Emanuela Pasciuto, PhD

Dr. Emanuela Pasciuto earned her PhD in neurobiology in 2014 under the guidance of Professor C. Bagni at KU Leuven (Belgium). Her studies allowed to discover new molecular mechanisms for pharmaceutical targeting of neuronal dysfunction in Autism (Neuron, 2015, Neuron, 2013; Nat. Comm., 2017). Following her doctoral studies, she continued her research as a postdoctoral fellow in the Immunology lab of Prof. A. Liston at the VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium. Dr. Pasciuto pioneered the discovery of brain resident lymphocytes and showed that the interaction of T cells with microglia can affect mouse behavior (Cell, 2020; Nat Imm. Review, 2024). Next, she contributed to developing a novel AAV-based immunotherapeutic approach to reduce neuroinflammation (Nat. Immun, 2022), and pathological aging (Embo Mol Med., 2023). In 2020, she joined the lab of Professor B. De Strooper (VIB-KU Leuven), studying the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s. Her excellent scientific contribution has been recognized with the Acteria Young investigator award in Immunology. In 2023, Dr. Pasciuto took on the role of principal investigator at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology and became an associate professor at the University of Antwerp. As independent investigator, Dr. Pasciuto draws on her dual expertise in immunology and neuroscience and she is devoted to studying the role of T cells in brain physiology and pathology, with the mission of identifying new biomarkers and therapeutic targets/agents.