Synaptic Plasticity (Dr.ssa Cellot)

Research Strand:

Giada Cellot

Tenure track researcher (RTT) – BIO/09

Office: Fondazione Callerio, Via Alexander Fleming, 22, first floor, room 203

Phone: +39 040 558 8765

Dr. Giada Cellot has been a researcher at the Department of Life Sciences (DSV) since October 2025. She obtained her degree in Medical Biotechnology in 2006 and her PhD in Neuroscience in 2010 from the University of Trieste. She subsequently carried out postdoctoral research in synaptic and circuit electrophysiology at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), in the laboratory of Prof. Enrico Cherubini.

After moving to the United Kingdom, she was awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowship in 2016, during which she carried out research at the University of Leicester (UK), investigating the impact of graphene-based nanomaterials on the nervous system of zebrafish.

In 2018, she returned to Italy as a researcher in the group of Prof. Laura Ballerini (SISSA), contributing to the European Graphene Flagship project, with a focus on neuromedical applications and the neurotoxicity of graphene-based materials. More recently, she has been involved in the PNRR NextGenerationEU project Age-It (“Ageing well in an ageing society”), coordinating SISSA activities related to the zebrafish model.

Info

Research

My research focuses on the study of synaptic physiology and plasticity in the central nervous system, with the aim of understanding the mechanisms that regulate synaptic function, integrity, and modulation, as well as their relationship with behaviour. These processes are investigated both under physiological conditions—to explore how environmental factors across the lifespan influence synaptic plasticity and behavioral flexibility—and in pathological contexts, such as anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neuroinflammation.

A second line of research is centred on the use of innovative nanotechnology-derived materials (nanomaterials) to modulate synaptic activity. At the interface between neuroscience and nanoscience, the goal is to restore altered synaptic function and develop novel therapeutic tools based on advanced technologies for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Within this framework, zebrafish models are also employed to assess the potential neurotoxic effects of nanomaterials.

These studies are conducted using an integrated approach to investigate nervous system function at synaptic, cellular, and circuit levels, combining electrophysiological techniques with behavioral analyses and structural investigations of synapses. In line with the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement), we promote the use of the emerging model zebrafish.

People

Collaborations

Prof. Laura Ballerini, Prof. Davide Zoccolan, Prof. Giuseppe Legname, Prof. Remo Sanges (SISSA, Italy)

Prof. Kostas Kostarelos (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Spain; National Graphene Institute, Manchester, UK)

Prof. Alberto Bianco (CNRS, Strasbourg, France)

Dr. Alejandro Criado (CICA – Universidade da Coruña, Spain)

Dr. Marc Morant-Giner (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic)

Publications

Full list of publications:

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=25924782800

Selected publications

Özkan M, Cellot G, Pawar S, Sardana D, Barravecchia I, Ballerini L, Angeloni D, Micera S, Stellacci F. Unraveling the Potential of Small Molecule Heparin Glycomimetics in Neuroregenerative Therapeutics. J Am Chem Soc. 2025 147(50):46023-46038. doi: 10.1021/jacs.5c13142.
Cellot G, Di Mauro G, Ricci C, Tiribelli C, Bellarosa C, Ballerini L. Bilirubin Triggers Calcium Elevations and Dysregulates Giant Depolarizing Potentials During Rat Hippocampus Maturation. Cells. 2025 14(3):172. doi: 10.3390/cells14030172.
Di Mauro G, González VJ, Bambini F, Camarda S, Prado E, Holgado JP, Vázquez E, Ballerini L, Cellot G. MoS2 2D materials induce spinal cord neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity affecting locomotor performance in zebrafish. Nanoscale Horiz. 2024 9(5):785-798. doi: 10.1039/d4nh00041b.
Lin H, Buerki-Thurnherr T, Kaur J, Wick P, Pelin M, Tubaro A, Carniel FC, Tretiach M, Flahaut E, Iglesias D, Vázquez E, Cellot G, …, Bianco A. Environmental and Health Impacts of Graphene and Other Two-Dimensional Materials: A Graphene Flagship Perspective. ACS Nano. 2024 18(8):6038-6094. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c09699.
Cellot G, Jacquemin L, Reina G, Franceschi Biagioni A, Fontanini M, Chaloin O, Nishina Y, Bianco A, Ballerini L. Bonding of Neuropeptide Y on Graphene Oxide for Drug Delivery Applications to the Central Nervous System. ACS Appl Nano Mater. 2022 5(12):17640-17651. doi: 10.1021/acsanm.2c03409.
Di Mauro G, Rauti R, Casani R, Chimowa G, Galibert AM, Flahaut E, Cellot G, Ballerini L. Tuning the Reduction of Graphene Oxide Nanoflakes Differently Affects Neuronal Networks in the Zebrafish. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 11(9):2161. doi: 10.3390/nano11092161.
Cellot G, Franceschi Biagioni A, Ballerini L. Nanomedicine and graphene-based materials: advanced technologies for potential treatments of diseases in the developing nervous system. Pediatr Res. 2022 92(1):71-79. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01681-6.
Franceschi Biagioni A, Cellot G, Pati E, Lozano N, Ballesteros B, Casani R, Coimbra NC, Kostarelos K, Ballerini L. Graphene oxide prevents lateral amygdala dysfunctional synaptic plasticity and reverts long lasting anxiety behavior in rats. Biomaterials. 2021 271:120749. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120749. Epub 2021 Mar 4.
Cellot G, Vranic S, Shin Y, Worsley R, Rodrigues AF, Bussy C, Casiraghi C, Kostarelos K, McDearmid JR. Graphene oxide nanosheets modulate spinal glutamatergic transmission and modify locomotor behaviour in an in vivo zebrafish model. Nanoscale Horiz. 2020 5(8):1250-1263. doi: 10.1039/c9nh00777f.
Cellot G, Maggi L, Di Castro MA, Catalano M, Migliore R, Migliore M, Scattoni ML, Calamandrei G, Cherubini E. Premature changes in neuronal excitability account for hippocampal network impairment and autistic-like behavior in neonatal BTBR T+tf/J mice. Sci Rep. 2016 6:31696. doi: 10.1038/srep31696.

Last update: 08-06-2026 - 23:30

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