Lab Members

HANNA SCHMIDT, Medical PhD Student

I was born in Hamburg and grew up in Saarbrücken, a small city close to the French border. I studied medicine in Heidelberg and came to Munich after my first state exam to continue with my medical studies. At the moment I´m in the 10^th semester. During my studies and also an internship in a neurology ward, I developed a great interest in the field of neurology, which is why I decided to do my medical thesis in this field. Because I've always been curious about how to work in a laboratory and whether I could imagine working scientifically later on, I decided to apply to a laboratory. I was really happy to join the group of Dr. Silvia Cappello at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, as I am very interested in the topic of research Developmental Neurobiology. In the laboratory, I focus on the morphological analysis of neurons derived from patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.

E-Mail: hanna_schmidt@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-515

SILVIA CAPPELLO, Group Leader

I was born in Bologna, Italy. After completing undergraduate studies in Biotechnology at the University of Bologna, I started my PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Padua, Italy. During my PhD I quickly got fascinated by the development of the brain and moved to the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and Helmholtz Center in Munich in the lab of Prof. Magdalena Götz where I focused on understanding the complex process of neurogenesis in the developing mouse cerebral cortex. After the PhD I then moved to Columbia University, in New York, USA where I joined the laboratory of Prof. Richard Vallee and studied how neural stem cells and neurons migrate in the developing cortex. Then I migrated back to Europe at the Helmholtz Center and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich to continue working with neurogenesis and neuronal migration and focusing on mutations that affect proper development in human. Now I'm Research Group Leader at the Max Planck of Psychiatry modeling human cortical malformations in mouse and human derived cerebral organoids in order to understand the principle molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating cortical development.

E-Mail: silvia_cappello@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-253

ZAGORKA BEKJAROVA, Master Student

I come from North Macedonia and came to Munich for my bachelor studies in Biology at the LMU. Since then, I developed an interest in neurobiology, especially neurodegenerative diseases and worked on Alzheimer’s disease. I am currently doing my master studies in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the LMU and I joined Cappello lab to work on the neurogenic role of Cystatin B (CSTB), by using human iPSCs-derived cerebral organoids, that come from patients with mutations in the CSTB gene. These patients are affected by progressive myoclonic epilepsy (EPM1), which is a rare neurogenic disease.

E-Mail: zagorka_bekjarova@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-208

ROSSELLA DI GIAIMO, Visiting Scientist

I’m from Naples (Italy). I did my PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Naples “Federico II” studying the role of DNA methylation during development of sea urchin. After the PhD I moved to Bologna (Italy) where I switched gear and I got intrigued in a very small protein”cystatinB” dysregulated in human neurodegenerative diseases. After many years I’m still fascinated by this little protein the function of which is still elusive. Nowadays I’m assistant professor at the University of Naples and visiting scientist at the MPI psychiatry, where, with Silvia, we aim to shed light on the role of cystatin B in human neurodegenerative diseases by using mouse models and human cerebral organoids. With Silvia we share the passion for science and for challenges.

E-Mail: rossella_digiaimo@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-288

FRANCESCO DI MATTEO, PhD Student - IMPRS-TP

I was born and raised close to Naples, Italy. I studied Biology at the University of Naples and I completed my Master thesis at the Institute of Genetic and Biophysic, Naples, in the group of Dr. Gabriella Minchiotti. After my graduation I did an Erasmus internship at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, joining the group of Dr. Silvia Cappello where I worked on a rare neurogenic disease, progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1 (EPM1). This experience helped me to realize my interest into the investigation of neurological disease and into the use of human cerebral organoids as a model system. Then, I was accepted at the International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry started my PhD in the group of Silvia Cappello, where I am focusing on the characterization of the electrophysiological properties in iPSCs-derived neurons and human cerebral organoids and how the electrophysiological properties change in neurological diseases.

E-Mail: francesco_dimatteo@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-570

VERONICA PRAVATA, Postdoc

I am originally from Palermo, Italy. After having graduated at the University of Palermo in Biotechnology, I decided to move to Germany, where I trained in the lab of Prof Lichtenthaler at the DZNE in Munich, and I investigated the role of metalloproteases in Alzheimer Disease. This experience gave me a strong background in proteomics, and since then it remains one of my biggest interests. After that, I decided to pursue my studies with a PhD at the University of Dundee (UK) in Prof van Aalten lab, where I focused my attention on the role of the post-translational modification (PTM) ‘O-GlcNAc’ in neurodevelopmental disorders, using a combination of proteomics, protein biochemistry and stem cells. Since then, I gained a strong interest in neurodevelopment and the role of PTMs in brain development. Eager to learn more and expand my expertise, I decided to join the C-Lab to work on the role of the PTM ‘AMPylation’ in brain development and Autism Spectrum Disorder, using a combination of proteomics and human derived cerebral organoids.

E-Mail: veronica_pravata@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-228

FABRIZIA PIPICELLI, PhD Student - IMPRS-TP

I was born in Naples, Italy. I studied Biology at the University of Naples, Federico II, where I completed my Master cum laude in Biology having my Master thesis at the Vrije University of Amsterdam as an Erasmus+ student. Obtained my Master degree, I took part at the Erasmus traineeship program having the opportunity to work at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, joining the lab of Dr. Silvia Cappello for four months. There, I worked on a rare neurogenic disease, progressive myoclonic epilepsy, using human iPSCs-derived cerebral organoids as a model system. The experience at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry helped me to realize my interest into the investigation of neurogenic diseases in order to understand how developmental processes are fundamental for the proper establishment of correct brain functions. In February 2018, I started my PhD in the group of Dr. Silvia Cappello at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry focusing on the study of psychiatric disorders using the innovative translational approach which combines basic research and the patient-oriented research focusing on brain development, brain diseases, molecular and cellular biology, using both animal and human models.

E-Mail: fabrizia_pipicelli@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-515

GIOVANNA BERTO, Research Technician

I was born and grew up in Venice, Italy. My interest in brain biology led me to pursue a B.Sc. degree in Biomolecular Sciences and Technologies (University of Trento, Italy), where I performed my thesis in the laboratory of Axonal Neurobiology led by Prof. Baudet, who investigates the mechanisms underlying axon guidance. Then, in 2018, I graduated with the highest honors in the M.Sc. program in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Trento. After my master degree, I joined the laboratory of Prof. De Wulf in Chromosome Segregation Biology, where I had the opportunity to advance my technical expertise in cellular and molecular biology by investigating the role of a kinase during the cell cycle. When the post-lauream experience ended, I desired to go abroad and to unravel the mechanisms of neurobiology. Now, I am working as a technical assistant at the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Dr. Cappello’s laboratory, where I can broaden my skills in neurodevelopmental biology.

E-Mail: giovanna_berto@psych.mpg.de; Phone +49 (0) 89-30622-515

ANDREA FORERO, Postdoc

I come from Barranquilla, Colombia, a lively city near the Caribbean Sea. I completed my Bachelor’s in Psychology in Colombia, and during this time I developed a strong interest in the field of Neurobiology. This led me to pursue a Master’s program in Life Sciences in Würzburg, Germany, in order to strengthen my knowledge and skills in Biology, something that I really enjoyed. Following this, I was granted a fellowship from the Graduate School of Life Sciences in Würzburg to continue with my doctoral studies. During this time I studied the role of Cadherin-13 on the developing mouse brain in the group of Prof. Klaus-Peter Lesch. After my PhD, I wanted to broaden my expertise in model systems of neurodevelopment and so in 2020, I moved to Munich to join the Cappello group. I am currently focused on exosome-mediated communication in brain development and function.

E-Mail: andrea_forero@psych.mpg.de; Phone: +49 (0) 89-30622-228

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