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Martina Gabrielli

Dr Martina Gabrielli

Research Fellow

School of Science & Technology

Staff Group(s)
Bioscience

Role

Dr Martina Gabrielli is a recipient of a BBSRC Fellowship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UKRI). As Project Lead, she is exploring the cellular and molecular basis of cognitive decline in healthy ageing, focusing on the role of astrocytes-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and transglutaminase-2.

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Career overview

After her BSc and MRes in Medical Biotechnologies and PhD in Pharmacological Sciences at the University of Milan (Italy), she worked for many years at the National Research Council of Italy in the Institute of Neuroscience (IN-CNR) in Milan where she investigated the roles of glial EVs in brain inflammation and neurodegeneration, recently enlightening their implication in Alzheimer's disease onset and progression.

She has been Visiting scientist at SISSA and IOM-CNR (Sincrotrone) in Trieste (Italy) and at IN-CNR in Pisa. She has been recipient of a 2-years Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (FISM) Fellowship and of a Fondazione Veronesi Travel Grant Fellowship to spend a period at The Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University in New York (USA). She has been in the research team of the Horizon 2020 funded project PREMSTEM, exploring the beneficial effects of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on brain pathologies related to premature birth.

She is currently carrying out her independent research hosted by Prof. Eli Verderio-Edwards EX-CELL lab within the SHiMR centre in the Department of Biosciences.

Research areas

Dr Gabrielli is a cellular neuroscientist and an electrophysiologist. Her main interest is the study of glia-to-neurons communication in the brain mediated by EVs, with relevance to the study of synaptic function and dysfunction. She has studied the roles of EVs released by microglia and astrocytes in physiology and different brain pathologies, especially Alzheimer's disease, but also Multiple Sclerosis, Frontotemporal Dementia, Frailty, Encephalopathy of the Preterm born infant. Lately, she also explored the involvement EVs in gut-to-brain communication in Epilepsy.

Dr Gabrielli is now investigating the possible roles of astrocytes-derived EVs and transglutaminase-2 in synaptic dysfunction and cognitive decline related to ageing.

External activity

  • Member of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV)
  • Member of the UK Society for Extracellular Vesicles (UKEV)
  • Member of the Biochemical Society
  • Member of the Alzheimer's Association International Society (ISTAART)
  • Member of the European Society for Neurochemistry (ESN)
  • Member of the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN)
  • Member of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SiF)
  • Member of the UK Healthy Ageing Innovation Consortium (UKHAIC)
  • Member of the ISEV Special Interest Group (SIG) on EVs in Nervous System (EViNS)
  • Member of BBSRC Gut-Immune-Brain-Axis (GIBA) Network+ UK
  • Reviewer for peer-reviewed journals (including for Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, eBioMedicine, Brain Communications) and the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (FISM)
  • Mentor for ISEV SNEV mentorship program

Publications

  1. D'Arrigo G, Cutugno G, Golia MT, Sironi F, Lombardi M, Colombo SF, Frigerio R, Cretich M, Gagni P, Battocchio E, Barone C, Azzoni E, Bellini S, Saraceno C, Ghidoni R, Bendotti C, Paolicelli RC, Gabrielli M*, Verderio C*. Microglial Extracellular Vesicles Mediate C1q Deposition at the Pre-Synapse and Promote Synaptic Pruning. J Extracell Vesicles. 2025 Dec;14(12):e70173. doi: 10.1002/jev2.70173. PMID: 41397032; PMCID: PMC12704692. *co-corresponding authors. bioRxiv 2025.02.28.640756; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.28.640756.
  2. Lombardo MT, Gabrielli M, Julien-Marsollier F, Faivre V, Le Charpentier T, Bokobza C, D'Aliberti D, Pelizzi N, Halimi C, Spinelli S, Van Steenwinckel J, Verderio EAM, Gressens P, Piazza R, Verderio C. Human Umbilical Cord-Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Microglia. Cells. 2024 Oct 9;13(19):1665. doi: 10.3390/cells13191665. PMID: 39404427; PMCID: PMC11475221.
  3. Gómez-Pascual A, Naccache T, Xu J, Hooshmand K, Wretlind A, Gabrielli M, Lombardo MT, Shi L, Buckley NJ, Tijms BM, Vos SJB, Ten Kate M, Engelborghs S, Sleegers K, Frisoni GB, Wallin A, Lleó A, Popp J, Martinez-Lage P, Streffer J, Barkhof F, Zetterberg H, Visser PJ, Lovestone S, Bertram L, Nevado-Holgado AJ, Gualerzi A, Picciolini S, Proitsi P, Verderio C, Botía JA, Legido-Quigley C. Paired plasma lipidomics and proteomics analysis in the conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. Comput Biol Med. 2024 Jun;176:108588. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108588. Epub 2024 May 13. PMID: 38761503.
  4. Lombardi M, Scaroni F, Gabrielli M, Raffaele S, Bonfanti E, Filipello F, Giussani P, Picciolini S, de Rosbo NK, Uccelli A, Golia MT, D'Arrigo G, Rubino T, Hooshmand K, Legido-Quigley C, Fenoglio C, Gualerzi A, Fumagalli M, Verderio C. Extracellular vesicles released by microglia and macrophages carry endocannabinoids which foster oligodendrocyte differentiation. Front Immunol. 2024 Feb 23;15:1331210. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331210. PMID: 38464529; PMCID: PMC10921360.
  5. Welsh JA at al. Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches. J Extracell Vesicles. 2024 Feb;13(2):e12404. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12404. Erratum in: J Extracell Vesicles. 2024 May;13(5):e12451. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12451. PMID: 38326288; PMCID: PMC10850029.
  6. Gabrielli M, Verderio C. Exosomal profiling should be used to monitor disease activity in MS patients: Commentary. Mult Scler. 2023 Sep;29(10):1208. doi: 10.1177/13524585231195858. Epub 2023 Sep 7. PMID: 37676046.
  7. Golia MT, Gabrielli M, Verderio C. P2X7 Receptor and Extracellular Vesicle Release. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jun 6;24(12):9805. doi: 10.3390/ijms24129805. PMID: 37372953; PMCID: PMC10298639.
  8. Falcicchia C, Tozzi F, Gabrielli M, Amoretti S, Masini G, Nardi G, Guglielmo S, Ratto GM, Arancio O, Verderio C, Origlia N. Microglial extracellular vesicles induce Alzheimer's disease-related cortico-hippocampal network dysfunction. Brain Commun. 2023 May 31;5(3):fcad170. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad170. PMID: 37288314; PMCID: PMC10243901.
  9. Gabrielli M, Tozzi F, Verderio C, Origlia N. Emerging Roles of Extracellular Vesicles in Alzheimer's Disease: Focus on Synaptic Dysfunction and Vesicle-Neuron Interaction. Cells. 2022 Dec 23;12(1):63. doi: 10.3390/cells12010063. PMID: 36611856; PMCID: PMC9818402.
  10. Gabrielli M, Raffaele S, Fumagalli M, Verderio C. The multiple faces of extracellular vesicles released by microglia: Where are we 10 years after? Front Cell Neurosci. 2022 Sep 13;16:984690. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2022.984690. PMID: 36176630; PMCID: PMC9514840.
  11. Tonoli E, Verduci I, Gabrielli M, Prada I, Forcaia G, Coveney C, Savoca MP, Boocock DJ, Sancini G, Mazzanti M, Verderio C, Verderio EAM. Extracellular transglutaminase-2, nude or associated with astrocytic extracellular vesicles, modulates neuronal calcium homeostasis. Prog Neurobiol. 2022 Sep;216:102313. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102313. Epub 2022 Jun 26. PMID: 35760142.
  12. Gabrielli M, Prada I, Joshi P, Falcicchia C, D'Arrigo G, Rutigliano G, Battocchio E, Zenatelli R, Tozzi F, Radeghieri A, Arancio O, Origlia N, Verderio C. Microglial large extracellular vesicles propagate early synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Brain. 2022 Aug 27;145(8):2849-2868. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac083. PMID: 35254410; PMCID: PMC9420022.
  13. Scaroni F, Visconte C, Serpente M, Golia MT, Gabrielli M, Huiskamp M, Hulst HE, Carandini T, De Riz M, Pietroboni A, Rotondo E, Scarpini E, Galimberti D, Teunissen CE, van Dam M, de Jong BA, Fenoglio C, Verderio C. miR-150-5p and let-7b-5p in Blood Myeloid Extracellular Vesicles Track Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Cells. 2022 May 5;11(9):1551. doi: 10.3390/cells11091551. PMID: 35563859; PMCID: PMC9104242.
  14. D'Arrigo G, Gabrielli M, Scaroni F, Swuec P, Amin L, Pegoraro A, Adinolfi E, Di Virgilio F, Cojoc D, Legname G, Verderio C. Astrocytes-derived extracellular vesicles in motion at the neuron surface: Involvement of the prion protein. J Extracell Vesicles. 2021 Jul;10(9):e12114. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12114. Epub 2021 Jul 12. PMID: 34276899; PMCID: PMC8275823.
  15. Iacobucci S, Padilla N, Gabrielli M, Navarro C, Lombardi M, Vicioso-Mantis M, Verderio C, de la Cruz X, Martínez-Balbás MA. The histone demethylase PHF8 regulates astrocyte differentiation and function. Development. 2021 Jun 15;148(12):dev194951. doi: 10.1242/dev.194951. Epub 2021 Jun 28. PMID: 34081130.
  16. Lombardi M, Gabrielli M, Adinolfi E, Verderio C. Role of ATP in Extracellular Vesicle Biogenesis and Dynamics. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Mar 15;12:654023. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.654023. PMID: 33790800; PMCID: PMC8006391.
  17. Lombardi M, Parolisi R, Scaroni F, Bonfanti E, Gualerzi A, Gabrielli M, Kerlero de Rosbo N, Uccelli A, Giussani P, Viani P, Garlanda C, Abbracchio MP, Chaabane L, Buffo A, Fumagalli M, Verderio C. Detrimental and protective action of microglial extracellular vesicles on myelin lesions: astrocyte involvement in remyelination failure. Acta Neuropathol. 2019 Dec;138(6):987-1012. doi: 10.1007/s00401-019-02049-1. Epub 2019 Jul 30. PMID: 31363836; PMCID: PMC6851224.
  18. Verderio C, Gabrielli M, Giussani P. Role of sphingolipids in the biogenesis and biological activity of extracellular vesicles. J Lipid Res. 2018 Aug;59(8):1325-1340. doi: 10.1194/jlr.R083915. Epub 2018 May 31. PMID: 29853528; PMCID: PMC6071771.
  19. 18: Prada I, Gabrielli M, Turola E, Iorio A, D'Arrigo G, Parolisi R, De Luca M, Pacifici M, Bastoni M, Lombardi M, Legname G, Cojoc D, Buffo A, Furlan R, Peruzzi F, Verderio C. Glia-to-neuron transfer of miRNAs via extracellular vesicles: a new mechanism underlying inflammation-induced synaptic alterations. Acta Neuropathol. 2018 Apr;135(4):529-550. doi: 10.1007/s00401-017-1803-x. Epub 2018 Jan 4. PMID: 29302779; PMCID: PMC5978931.
  20. Drago F, Lombardi M, Prada I, Gabrielli M, Joshi P, Cojoc D, Franck J, Fournier I, Vizioli J, Verderio C. ATP Modifies the Proteome of Extracellular Vesicles Released by Microglia and Influences Their Action on Astrocytes. Front Pharmacol. 2017 Dec 13;8:910. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00910. PMID: 29321741; PMCID: PMC5733563.
  21. Joshi P, Gabrielli M, Ponzoni L, Pelucchi S, Stravalaci M, Beeg M, Mazzitelli S, Braida D, Sala M, Boda E, Buffo A, Gobbi M, Gardoni F, Matteoli M, Marcello E, Verderio C. Fingolimod Limits Acute Aβ Neurotoxicity and Promotes Synaptic Versus Extrasynaptic NMDA Receptor Functionality in Hippocampal Neurons. Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 30;7:41734. doi: 10.1038/srep41734. PMID: 28134307; PMCID: PMC5278353.
  22. Riganti L, Antonucci F, Gabrielli M, Prada I, Giussani P, Viani P, Valtorta F, Menna E, Matteoli M, Verderio C. Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) Impacts Presynaptic Functions by Regulating Synapsin I Localization in the Presynaptic Compartment. J Neurosci. 2016 Apr 20;36(16):4624-34. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3588-15.2016. PMID: 27098703; PMCID: PMC6601834.
  23. Gabrielli M and Verderio C, Microglial microvesicles alter excitation-inhibition balance in the brain. Eur J of Neurodeg Dis. 2015 4;1-2:17-22.
  24. Gabrielli M, Battista N, Riganti L, Prada I, Antonucci F, Cantone L, Lombardi M, Matteoli M, Maccarrone M, Verderio C. Active endocannabinoids are secreted on the surface of microglial microvesicles. SpringerPlus. 2015 Jun 12;4(Suppl 1):L29. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-4-S1-L29. PMID: 27386192; PMCID: PMC4797144.
  25. Gabrielli M, Battista N, Riganti L, Prada I, Antonucci F, Cantone L, Matteoli M, Maccarrone M, Verderio C. Active endocannabinoids are secreted on extracellular membrane vesicles. EMBO Rep. 2015 Feb;16(2):213-20. doi: 10.15252/embr.201439668. Epub 2015 Jan 7. PMID: 25568329; PMCID: PMC4328748.
  26. Cirnaru MD, Marte A, Belluzzi E, Russo I, Gabrielli M, Longo F, Arcuri L, Murru L, Bubacco L, Matteoli M, Fedele E, Sala C, Passafaro M, Morari M, Greggio E, Onofri F, Piccoli G. LRRK2 kinase activity regulates synaptic vesicle trafficking and neurotransmitter release through modulation of LRRK2 macro-molecular complex. Front Mol Neurosci. 2014 May 27;7:49. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2014.00049. PMID: 24904275; PMCID: PMC4034499.
  27. Antonucci F, Turola E, Riganti L, Caleo M, Gabrielli M, Perrotta C, Novellino L, Clementi E, Giussani P, Viani P, Matteoli M, Verderio C. Microvesicles released from microglia stimulate synaptic activity via enhanced sphingolipid metabolism. EMBO J. 2012 Mar 7;31(5):1231-40. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2011.489. Epub 2012 Jan 13. PMID: 22246184; PMCID: PMC3297996.