Alessio Vagnoni
alessio.vagnoni@kcl.ac.uk
alessio_vagnoni
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Research Interests
My research group focuses on the cell biology of the neuron during aging and neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on the intricate relationship between intracellular trafficking and neuronal function. The lab is particularly fascinated by the transport and functionality of the mitochondria and vesicular cargoes, for example, the amyloid precursor protein (APP), in the axons of neurons. Our aim is to understand how regulatory nodes of this process can affect neuronal homeostasis during aging and neurodegeneration. More recently, we have developed a strong interest in studying how neuronal cargo trafficking affects the biophysical properties of the neuronal cytoplasm and the consequences for neuronal aging and neurodegeneration.
Most significant discovery
(i) Discovered that mitochondrial transport declines during ageing in the intact nervous system of a live animal by developing a new in vivo system in Drosophila to study the cell biology of neuronal ageing. (ii) Successfully reversed age-dependent transport decline to extend neuronal health in ageing Drosophila. (iii) Demonstrated that animal locomotor behaviour can be manipulated in real-time through optogenetic inactivation of specific proteins in the fly nervous system.
Educational Interests
• Supervision of UG/PGT research dissertations
• Lecturer – MSc Neuroscience, MSc in Clinical
Neuroscience, BSc Neuroscience and Bioscience
Top 4 Publications
- Sleigh et al. 2024. Age-specific and compartment-dependent changes in mitochondrial homeostasis and cytoplasmic viscosity in mouse peripheral neurons. Aging Cell.
- Mattedi et al. 2023. Optogenetic cleavage of the Miro GTPase reveals the direct consequences of real-time loss of function in Drosophila. PloS Biology.
- Mattedi et al., 2019. Temporal control of axonal transport: the extreme case of organismal ageing. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
- Vagnoni et al., 2018. A cAMP/PKA/Kinesin-1 Axis Promotes the Axonal Transport of Mitochondria in Ageing Drosophila neurons. Current Biology.
- Vagnoni et al., 2016. A simple method for imaging axonal transport in ageing neurons using the adult Drosophila wing. Nature Protocols.
Methods / Expertise
• Live cell imaging/ advanced microscopy
• Drosophila
• Optogenetics
• Primary rodent neurons
• Human iNeurons