Stefano Pluchino, MD, PhD

Stefano Pluchino is Clinical Professor of Regenerative Neuroimmunology and Honorary Consultant in Neurology, within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK. He obtained his MD and PhD in Experimental Neuroscience at the University of Siena (Italy) and progressed towards two consecutive post docs and then tenured Group leader position at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan (Italy), before moving to Cambridge in 2010. 

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The Pluchino team studies whether the accumulation of neurological disability observed in patients with chronic inflammatory neurological conditions can be slowed down using next generation molecular therapies. The overarching aim is to understand the basic mechanisms that allow exogenously delivered stem cells, gene therapy vectors and/or exosomes to create an environment that preserves damaged axons or prevents neurons from dying. Such mechanisms may be harnessed and used to modulate disease states to repair and/or regenerate critical components of the nervous system. By understanding the mechanisms of intercellular (stem cell) signalling, diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) may be treated more effectively, and significant neuroprotection may be achieved with new tailored molecular therapeutics.

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Stefano Pluchino is best known for having provided compelling evidence in support of the feasibility and efficacy of advanced stem cell therapies in rodent and non-human primate models of inflammatory neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis. His work has contributed to reshape the classical view that advanced cell therapeutics (ACTs), including cellular grafts, may exert their therapeutic effects not only through structural cell replacement, but also through modulation of mitochondrial function and neuroinflammatory pathways, and has inspired the first-in-kind clinical trials of allogeneic somatic neural stem cells in patients with progressive MS.

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His most recent research has also elucidated the role of mitochondrial complex I activity in microglia, showcasing its pivotal role in sustaining neuroinflammation. This finding, as reported in a study published in Nature (2024), unveils a novel avenue for understanding the mechanisms underlying progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The implications of this discovery are profound, as it suggests a new target for disease-modifying therapies. By targeting mitochondrial complex I activity in microglia, researchers may be able to intervene in the neuroinflammatory processes that contribute to disease progression in MS. This not only enhances our understanding of the pathophysiology of progressive MS but also opens avenues for the development of innovative treatments that could potentially halt or slow down disease progression.

His combined efforts towards the identification of new druggable targets, as well as the development of advanced regenerative therapies, underscore the importance of continued research into the intricate mechanisms underlying neurological diseases and the development of targeted therapies that can address these mechanisms.

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Stefano Pluchino is recipient of numerous national and international awards, among which the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (FISM) Rita Levi-Montalcini prize for outstanding research in MS (2007) and the International Royan Award for outstanding research in Stem Cell Biology and Technology (2010). He is a 2009 Italian Ministry of Health Young Investigator Awardee and 2010 European Research Council (ERC) Starting Independent Researcher. 

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His laboratory research on Regenerative Neuroimmunology is documented in >250 publications in international journals, including many recent articles in highly prestigious journals, such as Nature, Cell, Cell Stem Cell, Nat Cell Biol, Nat Chem Biol, PNAS, PLoS Biol, PLoS Med, Brain, Ann Neurol, and J Neurosci, as well as invited review articles in Nat Rev Neurosci, Trends Mol Med, Trends Immunol and Physiol Reviews, Trends in Mol Med and Trends Immunol. His publications have to date received >18.000 citations (ISI-WOK), having a Hirsch Factor of 61.

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email: spp24@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 1223 331163 (office)

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