[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/www.utopiasis.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/experiment-biotechnology-with-chemistry-science-scaled.jpg” background_enable_mask_style=”on” background_mask_style=”caret” background_mask_color=”gcid-237e273c-f56a-4eda-aaac-e80fb41a0548″ custom_margin=”85px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-237e273c-f56a-4eda-aaac-e80fb41a0548%22:%91%22background_mask_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Andrea Ballabio” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”40px” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.utopiasis.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1.png” title_text=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” text_line_height=”1.8em” text_orientation=”justified” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Born in Naples in 1957, Andrea Ballabio earned his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Naples Federico II in 1981, where he also specialized in Pediatrics in 1985. After a long period abroad, first in the United Kingdom and then in the United States, he returned to Italy in 1994 to found, on behalf of the Telethon Foundation, the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), which he directed until March 2024.<\/p>\n
He is currently a Principal Investigator at TIGEM and also serves as Full Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Translational Medical Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II, as well as Visiting Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA.<\/p>\n
Throughout his career, Andrea Ballabio has focused on studying the mechanisms underlying genetic diseases. Over the years, his research group has identified the genes responsible for numerous genetic disorders and has also contributed to the Human Genome Project. In recent years, his research has focused on lysosomes, the organelles that, within cells, oversee the disposal of cellular waste.<\/p>\n
His group discovered a mechanism to activate lysosomes and thereby clear cells of toxic substances such as those that accumulate in neurodegenerative diseases and lysosomal storage disorders. More recently, studies conducted by Ballabio\u2019s group have revealed that this mechanism also plays a fundamental role in several types of cancer.<\/p>\n
Andrea Ballabio has served as President of the European Society of Human Genetics and has received numerous national and international awards for research and culture, including the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. He was the first scientist in Italy to receive the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 2016, a prestigious award granted annually to leading researchers in Europe.<\/p>\n
In 2021, the Accademia dei Lincei awarded him the \u201cAntonio Feltrinelli\u201d Prize for Biological Sciences and Applications.<\/p>\n
He is currently a member of the Advisory Boards of INGM Milan, Human Technopole Milan, and VIMM Padua. He is a co-founder of CASMA Therapeutics and serves as a scientific advisor to Next Generation Diagnostics and Avilar Therapeutics. He has served on numerous international committees for the evaluation of research projects, including those of the European Commission and the Canadian Genome Project. He was also a torchbearer during the 20th Winter Olympic Games held in Turin in 2006.<\/p>\n
In 2007, he was appointed Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by then-President Giorgio Napolitano, and in 2020 he was awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.<\/p>\n
In 2022, he was elected a member of the Accademia dei Lincei and was awarded an Honorary Degree in Biological Sciences by the University of Camerino.<\/p>\n
He has published more than 400 articles in leading international scientific journals and is the inventor of eight international patents.<\/p>\n
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Born in Naples in 1957, Andrea Ballabio earned his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Naples Federico II in 1981, where he also specialized in Pediatrics in 1985. After a long period abroad, first in the United Kingdom and then in the United States, he returned to Italy in 1994 to found, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" background_image=\"https:\/\/www.utopiasis.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/experiment-biotechnology-with-chemistry-science-scaled.jpg\" background_enable_mask_style=\"on\" background_mask_style=\"caret\" background_mask_color=\"gcid-237e273c-f56a-4eda-aaac-e80fb41a0548\" custom_margin=\"85px||||false|false\" global_colors_info=\"{%22gcid-237e273c-f56a-4eda-aaac-e80fb41a0548%22:%91%22background_mask_color%22%93}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_row column_structure=\"1_2,1_2\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_column type=\"1_2\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_heading title=\"Andrea Bellabio\" _builder_version=\"4.27.5\" _module_preset=\"default\" title_text_color=\"#FFFFFF\" title_font_size=\"40px\" custom_margin=\"||0px||false|false\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_2\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_row column_structure=\"1_4,3_4\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_column type=\"1_4\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_image src=\"https:\/\/www.utopiasis.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1.png\" title_text=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.27.5\" _module_preset=\"default\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"3_4\" _builder_version=\"4.24.2\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.27.5\" _module_preset=\"default\" text_text_color=\"#000000\" text_font_size=\"17px\" text_line_height=\"1.8em\" text_orientation=\"justified\" hover_enabled=\"0\" locked=\"off\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" theme_builder_area=\"post_content\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]\n\nNato a Napoli nel 1957, Andrea Ballabio si \u00e8 laureato in Medicina e chirurgia all\u2019Universit\u00e0 Federico II di Napoli nel 1981, dove si \u00e8 anche specializzato in Pediatria nel 1985. Dopo un lungo periodo all\u2019estero, prima in Inghilterra e poi negli Stati Uniti, nel 1994 \u00e8 rientrato in Italia per fondare, su mandato della Fondazione Telethon, l\u2019Istituto Telethon di genetica e medicina (Tigem), che ha diretto fino a marzo 2024. Attualmente Principal Investigator al Tigem, Andrea Ballabio ricopre inoltre la carica di professore ordinario di Genetica medica presso il dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali dell\u2019Universit\u00e0 Federico II di Napoli e di visiting professor presso il Baylor College of Medicine di Houston (USA).\n\nDa sempre Andrea Ballabio si occupa di studiare i meccanismi alla base delle malattie genetiche: negli anni il suo gruppo ha identificato i geni responsabili di numerose malattie genetiche e ha preso parte anche al Progetto genoma umano. Negli ultimi anni l\u2019attenzione si \u00e8 concentrata sui lisosomi, gli organelli che, all\u2019interno delle cellule, sovraintendono al processo di smaltimento dei rifiuti cellulari.\n\n\u00c8 del suo gruppo la scoperta di un meccanismo per attivare i lisosomi e quindi ripulire le cellule da sostanze tossiche quali quelle che si accumulano nelle malattie neurodegenerative e in quelle da accumulo lisosomiale. Recentemente, gli studi del gruppo di Ballabio hanno rivelato che tale meccanismo gioca un ruolo fondamentale anche in diversi tipi di cancro.\n\nAndrea Ballabio \u00e8 stato presidente della Societ\u00e0 Europea di Genetica Umana e ha ricevuto numerosi premi, nazionali e internazionali, per la ricerca e la cultura, tra cui il premio per la ricerca avanzata dello European Research Council (ERC). \u00c8 il primo in Italia ad aver ricevuto il Premio Louis-Jeantet per la medicina 2016, prestigioso riconoscimento assegnato ogni anno a ricercatori di spicco in Europa.\n\nNel 2021 l\u2019Accademia dei Lincei gli ha attribuito il premio \u201cAntonio Feltrinelli\u201d per le Scienze biologiche e Applicazioni.\n\n\u00c8 attualmente membro dell\u2019Advisory Board di INGM Milano, Human Technopole Milano e VIMM Padova. \u00c8 co-fondatore di CASMA Therapeutics e ricopre il ruolo di consulente scientifico in Next Generation Diagnostics e Avilar Therapeutics. \u00c8 stato consigliere in molte commissioni di organismi internazionali per la valutazione di progetti di ricerca tra cui la Commissione Europea e il Progetto Genoma Canadese, \u00e8 stato tedoforo durante la ventesima edizione dei Giochi Olimpici invernali, che si \u00e8 tenuta a Torino nel 2006.\n\nNel 2007 \u00e8 stato nominato Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana dall\u2019allora presidente Giorgio Napolitano e nel 2020 Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana.\n\nNel 2022 \u00e8 stato nominato membro dell\u2019Accademia dei Lincei e gli \u00e8 stata conferita la Laurea Honoris Causa in Scienze Biologiche dall\u2019Universit\u00e0 di Camerino.\n\nHa pubblicato oltre 400 articoli su prestigiose riviste scientifiche internazionali ed \u00e8 inventore in 8 brevetti internazionali.\n\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1409","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n