Title
Assistant Professor
Ph.D.
University of Connecticut
Post Doctoral Training
University of Cambridge
Major Interests
The choroid plexus (ChP) is a specialized tissue that produces the cerebrospinal fluid and forms the blood-CSF barrier, acting as a dynamic interface between the brain and periphery. It is now recognized that the ChP acts as a vital regulatory hub whose dysfunction is central to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and aging. Alterations in ChP volume and function have been implicated in brain atrophy, disease progression, and cognitive decline, however our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the ChP in regulating these processes is incomplete. The lab aims to discover how the ChP becomes dysfunctional and how ChP dysfunction promotes neurodegeneration towards the discovery of mechanisms and therapies. Using primary cells, ex vivo cultures, in vivo preclinical models, and human cells and organoids the lab will explore:
- The role of the ChP in regulating protein and metabolic factors in neuroinflammation and demyelination
- Signal induced epigenetic plasticity of ChP epithelial cells in neuroinflammation
- The function of the ChP in maintaining the reciprocal relationship between the periphery and central nervous system
Office: Biomedical Research Building II, Room 562-2
Slot 846
Publications
1) Park B*, Nicaise AM**,Tsitsipatis D*, Pirvan L, Zucha D, Munteanu A, Prasad P, De Novales MLL, Bulgaru C, Kollyfas R, Whitten J, Willis CM, Culig L, Llewllyn J, Ionescu RB, Mekdad M, Simões-Abade MBC, Krzak G, Fan J, De S, Ellis MO, Suarez Cubero M, Spathopoulou A, Peruzzotti-Jametti L, Leonardi T, Balmus G, Edenhofer F, Gorospe M, Valihrach L, Mohorianu I**, Pluchino S**, Beerman I**. “Integrated omics reveals disease-associated radial glia-like cells with epigenetically dysregulated interferon response in multiple sclerosis.” Neuron. 2025. Oct 10. PMID: 41075785.
2) Ionescu RB*, Nicaise AM*, Reisz JA, Williams EC, Prasad P, Willis CM, Simões-Abade MBC, Sbarro L, Dzieciatkowska M, Stephenson D, Suarez Cubero M, Rizzi S, Privan L, Peruzzotti-Jametti L, Fossati V, Edenhofer F, Leonardi T, Frezza C, Mohorianu I, D’Alessandro A, Pluchino S. “Increased Cholesterol Synthesis Drives Neurotoxicity in Patient Stem Cell-Derived Model of Multiple Sclerosis.” Cell Stem Cell. 2024 November 7. PMID: 39437792.
3) Nicaise AM, Wagstaff LJ, Willis CM, Paisie C, Chandok H, Robson P, Fossatti V, Williams AC, Crocker SJ. “Cellular Senescence in Progenitor Cells Contributes to Diminished Remyelination Potential in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.” PNAS. 2019, Apr 30; 116(18): 9030-9039. PMID: 3910981.