The work of L. Scorrano addresses the central question of form-function relationship at the molecular level. During his career, he has changed classical tenets in the fields of apoptosis, mitochondrial pathophysiology, and medicine. His work on cristae remodeling paved the way for the new field of mitochondrial dynamics. In the following years, his lab discovered that Opa1 works as a molecular staple holding cristae junctions tight, deficient in dominant optic atrophy, targeted during apoptosis and essential in vivo to control tissue damage and to correct mitochondrial diseases, as well as a key factor in angiogenesis that can be pharmacologically targeted to curtail tumor growth; identified the first molecular bridge between ER and mitochondria (propelling the new field of interorganellar contact sites); showed that mitochondria change shape to control autophagy, or to produce progesterone during pregnancy; demonstrated that cristae shape dictates assembly of proteins and efficiency of respiration; discovered a novel pathway of Notch1 signaling controlled by mitochondrial fusion and Ca2+ essential during heart development; discovered that mitochondrial fusion mounts a metabolic defense against Toxoplasma. His papers are widely cited (192 indexed items, approx. 57,000 citations, h-index of 88 on Google Scholar; of his original research papers as main author, 9 are cited >1,000 times, 15 >300 times), leading to his inclusion in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list in 2021 and 2022. For his research, he received several international awards and was elected EMBO Member in 2012 and member of the Academia Europaea in 2019.

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Mitochondrial dynamics in cell life, differentiation and death

Mitochondrial dynamics in cell life and death

Last update: 13/07/2025