LC is an Associate Professor of Physiology at the Department of Biology, University of Padova. She leads a research team of three post-doctoral fellows and two PhD students, working closely with the IRCCS San Camillo Hospital in Venice. LC’s research focuses on uncovering novel molecular pathways in brain physiology, with a particular emphasis on glial cells. Since 2010, her work has contributed to the identification of key processes involved in genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) (Civiero et al., 2012; Civiero et al., 2015; Civiero et al., 2017; Giusto et al., 2021; Giusto et al., 2024). Her recent studies emphasize the role of glial cells in neurodegeneration (reviewed in Tremblay et al., 2019; Iovino et al., 2020; Giusti et al., 2024), particularly in exploring how disease-related proteins influence glial-mediated functions (Streubel-Gallasch et al., 2021; Iovino et al., 2022; Iovino et al., 2024). As an independent principal investigator, her research has been supported by both intramural and external grants, totaling over €1.4 million. LC has published 42 peer-reviewed articles, garnering 1,708 citations and an h-index of 23 (Scopus). In addition to her academic work, LC is committed to promoting science to the public through various outreach and dissemination activities.

Curriculum PDF File

The brain is a network of neuronal connections surrounded by a scaffold of glial cells with a multitude of crucial functions. A specific type of glial cells, astrocytes, are emerging as modulating factors in diverse brain diseases. Civiero studies how astrocytes contribute to the removal of unwanted and neurotoxic molecules in an effort to maintain brain homeostasis. Her discoveries will help manipulating this function for therapeutic purposes. She is employing a plethora of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo approaches to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind astrocyte dysfunction and to screen drugs in a high throughput fashion.

Project 1: Identification of glia biomarkers in brain diseases; Project 2: Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of glia-mediated phagocytic clearance; Project 3: Targeting glia reactivity in a model of neurodegeneration

Last update: 01/07/2025