Valentina Fossati is an Italian stem cell biologist. She is a senior research investigator at the New York Stem Cell Foundation. Her research is focussed on developing human stem cell-based models to study the role of glia in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.
Early life and education Fossati conducted her undergraduate studies in pharmaceutical biotechnology at the University of Bologna in Italy, where she also completed her doctoral degree in stem cell biology, receiving her PhD in 2008. She moved to the United States for postdoctoral work at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Career and research In 2011, Fossati set up an independent lab at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF). Her lab has established protocols for human stem cell-based models to study glia. She also leads NYSCF's multiple sclerosis program and is a Druckenmiller Postdoctoral Fellow Alumna.
Fossati has a particular interest in glial cell biology and how glia contribute to neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis. This is because she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009. Her diagnosis led her to shift her research to better understanding this disease.
Awards
2010: The Helmsley Foundation-NYSCF Innovator award for early career investigator 2009: NYSCF-Druckenmiller Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award, The New York Stem Cell Foundation, NY, NY
Select publications
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References