Elisa Tonelli

Before starting my PhD, I graduated in Medical Biotechnology at UPO under the supervision of Dr. Dmitry Lim.

Currently, I am a PhD student in Experimental Neurosciences at University of Milano-Bicocca, under the supervision of Dr. Cristina Meregalli from the Experimental Neurology Unit (ENU). I am working on a joint project with Dr. Dmitry Lim (UPO) and Dr. Silvia Giatti (UNIMI) funded by NextGenEU-PNRR, with the aim to characterize the role of mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites (MERCS) in the context of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a frequent adverse effect of chemotherapy administration. Moreover, we are investigating the neuroprotective effects of neuroactive steroids (NAS) against CIPN - both in vitro and in vivo - and whether their beneficial activity may somehow be linked to the maintenance of proper MERCS physiology.