Mechanisms of neurotoxicity

Professor Giovanna Mallucci MD PhD

Programme Leader

MRC Toxicology Unit
Hodgkin Building
PO Box 138
University of Leicester
Lancaster Road, Leicester
LE1 9HN, UK

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 5550 (/5597 lab)
Email: Send Email

Qualifications and Personal History

Professor, Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Leicester 2008 - present
Programme Leader, MRC Toxicology Unit 2008 - present
SciAm 50 Award: ‘Progress against Prions’; for leadership in research, 2007
Consultant Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery 2005 - 2012
Group Leader, MRC Prion Unit 2001-2008
PhD (London) Neurogenetics, 2000
Training in Internal Medicine and Neurology, 1989-95
MBBS (MD) (London), 1988
BA (Oxon) Physiological Sciences, 1985

Selected Publications

Sustained translational repression by eIF2α-P mediates prion neurodegeneration. Julie A. Moreno, Helois Radford, Diego Peretti, Joern R. Steinert, Nicholas Verity, Maria Guerra Martin, Mark Halliday, Jason Morgan, David Dinsdale, Catherine A. Otori, David A. Barrett, Pavel Tsaytler, Anne Bertolotti, Anne E. Willis, Martin Bushell & Giovanna R. Mallucci. Nature 2012 May 6;485(7399):507-11.
Sustained translational repression by eIF2α-P mediates prion neurodegeneration

Single localized treatment with RNAi against prion protein rescues early neuronal dysfunction and prolongs survival in mice with prion disease. White M, Farmer M, Mirabile I, Brandner S, Collinge J and Mallucci G. PNAS 2008, 32 10238-43.
RNAi against PrP prolongs survival and is neuroprotective in prion disease

Preview in same issue: ‘Reversal of misfolding: prion disease behavioral and physiological impairments recover following postnatal neuronal deletion of the PrP gene’ Federoff H.J. and Mhyre T.R. Neuron 2007 53, 315-7.
Preview: reversal of neuronal dysfunction

Targeting cellular prion protein reverses early cognitive deficits and neurophysiological dysfunction in prion-infected mice. Mallucci GR, Dickinson A, White M, Husna Khatun, Andrew D. Powell, Sebastian Brandner, John G. R. Jefferys and Collinge J. Neuron 2007 53, 323-335.
Reversal of early neuronal dysfunction in prion disease

Depleting neuronal PrP during prion infection prevents disease and reverses spongiosis. Mallucci G, Dickinson A, Linehan J, Brandner S, Kloehn P and Collinge J. Science 2003 302, 871-4.
Targeting PrP in prion infection prevents disease

Post-natal PrP knockout alters hippocampal CA1 properties but does not result in neurodegeneration Mallucci GR, Asante E, Ratte S, Linehan J, Gowland I, Jefferys J and Collinge J. EMBO J 2002 21, 202-10.
Adult onset knockout model of PrP

Reviews

The Role of GPI-anchored PrPC in Mediating the Neurotoxic Effect of Scrapie Prions in Neurons. Helois E. Radford and Giovanna R. Mallucci
The Role of GPI-anchored PrP(C) in Mediating the Neurotoxic Effect of Scrapie Prions in Neurons.

White MD, Mallucci GR. RNAi for the Treatment of Prion Disease: A Window for Intervention in Neurodegeneration? CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2009 Nov 1. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 19702576.

White MD, Mallucci GR. Therapy for prion diseases: Insights from the use of RNA interference. Prion. 2009 Jul 16;3(3). [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 19597349. http://www.nature.com/emboj/journal/v21/n3/pdf/7594241a.pdf
Therapy for prion diseases: Insights from the use of RNA interference

Rational targeting for prion therapeutics. Mallucci G and Collinge J. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2005 6, 23-34.
Rational targeting for prion therapeutics

Selected Press Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17952797

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6314877.stm

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070129/full/news070129-8.html 
 
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/bse/dn11062-protein-blocking-reverses-mad-cow-disease-in-mice.html

http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031027/full/news031027-10.html

Vacancies

n/a