A Marie Sklodowska-Curie European fellowship awarded to Gabriele Ordazzo, postdoctoral researcher at Myology Research Centre
Gabriele Ordazzo, under the supervision of Mario Gomes-Pereira from the “REDS – Repeat Expansions & Myotonic Dystrophy” team, headed by Geneviève Gourdon and Denis Furling, has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) postdoctoral fellowship by the European Commission. He follows in the footsteps of Fiorella Grandi, who was honored last year in the “Motor Neuron Biotherapies” team, led by Piera Smeriglio (herself a previous MSCA fellow).
Individual MSCA fellowships promote the international mobility of PhD holders, who wish to pursue their research abroad, enhance their scientific and technical skills, and advance their careers. The fellowship covers the salary and research expenses, offering the fellow the opportunity to acquire new training and expand their professional network, with a focus on the two-way transfer of knowledge between the laboratory and the researcher.
For the 2023 call, the European Commission received 8,039 proposals, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year. Out of these proposals, 1,249 projects were selected, representing a success rate of approximately 15%.
Gabriele Ordazzo’s project focuses on the molecular mechanisms of cellular miscommunication between neurons and glia cells in the context of type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1). Gabriele aims to better understand how toxic RNA repeats affect the complex neuroglial interplay, and to evaluate the possibility of rescuing DM1 brain pathology using therapeutic strategies previously developed in-house. To this end Gabriele will take advantage mouse models generated in the laboratory and cutting-edge methods, while leveraging his expertise in viral gene delivery in the CNS. Gabriele’s results may have implications to the understanding of other related human diseases and to fundamental understanding of RNA biology in brain cells.
Gabriele Ordazzo shares his motivation for applying for this fellowship and his goals as he embarks on this “Marie Skłodowska-Curie” journey: “Receiving the MSCA fellowship is a remarkable achievement for me. My time abroad has allowed me to meet incredible scientists and individuals who supported me in designing this project. This prestigious fellowship provides me with a solid foundation to develop my ideas and advance my project, focused on innovative techniques to uncover key aspects of DM1 pathology in the brain. My ultimate aim is to contribute to the development of an effective therapy for patients.”
Mario Gomes-Pereira, a former MSCA fellow himself, recognises that the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant he obtained years ago when joining Genevieve Gourdon’s laboratory was a significant steppingstone in his career development, which clearly shaped his academic path. Mario is excited to share and pass on this valuable experience to Gabriele.