Columbia University Irving Medical Center

V. Alessandro Gennarino is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University Irvine Medical Center. After completing hisPh.D. in Medical Genetics from the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Naples, Italy, he undertook postdoctoral research at the Duncan Neurological Research Institute, a joint venture at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, where he worked on both the neurodegenerative disease Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 1 (SCA1) and the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome (RTT). His work led to the discovery of two new genetic diseases that look very much like SCA1 and RTT. His lab currently studies how RNA-binding proteins influence protein homeostasis and neurological function, using diverse model systems from mice to flies and zebrafish. By moving back and forth between clinical presentations of rare diseases and wet lab studies, the lab has identified several new neurological diseases and their molecular basis. Dr. Gennarino's work has garnered awards from the Paul A. Marks Foundation, NARSAD, and the National Ataxia Foundation.