Marianna Spatola is a neurologist. She trained as a medical doctor in Italy (University of Turin), completed her residency in Neurology and her PhD in Switzerland (University of Lausanne), and carried out her postdoctoral training in Boston (Harvard University).
The research of the Neuro-Immune Crosstalk in Brain Infections and Autoimmunity (ImmuBRAIN) group focuses on deciphering the neuroimmunological mechanisms underlying infectious and autoimmune encephalitis, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between antibodies and innate immunity, as well as on the role of viruses and other pathogens in triggering brain autoimmunity.
Spatola’s research has received competitive funding from European and national agencies, including the ERC Starting Grant, ERANET Neuron, the Miguel Servet program, and FIS projects from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, as well as the Junior Leader program of the ”la Caixa” Foundation. The excellence and impact of her work have been recognized with several national and international awards, including the Neurovirology Award (2021), the Faculty Award (2018), the Top Science distinction from the American Academy of Neurology (2023), and her appointment as a Fellow of the American Academy.
All the information can be found on the group’s website.
