Anna Gambetta

Anna earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biotechnology at the University of Padova, Italy. During her Master's, she conducted research on plant reproduction and evolutionary genomics at the Global Institute for Food Security in Canada. After her Master's, she secured a scholarship at the Laboratory of Genomics for Breeding at the University of Padova. In 2019, she joined the Martello lab, completing her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine. Anna is dedicated to researching therapeutic targets for gene therapy in Huntington's disease, optimizing delivery through AAVs and mRNA nanoparticles. In addition to her research, Anna actively engages in Third Mission activities, focusing on technology transfer and Innovative Entrepreneurship. She co-founded DNAswitch, along with Prof. Graziano Martello, a biotech startup offering R&D services for neurodegenerative disease therapies. Beyond the lab, Anna enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, snowboarding, and capturing moments through photography.

annamaria.gambetta@unipd.it

Giada Rossignoli

Giada obtained her PhD in Molecular Medicine, curriculum Biochemistry, at the University of Verona. She then moved to University College London (London, UK) to study neurometabolic disorders using induced pluripotent stem cells-derived models. She joined Martello's lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 2022, and shortly after in 2013 she won a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to explore how metabolism affects gene expression in human pluripotent stem cells. She likes travelling and reading novels, but eating good food is her greatest passion.

giada.rossignoli@unipd.it

Sonia Amato

Sonia obtained her master's degree in Medical Biotechnologies, at the University of Padova. In 2021, she joined the Martello Lab for her master thesis, during which she worked on the generation of human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to model Huntington disease (HD). From 2023, she started a PhD in Neuroscience under the supervision of Prof. Angelo Antonini, Prof. Graziano Martello and Prof. Elisa Greggio, to continue her studies upon modelling and testing of novel therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases, like HD, PD and AD. In her spare time, she loves cooking and reading books.

sonia.amato@studenti.unipd.it

Clelia Corridori

Clelia obtained her bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of Insubria. Then she earned a scholarship at the University of Insubria and her research work was part of the Random Power Project. She graduated in Physics of Data at the University of Padova. This master degree allowed her to combine theoretical background in Statistical Mechanics with high-level training in Data Science. She did her master’s thesis in computational neuroscience at the LIPh Lab, at the University of Padova. She joined the Martello Lab in 2022. She likes theatre shows, road trips with her motorbike and reading books.

clelia.corridori@studenti.unipd.it

Rachele Ghirardo

Rachele obtained her bachelor's degree in Biology and her master's degree in evolutionary biology, both at the University of Padova.Then, she earned a post master fellowship where she studied regeneration in zebrafish. She joined Martello Lab in 2023 as a PhD student in Biosciences where she studies gene therapy approaches against poly glutamine disorders, such as Huntighton's disease, in brain organoids. In her spare time she likes vintage markets and analog photography.

rachele.ghirardo@studenti.unipd.it

Davide Benvegnù

Davide earned his master’s degree in industrial Biotechnologies at the University of Padova. In 2022, he joined Martello lab as a post-graduate fellow. Then, in 2023, he began his PhD in Biosciences, with a project focused on characterizing the metabolism during mouse early embryo development using a 3D in vitro model. During his free time, Davide enjoys playing sports and spending time in nature during his free hours.

davide.benvegnu@studenti.unipd.it

Giorgia Panebianco

Giorgia obtained her Master's degree in Molecular biology, at the University of Padua. She joined Martello lab in 2023 for her master thesis studying the role of LIF in human naive pluripotent stem cells. From November 2023, she started her PhD project on the mechanisms regulating human naive pluripotency and placental differentiation. In her free time, she likes to go on excursions with her closest friends, grow plants and eat good food.

giorgia.panebianco@studenti.unipd.it

Chiara Pratissoli

Chiara obtained her degree in Biology at the University of Parma, in 2021. She is attending Molecular Biology at the University of Parma and in April 2023 she joined Martello lab for her master's thesis. During this period she is investigating Tdark genes involved in Huntington's disease. During her free time she likes photography and hiking.

chiara.pratissoli@studenti.unipr.it

Federica Bertelli

Federica earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology at the University of Padova and she is currently attending her Master’s Degree in Molecular biology. In 2024, she joined Martello’s lab for her master’s thesis, where she is investigating the metabolic shifts occurring during the implantation stages of human embryos using embryo-like structures generated from pluripotent stem cells. In her spare time she enjoys practising ballet and travelling with her closest friends.

federica.bertelli@unipd.it

Nicolò Magri

Nicolò obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Padova. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial Biotechnologies at the University of Padova. In February 2024, he joined the Martello lab to conduct his internship investigating the role of the JAK/STAT pathway in human naive pluripotency. Beyond a deep passion for early music, he enjoys reading, traveling, and eating (not cooking!) great food.

Eleonora Pensabene

Eleonora is a postgraduate researcher. She moved to Prague at Charles University for her master thesis and then stayed to pursue a PhD in Ecology. Her research was focused on the identification of sex chromosomes and the study of the evolution of sex determination in geckos. In 2024 she joined the Martello Lab to investigate the influence of metabolism on embryo implantation using 3D in vitro models. In her free time she enjoys theatre shows and music festivals.

eleonora.pensabene@unipd.it

Angela Bertasini

Angela obtained her bachelor's degree in Biology at University of Parma and her master's degree in Translational Biomedical Science at University of Parma. She joined the Martello's lab in 2024 where she earned a post master fellowship as a research assistant. She supports the development of hES and iPS cells to study the Huntington's disease. In her spare time, she likes to travel and go out with her friends.

Sofia Mazzoleni

Sofia obtained a Ph.D. in Ecology at the Charles University, in Prague. Her research was focused on the evolution of sex chromosomes and sex determination in several lineages of reptiles. She joined the Martello Lab as lab manager in 2023, and now she works as laboratory technician performing toxicology investigations on zebrafish and embryonic stem cells. She loves road trips and exotic  animals.

sofia.mazzoleni@unipd.it