NeuroWebinar & Seminar
1 appointment per week, on Friday at 2.00 pm
**Hybrid seminar: both in presence (max 25 people in Seminar room) and on webex
Hybrid seminar
Friday 24/4/2026 h. 2.30 pm
Francesca Maltecca
IRCCS San Raffaele, Milan – Italy
Developing novel therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases caused by AFG3L2 mutations
Francesca Maltecca is Head of the Mitochondrial Dysfunctions in Neurodegeneration Unit at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy. She obtained her Master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Milan in 2003 and her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in 2008.
She has a background in human genetics, with specialized training in inherited cerebellar ataxias. The main research focus of her group is neurodegeneration associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, with particular emphasis on spastic ataxias.
She has published several seminal papers elucidating the function of the mitochondrial protease AFG3L2 and investigating the pathogenesis of SCA28 and SPAX5 caused by AFG3L2 mutations.For three years, she coordinated the working group dedicated to preclinical trials in mouse models of ataxia within the Ataxia Global Initiative. She is also part of an international research consortium focused on drug development for recessive ataxias (Treat-ARCA), funded by the EJP-RD.
She actively collaborates with the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), ARSACS Foundationand Euro-Ataxia, as well as with neurologists worldwide. She is the principal investigator of several funded grants on inherited forms of ataxia and has received twice the Young Investigator Award for SCA research from NAF.