People
Graziano Martello
Graziano earned a PhD in Genetics and Developmental Biology at the University of Padova and in 2010 moved to Cambridge University to study pluripotency in Austin Smith’s laboratory. In 2014 he moved back to Italy and established his independent research laboratory with the support of the Armenise-Harvard and Telethon foundation. When not busy thinking about pluripotent cells, Graziano likes to play the bass, listen to music and play board games with friends.
Elena Carbognin
Elena obtained her PhD in Genetics and Developmental Biology at the University of Padova. She then studied neurodegenerative diseases using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system at the University of Cambridge, UK. She joined the Martello lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 2014, where she investigates the molecular mechanisms conducting the exit from naive state in mouse embryonic stem cells. She has a passion for travelling and gourmet food.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alumni
Linda Diamante, Master student, PhD student (2020-2023), Post-doctoral fellow, 2023-2024
Stefano Ciaco, Post-doctoral fellow, 2022-2023
Elena Guerzoni, Graduate fellow, 2022-2023
Rosalba Cipriani, Master student, 2021-2022
Martina Chieregato, Master student 2020, graduate fellow 2021-2022
Andrea Drusin, Master student, 2020-2022 (now at Resnova, Padova, Italy)
Riccardo Massimiliano Betto, Ph.D. student, 2014-2017, PostDoc 2017-2021 (now at Futurlab, Padua, Italy)
Mattia Arboit, Post-doctoral fellow, 2016-2021 (now at Evotec, Verona, Italy)
Irene Zorzan, Ph.D student, 2014-2021 (now at Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK)
Marco Pellegrini, Post-doctoral fellow, 2014-2019 (now at UCL, London, UK)
Giorgia Ferlazzo, Ph.D. student, 2014-2019 (now at INGM, Milan, Italy)
Valentina Perrera, Post-doctoral fellow, 2017-2019 (now at SISSA, Trieste, Italy)
Silvia Angiolillo, master student, 2018-2019 (now at VIMM, Padua, Italy)
Cristina Malucelli, master student, 2017-2018 (now at COPAN WASP, Mantua, Italy)
Stefano Giulitti, Post-doctoral fellow, 2017-2018 (now at UNISMART, Padua, Italy)
Noemi Cannizzaro, graduate fellow, 2019-2020
Irene Paolucci, graduate fellow, 2019-2020