Biographical sketch Fernando Pitossi
Date of birth: 22/11/1963
Current projects
1. Identification of a molecule related to calcium homeostasis as a neuroprotective agent for Parkinson´s disease (PD)
2. iPS-derived neurons to model neurological diseases, in particular PD and epilepsy
3. Anti-inflammatory treatments to improve cell survival and enhance neuronal differentiation after cell transplantation in animal models of PD
4. Novel animal models of inflammation-mediated neuronal death in PD
5. New animal model of progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Education/Training
Institution and Location / Degree / Year(s) / Field of studyFaculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. / Biochemist / 1988 / Career of Biochemistry
Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland. Supervisor: Brian Hemmings / 1988-1989 / Cloning of Akt
Institute of Immunology, Zurich, Switzerland/
Institute for Medical Microbiology, Freiburg, Germany / Ph. D. / 1989-1990/
1991-1993 / Molecular Virology
Institute of Physiology, Marburg, Germany / Post-doc / 1993-1997 / Neuroinflammation
A. Actual Positions and honors
2000- on Head, Laboratory for Regenerative and Protective Therapies of the CNS, Institute Leloir Foundation,
2012- Principal Research Scientist, Argentina National Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires.
2005-2012 Member of the Board of Directors of the Institute Leloir Foundation.
2008-2012 President of INIS Biotech, the office for technological transfer of the Leloir Institute.
2007-on member of the advisory committee on Stem Cell Treatments and Regenerative Medicine of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina
2008-on coordinator of the first argentine cluster on stem cell research (CICEMA)
2008 Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
2009- on National coordinator of the commission for the Development of the Max Planck Institute in Buenos Aires
2009-on coordinator of the Binational Brazil-Argentina program on cell therapy (PROBITEC)
2011- on member of the Clinical Translation task force of the International Society for stem cell Research (ISSCR)
2012 and 2015 member of the ISSCR “Closer look at stem cells” Task Force
2012-on scientific coordinator of the Argentine human iPS platform (PLACEMA)
2013- 2014 and 2016-on: Vice-Director, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires- CONICET.
2014-2016: Interim Director, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires- CONICET
2013-on member of the Editorial Board of “Frontiers in Neurogenesis”.
2014- on member of the Editorial Board of “Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience”
Grant recipient from the Wellcome Trust (UK), Michael J. Fox Foundation (USA), Pfizer Inc. (USA), the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany), among other agencies.
Inventor of two biotechnological patents.
PUBLICATIONS:
H index: 26, excluding self-citations: 26.
Total number of citations: 3.366, excluding self-citations: 3.235
Total number of peer reviewed publications: 52. Non-peer reviewed: 6
Last 5 years:
41. Notch signaling proteins HES-1 and Hey-1 bind to insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) proximal promoter and repress its transcription and activity: Implications for cellular Aβ metabolism.
Leal MC, Surace EI, Holgado MP, Ferrari CC, Tarelli R, Pitossi F, Wisniewski T, Castaño EM, Morelli L.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012, 1823(2):227-235
42. Neuroprotective effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells in an immunocompetent animal model of Parkinson's disease.
Mathieu P, Roca V, Gamba C, Del Pozo A, Pitossi F*.* corresponding author.
J Neuroimmunol. 2012 May 15;246(1-2):43-50.
43. CNS response to a second pro-inflammatory event depends on whether the primary demyelinating lesion is active or resolved.
Murta V, Pitossi FJ, Ferrari CC.
Brain Behav Immun. 2012, 26(7): 1102-1115.
44. Hippocampal SPARC regulates depression-related behavior.
Campolongo M, Benedetti L, Podhajcer OL, Pitossi F, Depino AM.
Genes Brain Behav.; 2012; 11:8, 966–976
45. Interleukin-1beta and TNF-alpha: reliable targets for protective therapies in Parkinson´s Disease?
Leal, MC; Casabona, JC; Puntel,M; Pitossi, FJ*.* corresponding author.
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2013, 7:53
46. Differential vulnerability of adult neurogenesis by adult and prenatal inflammation: Role of TGF-β1.
Graciarena M, Roca V, Mathieu P, Depino AM, Pitossi FJ*.* corresponding author.
Brain Behav Immun. 2013 May 31
47. Chronic systemic IL-1β exacerbates central neuroinflammation independently of the blood-brain barrier integrity.
Murta V, Farías MI,PitossiFJ, Ferrari CC.
J Neuroimmunol. 2015 Jan 15;278:30-43
48. Banking on iPSC--is it doable and is it worthwhile.
Solomon S,PitossiF, Rao MS.
Stem Cell Rev. 2015 Feb;11(1):1-10.
49. Stem cell research in Latin America: update, challenges and opportunities in a priority research area.
Palma V, PitossiFJ*, Rehen SK, Touriño C, Velasco I. *coordinator
Regen Med. 2015 Sep;10(6):785-98. doi: 10.2217/rme.15.44. Epub 2015 Oct 6.
50. Fibulin-2 is a key mediator of the pro-neurogenic effect of TGF-beta1 on adult neural stem cells.
Radice PD, Mathieu P, Leal MC, Farías MI, Ferrari C, Puntel M, Salibe M, Chernomoretz A,Pitossi FJ*.* corresponding author.
Mol Cell Neurosci. 2015 Jun 5;67:75-83
51. Cell therapy for Parkinson׳s disease: Functional role of the host immune response on survival and differentiation of DA neuroblasts.
Wenker SD, Leal MC, Farías MI, Zeng X,PitossiFJ*.* corresponding author
Brain Res. 2015 Aug 1. pii: S0006-8993(15)00589-2. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.06.054. [Epub ahead of print]. Review.
52. Cell reprogramming and neuronal differentiation applied to neurodegenerative diseases: Focus on Parkinson's disease.
Wenker SD, Casalía M, Candedo VC, Casabona JC,PitossiFJ *.* corresponding author
FEBS Lett. 2015 Nov 14;589(22):3396-406. Review.
Non-peer reviewed:
1. Aspectos éticos de la terapia génica.
O. Podhajcer, C. Boyessen McReddie, F. Pitossi.
Medicina, 58: 229-233, 1998.
2. Gene therapy coming of age in Latin America.
O. Podhajcer, F. Pitossi, E. Aguilar-Cordova
Molecular Therapy. 2002 Aug;6(2):153-4
3. Patients beware: commercialized stem cell treatments on the web.
Taylor PL, Barker RA, Blume KG, Cattaneo E, Colman A, Deng H, Edgar H, Fox IJ, Gerstle C, Goldstein LS, High KA, Lyall A, Parkman R, Pitossi FJ, Prentice ED, Rooke HM, Sipp DA, Srivastava A, Stayn S, Steinberg GK, Wagers AJ, Weissman IL.
Cell Stem Cell. 2010 Jul 2;7(1):43-9.
4. Editorial: Inflammation and Parkinson's disease.
Barcia C, Hunot S, Guillemin GJ, Pitossi F.
Parkinsons Dis. 2011;2011:729054.
As co-editor of the issue “Parkinson ´s Disease and Inflammation”
5. Editorial: The changing face of inflammation in the brain.
Anthony DC, Pitossi FJ.
Mol Cell Neurosci. 2012 Nov 10. doi:pii: S1044-7431(12)00204-7.
As co-editor of the issue “Neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration and neurodysfunction”
6. Current status of stem cells and regenerative medicine research in Argentina.
PitossiFJ*, Podhajcer OL.*.* corresponding authors.
Stem Cells Dev. 2014 Dec;23 Suppl 1:17-9. Review- NON-PEERED REVIEWED.