Francesca Filippini earned her degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Ferrara in Italy, where she developed a strong interest in understanding the biological basis of neurodegenerative diseases. She then pursued a PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience in Paris, focusing on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease. To deepen her expertise in brain pathology, she joined Yale University as a postdoctoral associate, where she studied the impact of genetic mutations on lysosomal trafficking and microglial activation in the brain, using both cellular and mouse models. During her years abroad, she acquired advanced skills in imaging, organelle isolation, and biochemical analysis.
With the support of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, she has returned to Italy to join the University of Padua, where she leads a project aimed at identifying early lysosomal biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease, with the ultimate goal of enabling earlier diagnosis and contributing to the development of targeted therapies. By integrating lysosome profiling with biomarker validation across disease stages, the project seeks to advance early diagnosis and open new therapeutic perspectives.