Eugenio Barone
Full professor of Biochemistry
eugenio.barone@uniroma1.it
Academic Appointments:
- 2024 present – Sapienza University of Rome – Appointed as member of the Sapienza University Committee for the SapieExcellence Commission (Commissione per il Programma SapiExcellence) – decreto 1725/2024, Prot. 0129800 del 12/07/2024)
- 2024 present – Sapienza University of Rome – Appointed as member of the Sapienza University Committee for the evaluation of the financing of mobility periods abroad for doctoral students of the XXXVII and XXXVIII cycles (Commissione incaricata di esaminare e selezionare le candidature al bando per il finanziamento di periodi di mobilità all’estero di studenti di dottorato del XXXVIII e XXXIX) – decreto 2898/2024, Prot. 0186531 del 06/11/2024)
- 2022 2024 – Sapienza University of Rome – Appointed as member of the Sapienza University Research Committee (Commissione Ricerca di Ateneo) – decreto 1308/2022, Prot. 0035643 del 12/04/2022; and decreto 1270/2023, Prot. 0046279 del 23/05/2023)
- 2023 2024 – Sapienza University of Rome – Appointed as Chair of the “Macroarea B” group for the Sapienza University Research Committee (Commissione Ricerca di Ateneo)
- 2019 present – Sapienza University of Rome – Member of the “Daniel Bovet” Neurobiology Research Center. One of the representative members nominated by the Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi-Fanelli”
- 2017 present – Faculty of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome – Faculty member for the Residency in Neurology
- 2017 present – Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi-Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome – Faculty member for the PhD School in Biochemistry
- 04/2015 12/2018 – Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Chile – Associate Researcher
Honors and Awards:
- 2023 – present – Appointed as Member of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) for the “Down Syndrome and Other Genetic Developmental Disorders Network”
- 2022-2024 – Appointed as Chair of the “Strategic Alliances & Outreach” Committee of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM)
- 2022-present – Appointed as Member of the Italian Down syndrome Task Force (DS Task Force)
- 2022-2026 – Member of the Executive Board of the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS)
- 2022-2026 – Elected as Chair of the Membership and Sponsorship Committee of the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS)
- 2020-2022 – Appointed as Chair of the “Awards-Junior” committee of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM)
- 2020-2024 – Elected as Executive Board member of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM)
- 2020-present – Appointed as member of the European Brain Research Area (EBRA) for the Trisomy 21 cluster
- 2016-2019 – Appointed as member of the External Marketing/PR Committee of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SFRBM)
- 2014-2017 – Member of the “Gruppo di lavoro Invecchiamento e Patologie Neurodegenerative” hosted by the Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIB)
- 2013-2017 – Member of the “Gruppo di lavoro Malattie Neurodegenerative” hosted by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF)
- 06/2018 – SFRRI 2018 Best Posters Award Society for Free Radical Research International Conference, Lisbon (PT)
- 2017 – Recipient of “Fondo di finanziamento per le attività base di ricerca” ai sensi dell’art. 9 della Legge n. 240/10 from Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR)
- 06/2017 – T21RS Travel Award Trisomy 21 Research Society Conference, Chicago (IL), USA
- 06/2017 – AAIC Travel Fellowship Award Alzheimer Association International Conference 2017, London, UK
- 11/2016 – SFRBM travel Award Society for Redox Biology and Medicine, San Francisco (CL), USA
- 11/ 2015 – SFRBM travel Award Society for Redox Biology and Medicine, Boston (MA), USA
- 10/2014 – Selected Plenary speaker “Giornata delle Eccellenze” meeting organized by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR)
- 06/2013 – EPHAR Fellowship Award Federation of the European Pharmacological Societies
- 10/2009 – Award for the best Poster presented by a young investigator. 34th National Congress of the Italian Society of Pharmacology
Scientific interests:
My work focuses on exploring the cellular mechanisms underlying cognitive decline during aging, intellectual disability associated with Down syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease. His groundbreaking studies have identified early alterations in brain insulin signaling, unveiling a novel biomarker (the protein BVR-A) whose alterations precede those of canonical markers. This discovery links insulin resistance to mitochondrial dysfunctions and cognitive decline and highlights a shared mechanism between brain and peripheral tissues, representing a significant risk factor for diabetes and AD. Prof. Barone also advanced the understanding of intranasal insulin therapy in AD. He was the first to clarifying the molecular mechanisms underlying its beneficial effects. Prof. Barone is the author of over 100 scientific publications in international journals (H-index = 43) and holds a patent.
Contribution to Science
Prof. Barone has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of how impaired insulin signaling and mitochondrial dysfunctions drive cognitive decline in aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Down syndrome (DS). He discovered that early alterations in the brain-specific enzyme biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) anticipate classical AD hallmarks, acting as a critical regulator of neurotrophic pathways and mitochondrial metabolism. His innovative use of neuronal-derived extracellular vesicles (nEVs) provided a non-invasive method to detect early brain alterations in living individuals, setting the stage for precision medicine. He was also the first to elucidate the molecular basis of intranasal insulin’s neuroprotective effects in AD models. These insights have opened new therapeutic avenues and led to a patent for novel strategies to prevent neurodegeneration in DS. His work bridges molecular biochemistry, neuropharmacology, and translational research with a strong international impact.
5 Selected publications
- Lanzillotta C, Tramutola A, Lanzillotta S, Greco V, Pagnotta S, Sanchini C, Di Angelantonio S, Forte E, Rinaldo S, Paone A, Cutruzzolà F, Cimini FA, Barchetta I, Cavallo MG, Urbani A, Butterfield DA, Di Domenico F, Paul BD, Perluigi M, Duarte JMN, Barone E*. Biliverdin Reductase-A integrates insulin signaling with mitochondrial metabolism through phosphorylation of GSK3β. Redox Biol (2024) 73:103221.
- Lanzillotta S, Esteve D, Lanzillotta C, Tramutola A, Lloret A, Forte E, Pesce V, Picca A, Di Domenico F, Perluigi M, Barone E*. Altered Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response and Protein Quality Control promote oxidative distress in Down Syndrome brain. Free Rad Biol Med (2022), 227:80-93
- Perluigi M, Picca A, Montanari E, Calvani R, Marini F, Matassa R, Tramutola A, Villani A, Familiari G, Di Domenico F, Butterfield DA, Oh KJ, Marzetti E, Valentini D, Barone E*. Aberrant Crosstalk between Insulin signaling and mTOR in young Down Syndrome Individuals Revealed by Neuronal-derived Extracellular Vesicles. Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2022) 18:1498-1510
- Lanzillotta C, Tramutola A, Di Giacomo G, Marini F, Butterfield DA, Di Domenico F, Perluigi M, Barone E*. Insulin resistance, oxidative stress and mitochondrial defects in Ts65dn mice brain: a harmful synergistic path in Down syndrome. Free Rad Biol Med (2021), 165:152-170.
- Tramutola A, Lanzillotta C, Di Domenico F, Head E, Butterfield DA, Perluigi M, Barone E*. Brain insulin resistance triggers early onset Alzheimer disease in Down Syndrome. Neurobiol Dis (2020) 137:104772
On-going Grants
| Project Title | Funding source | Amount (Euros) | Period | Role of the PI |
| SPRING BRAIN: Steer Plasticity to Remodel Initial Neurodevelopment by spatiotemporally activating Genetically encoded engineered proteins in the BRAIN | PRIN 2022 PNRR funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MUR), Project ID 20223S7JKZ | 242.000 | 2023-2025 | Co-PI |
| Translating Genetically Encoded Engineered Proteins Into Therapeutic Strategies For Brain Aging And Related Cognitive Decline | PRIN 2022 funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MUR), Project ID 20223S7JKZ | 235.000 | 2023-2025 | Co-PI |
| Caratterizzazione di un nuovo meccanismo alla base dello sviluppo della malattia di Alzheimer e sue implicazioni terapeutiche | Banca d’Italia, n. 1130944/22 del 22.07.2022 | 52.000 | 2022-2025 | PI |
| Unravelling a novel mechanism favoring brain insulin resistance development | Alzheimer’s Association, Project ID 2019-AARG-643091 | 200.000 | 2020-2025 | PI |
Complete list of published work in MyBibliography:
KEYWORDS:
Alzheimer’s disease, Diabetes, Insulin, Mitochondria, Oxidative stress.
