Chao Lab's Gabriella Ferretti Awarded Rita Levi Montalcini Scholarship

Congratulations to Dr. Gabriella Ferretti, postdoctoral associate in the Hsiao-Tuan Chao lab at the Duncan NRI and Cain Laboratories for Epilepsy Research, who has been awarded a prestigious Rita Levi Montalcini Scholarship!

Dr. Ferretti's work focuses on investigating the pathogenic mechanisms underlying a newly recognized neurodevelopmental disorder associated with autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy, identified by the Hsiao-Tuan Chao laboratory in 2024. 

According to Dr. Ferretti, "This disorder, known as NEDPACH syndrome, involves the Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase, Receptor-Type, F Polypeptide Interacting Protein Alpha 3 (PPFIA3) gene. The goal of my work is to define the molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder using both in vivo mouse models and in vitro human induced pluripotent stem cell models, and to explore the potential for genetic reversibility of disease-associated phenotypes."