellowship and she came back to Padua, joining the lab of Prof. Elvassore where she acquired experience in the application of bioengineering in the stem cell field to guide morphogenesis and cell fate decision in a human in vitro setting.
In 2021 she has been granted by the University of Padova with a Starting grant (STARS@UNIPD funding programme) as principal investigator (PI) to study the application of light-sensitive biomolecules in guiding brain organoid growth.
In 2022 she has been awarded with an ERC Staring grant to study the application of intravital 3D bioprinting as a therapeutic strategy to restore neuronal connections lost upon brain damage. In 2024 she started her career as Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padova.
Her ambition is to consolidate her multidisciplinary identity by exploring a ground-breaking therapeutic approach for irreversible neurological conditions that stem from the integration of regenerative medicine approaches with cutting-edge technology belonging to bioengineering.