Elena Cattaneo is Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Milan, Italy, where she directs the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases and the UniStem Centre. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of Huntington’s disease and the development of potential therapeutic strategies.
Her laboratory uses stem cell-based models to investigate huntingtin function, CAG repeat instability, and cholesterol metabolism in the brain. Her team has also developed methods for generating striatal neurons and demonstrated their functional integration following transplantation into mouse models of Huntington’s disease.
Her research has been published in leading journals, including Science, Nature, and Nature Neuroscience. She has coordinated major European research initiatives, including ERC-funded projects. In recognition of her scientific achievements and public engagement, she was appointed Senator for Life of the Italian Republic in 2013.