Dr Giovanni Pietrogrande

Research Fellow

Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

Overview

Dr Giovanni Pietrogrande obtained his PhD from the University of Newcastle. Here he explored how different brain processes are affected by the activation of microglia, the immune cells resident within our brain. In particular his work shows that microglia mediated inflammation has a pivotal role in neuronal loss following brain ischemic injury, and in his work he developed and proposed a new, efficient and translatable treatment for the prevention of neuronal death called Low Oxygen Post Conditioning.

In late 2019 he joined the Stem Cell Engineering lab at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Queensland. Now he uses and improves cutting-edge techniques for CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing to modify the genome of induced pluripotent stem cells and generate brain and spinal cord organoids to model neurological diseases and evaluate potential treatments.

Dr. Pietrogrande has also established collaborations with biotechs and startups, employing genetic engineering to modify cells for product development and organoid-based compound screening. Additionally, he provides consultancy services for Stemcore and Phenomics Australia, both UQ-based facilities, driving advancements in stem cell research.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Newcastle

Publications

  • Aguado, Julio, Amarilla, Alberto A., Taherian Fard, Atefeh, Albornoz, Eduardo A., Tyshkovskiy, Alexander, Schwabenland, Marius, Chaggar, Harman K., Modhiran, Naphak, Gómez-Inclán, Cecilia, Javed, Ibrahim, Baradar, Alireza A., Liang, Benjamin, Peng, Lianli, Dharmaratne, Malindrie, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Padmanabhan, Pranesh, Freney, Morgan E., Parry, Rhys, Sng, Julian D. J., Isaacs, Ariel, Khromykh, Alexander A., Valenzuela Nieto, Guillermo, Rojas-Fernandez, Alejandro, Davis, Thomas P., Prinz, Marco, Bengsch, Bertram, Gladyshev, Vadim N., Woodruff, Trent M., Mar, Jessica C. ... Wolvetang, Ernst J. (2023). Senolytic therapy alleviates physiological human brain aging and COVID-19 neuropathology. Nature Aging, 3 (12), 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s43587-023-00519-6

  • Tabassum, Tahmina, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Healy, Michael and Wolvetang, Ernst J. (2023). CRISPR-Cas9 direct fusions for improved genome editing via enhanced homologous recombination. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (19) 14701, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914701

  • Morrison, Sean, Shaker, Mohammed, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Wolvetang, Ernst and Noakes, Peter (2023). Chemogenetic modulation of human in vitro motoneuron development accelerates maturation trajectory and electrophysical properties. ISN‐ESN 2023 Meeting, Porto, Portugal, 8‐11 August 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

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Supervision

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Publications

Journal Article

  • Aguado, Julio, Amarilla, Alberto A., Taherian Fard, Atefeh, Albornoz, Eduardo A., Tyshkovskiy, Alexander, Schwabenland, Marius, Chaggar, Harman K., Modhiran, Naphak, Gómez-Inclán, Cecilia, Javed, Ibrahim, Baradar, Alireza A., Liang, Benjamin, Peng, Lianli, Dharmaratne, Malindrie, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Padmanabhan, Pranesh, Freney, Morgan E., Parry, Rhys, Sng, Julian D. J., Isaacs, Ariel, Khromykh, Alexander A., Valenzuela Nieto, Guillermo, Rojas-Fernandez, Alejandro, Davis, Thomas P., Prinz, Marco, Bengsch, Bertram, Gladyshev, Vadim N., Woodruff, Trent M., Mar, Jessica C. ... Wolvetang, Ernst J. (2023). Senolytic therapy alleviates physiological human brain aging and COVID-19 neuropathology. Nature Aging, 3 (12), 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s43587-023-00519-6

  • Tabassum, Tahmina, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Healy, Michael and Wolvetang, Ernst J. (2023). CRISPR-Cas9 direct fusions for improved genome editing via enhanced homologous recombination. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (19) 14701, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914701

  • Taherian Fard, Atefeh, Leeson, Hannah C., Aguado, Julio, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Power, Dominique, Gómez-Inclán, Cecilia, Zheng, Huiwen, Nelson, Christopher B., Soheilmoghaddam, Farhad, Glass, Nick, Dharmaratne, Malindrie, Watson, Ebony R., Lu, Jennifer, Martin, Sally, Pickett, Hilda A., Cooper-White, Justin, Wolvetang, Ernst J. and Mar, Jessica C. (2023). Deconstructing heterogeneity of replicative senescence in human mesenchymal stem cells at single cell resolution. GeroScience, 46 (1), 1-17. doi: 10.1007/s11357-023-00829-y

  • Shaker, Mohammed R., Kahtan, Amna, Prasad, Renuka, Lee, Ju-Hyun, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Leeson, Hannah C., Sun, Woong, Wolvetang, Ernst J. and Slonchak, Andrii (2022). Neural epidermal growth factor-like like protein 2 is expressed in human oligodendroglial cell types. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10 803061, 803061. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.803061

  • Zalewska, Katarzyna, Hood, Rebecca J., Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Sanchez-Bezanilla, Sonia, Ong, Lin Kooi, Johnson, Sarah J., Young, Kaylene M., Nilsson, Michael and Walker, Frederick R. (2021). Corticosterone administration alters white matter tract structure and reduces gliosis in the sub-acute phase of experimental stroke. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22 (13) 6693, 6693. doi: 10.3390/ijms22136693

  • Zhao, Zidan, Hood, Rebecca J., Ong, Lin Kooi, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Sanchez Bezanilla, Sonia, Warren, Kirby E., Ilicic, Marina, Kluge, Murielle G., TeBay, Clifford, Ottersen, Ole P., Johnson, Sarah J., Nilsson, Michael and Walker, Frederick R. (2021). Exploring how low oxygen post conditioning improves stroke-induced cognitive impairment: a consideration of amyloid-beta loading and other mechanisms. Frontiers in Neurology, 12 585189, 1-14. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.585189

  • Shaker, Mohammed R., Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Martin, Sally, Lee, Ju-Hyun, Woong, Sun and Wolvetang, Ernst J. (2021). Rapid and efficient generation of myelinating human oligodendrocytes in organoids. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 15 631548, 1-11. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.631548

  • Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Zalewska, Katarzyna, Zhao, Zidan, Johnson, Sarah J., Nilsson, Michael and Walker, Frederick R. (2018). Low oxygen post conditioning as an efficient non-pharmacological strategy to promote motor function after stroke. Translational Stroke Research, 10 (4), 402-412. doi: 10.1007/s12975-018-0656-5

  • Mazzieri, Roberta, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Gerasi, Laura, Gandelli, Alessandro, Colombo, Piergiuseppe, Moi, Davide, Brombin, Chiara, Ambrosi, Alessandro, Danese, Silvio, Mignatti, Paolo, Blasi, Francesco and D'Alessio, Silvia (2015). Urokinase receptor promotes skin tumor formation by preventing epithelial cell activation of Notch1. Cancer Research, 75 (22), 4895-4909. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-0378

  • D'Alessio, Silvia, Correale, Carmen, Tacconi, Carlotta, Gandelli, Alessandro, Pietrogrande, Giovanni, Vetrano, Stefania, Genua, Marco, Arena, Vincenzo, Spinelli, Antonino, Peyrin-Biroulet, Laurent, Fiocchi, Claudio and Danese, Silvio (2014). VEGF-C-dependent stimulation of lymphatic function ameliorates experimental inflammatory bowel disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 124 (9), 3863-3878. doi: 10.1172/JCI72189

Conference Publication

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision