Marco Zattoni

JuMBO PhD thesis supervisor: Prof. Giuseppe Legname, SISSA

Summary of career/studies

I took my bachelor's degree in Biotechnologies at the University of Padova, where, during my internship period at Neurogenetics and Chronobiology laboratory, I studied the changes in expression levels of some genes involved in the visual system of E. Superba.

Then, I attended to the International Master Degree in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste, where I started to focus my attention to molecular aspects of neuropathology.

The aim of my thesis project, at Prion Biology Lab (SISSA) headed by Prof. Legname, was to shed light on the molecular mechanism involved in the onset and the progression of human neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, we investigated hemoglobin chains genes expression in variant, iatrogenic, sporadic forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in genetic prion diseases infected brains compared to other non-prion neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Why JuMBO PhD?

I decided to apply for JuMBO PhD program because it is an international doctorate course that takes advantage of the collaboration of top level research centers in Friuli Venezia Giulia. I think that JuMBO PhD represents for me the possibility to grow up in an international environment and to stimulate my scientific curiosity.