Prof Alessia Cavazza, PhD – Principal Investigator
Prof Cavazza gained her PhD in Molecular and Regenerative Medicine from the University of Modena (Italy) and carried out her postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA) and at the University College London (UCL) in London (UK) from 2013 to 2017. In 2018 she gained tenure as a Lecturer in Gene Therapy and started her own research group at UCL, focused on the development of gene editing platforms to treat rare diseases. In 2023 she was promoted to Associate Professor in Gene Therapy at UCL, and in 2024 she was appointed Associate Professor in Molecular Biology at the University of Modena (Italy) where she established a second research team at the Centre for Genomic Medicine and Rare Diseases. Alongside her research activity, Alessia serves as scientific consultant for biotech companies in the field of gene therapy and chairs a European COST Action focused on gene editing to treat human Diseases (GenE-HumDI). She also teaches at the MSc in Cell and Gene Therapy at UCL.
In her spare time, Alessia loves running, reading and travelling around the world.
Contacts:
Phone: +39 0594222258 Email: alessia.cavazza@unimore.it
Dr Antonio Carusillo, PhD – Senior Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Antonio Carusillo earned his PhD from the University Hospital of Freiburg (Germany) in 2021, where he developed innovative gene-editing tools for therapeutic applications. He subsequently spent nearly three years working in two biotech companies in Switzerland and Italy, focusing on gene therapy and gene-editing technologies. Since 2025, he is a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Alessia Cavazza.
Dr. Carusillo’s expertise spans all major gene-editing platforms, including CRISPR, Base Editing, Prime Editing, and Epigenome Editing, applied to both rare diseases and cancer.
Outside the lab, Antonio enjoys playing multiple musical instruments and is actively involved in science communication.
Contacts:
Phone: +39 0594222258 Email: antonio.carusillo@unimore.it
Dr Giovanni Neri, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Giovanni Neri earned his Master’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) in 2017, completing his thesis in Paris in the lab of Prof. Yohann Corvis. He later obtained a Master’s in Cell and Gene Therapy from University College London (UCL). In 2020, he enrolled in a Ph.D. course in Clinical and Experimental Medicine at UNIMORE, working in the Cell Therapy lab headed by Prof. Massimo Dominici.
Since 2025, he is a postdoctoral researcher in Alessia Cavazza’s lab, focussing on gene-editing strategies for neurological diseases.
Beyond the lab, he is passionate about music, singing, and songwriting, and draws creative inspiration from visual arts and architecture.
Contacts:
Phone: +39 0594222258 Email: giovanni.neri1@unimore.it
Dr Elena Pelloni earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biotechnology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), completing research trainships in Prof. Valeria Marigo’s molecular biology lab and at the Institute of Ophthalmic Research in Tübingen in the retinal explants group of Prof. François Paquet-Durand. After graduating, she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in Prof. Austin Smith’s pluripotent stem cell laboratory at the University of Exeter (UK). In 2025, she enrolled in the PhD course in Molecular and Regenerative Medicine at UNIMORE and joined the lab of Prof. Alessia Cavazza.
Outside the lab, she enjoys sports and hiking.
Contacts:
Phone: +39 0594222258 Email: elena.pelloni@unimore.it