Elisabetta Babetto, PhD
Assistant Professor
Neurology
Academic information
- Department: Neurology
Research interests
- Axon Degeneration
- Neurodegenerative Diseases and Conditions
About
Biography
My training in axon degeneration began when I was recruited by Michael Coleman, PhD, in Cambridge, U.K., where I graduated in 2011 with a PhD in Molecular Biology. My graduate studies contributed to elucidating the mechanisms of action of the WldS protein, which confers a strong delay of axon degeneration after neuronal injury.
I then joined the laboratory of Professor Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD, at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine for postdoctoral training. During this time, I discovered a novel pathway regulating axon survival, mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Phr1, in mouse models of acute nerve injury.
In 2014, I was recruited to The State University of New York at Buffalo, where I shifted my focus from an axon-centric view of degeneration to a comprehensive understanding of cellular mechanisms during nerve damage. I relocated to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2022, to establish a research program that addresses the interaction between glia and axons during aging and disease.
My past and current funding reflects that my research is applicable to a wide spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions: Alzheimer’s Research UK (formerly The Alzheimer’s Research Trust), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The American-Italian Cancer Foundation and the Guillain-Barre Syndrome |CIDP Foundation, NINDS R01.
Credentials
Education
- Postdoctoral Research Scholar
- Washington University, St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MN, United States
- PhD - Neuroscience
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Specialization - Pharmacological Research
- Mario Negri Institute, Milan, Italy
- MSc - Medical Biotechnology
- University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- BS - Medical Biotechnology
- University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Research
Research interests
- Axon Degeneration
- Neurodegenerative Diseases and Conditions
Axon degeneration causes the overt symptoms of many neurodegenerative diseases and conditions. I am highly motivated to unveil the driving forces of axon degeneration and act on these forces to alter the rate of axon loss. My science uses a combination of various in vitro and in vivo molecular, biochemical and pharmacological approaches in murine models of axonal demise.
I recently discovered that Schwann cells regulate the resistance of injured axons to degeneration through changes in their energy metabolism (Nature Neuroscience, PMID: 32807950). This finding introduces a fundamental paradigm shift for the understanding of axon degeneration, which most neuroscientists believe is exclusively regulated by cell-autonomous mechanisms.
As the landscape of the signaling events after axon injury is being characterized, I continue to work toward the goal of elucidating the mechanism of axon loss, with the final aim being to relate the future findings in the laboratory mouse to acute injuries in patients and to real-life chronic degeneration.
Editorial Boards
Frontiers in Neurology
Other Editorial Activities
Volume Editor: “Axon degeneration: Methods and Protocols,” Methods in Molecular Biology series, vol. 2143, Springer.
Professional Activities
ECR NIH/NINDS member, Neural Oxidative Metabolism, Mitochondria and Cell Death study section
Honors and Awards
- Women in Science Travel (WIST) Fund COVID-19 Relief Award, 2021
- GBS|CIDP Foundation research grant, 2018
- MDA Career Development Award, 2014
- Travel Award, Fine Science Award, 2012
- American Italian Cancer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011
- SfN Graduate Travel Award, 2009
- Queens’ College International Travel Award, 2008
- Alzheimer’s Research Trust Scholar and MRC Studentship Award, 2006
- Alzheimer’s Research Trust National Meeting Travel Award, 2006
- “Regione Lombardia” Fellowship for Pharmacological Research Specialist Studies, 2004
Advisory and Consulting
Scientific advisory member of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Research Foundation
Grants and Projects
- 2021 – 2026: National Institute of Health R01NS123450-01 Role: PI
Title: Energizing and Protecting Axons Through Metabolic Coupling to Schwann Cells - 2020 – 2024: National Institute of Health R01NS111024 Role: Co-I
Title: Elucidating the trophic support of long axons by metabolic signaling in oligodendrocytes