Vania Broccoli

Position/Title:
Senior scientist at the CNR Institute of Neuroscience and Head Stem Cells and Neurogenesis Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan
Education/Training:
BSc, 1993, University of Bologna
PhD, 1997, Genetic Sciences, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan

Broccoli Vania is a neuroscientist at the CNR Institute of Neuroscience and is leading the Research Unit of Stem Cells and Neurogenesis; at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan (Italy). He has unravelled some of the molecular mechanisms that control key processes of brain development including neural stem cell identity, neural commitment and migration, neural network establishment and function. Lately, his group has developed new technologies of direct cell reprogramming to convert mouse and human skin fibroblasts into functional induced neurons and other neural cells. Now, he aims to further strengthen these approaches to establish safe and efficient systems for producing functional human neurons suitable for convenient in vitro disease modeling approaches (more information on www.vaniabroccolilab.com).