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People ■ Alessandro Gozzi
Alessandro Gozzi's foto

Alessandro Gozzi

Team Leader

IIT@NEST

Phone +39 050 509032
IM Address alessandro.1.gozzi (Skype)

Bio

Alessandro Gozzi received a M.Sc. degree in Biotechnology at the University of Verona (Italy), with a thesis on the in silico identification of immunogenic proteins in the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. He later joined the microbiology department of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a large research-based pharmaceutical company in Verona, where he conducted research on pathogenic bacterial adhesion mechanisms, host-pathogen interactions and novel antimicrobial agents. In 2001 he joined the neuroimaging department of GSK’s neuroscience centre of Verona and Harlow (UK), where he developed and implemented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to assess brain function in murine models of neuropsychiatric disorders. In 2010 he received a PhD in biomedical imaging from the University of Verona with a thesis on the use of functional MRI (fMRI) to probe brain activity in preclinical models of CNS disorders.

During his research activity, he has identified and described the circuital substrates modulated by centrally-active substances in multiple areas of experimental neuroscience (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, drug addiction etc.). More recently, he has developed multi-parametric MRI paradigms to assess resting and evoked brain function in animal models of disease, and demonstrated the feasibility of using fMRI in combination with advanced genetic silencing to dissect the circuital basis of complex behaviours.

During his years at GSK, Alessandro Gozzi has developed a strong background in MRI, image processing and analysis, as well as the application of translational approaches for the preclinical characterization of therapeutics and diagnostics. He has also been actively involved in several phases of research and development of bio-pharmaceutical agents, ranging from target-validation, to the design and characterization of the basic physico-chemical properties, up to to pre-clinical evaluation of efficacy and mechanism of action.

He is currently team leader at the Center of Nanotechnology Innovation, within the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT@NEST), in Pisa (Italy), where he leads a MRI laboratory equipped with a small bore 7T scanner for in vivo imaging.

 

Projects

Alessandro Gozzi’s research focuses on the development of targeted CNS delivery and reporting systems, and the application of advanced functional and structural MRI methods to describe altered neurofunctional states.

Active research projects include

- development of neurotropic vectors for transvascular delivery of biomolecular therapeutics

- characterisation of high-relaxivity magnetic nanoparticles for cerbral blood volume (CBV) determination

- application of advanced morphoanatomical and functional MRI parameters for the study of disorders of the central nervous system

- implementation of concurrent MRI imaging and optical stimulation/detection

- optimization of pharmacological fMRI (phMRI) at 7 Tesla

- concurrent fMRI and electrophysiological recordings

- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and fiber tracking

- anatomical and functional cardiac MR imaging at 7 Tesla

Graduate students training opportunities include studies at multiple levels across the areas of research described above, with a particular focus on image analysis and processing, and the  development and validation of concurrent MRI/ optical and electro-physiological measurements.

Other Publications

 

1. Ferrari L, Turrini G, Crestan V, Bertani S, Cristofori P, Bifone A, Gozzi A. A robust experimental protocol for pharmacological fMRI in rats and mice. J Neurosci Methods. 2011 Oct 28;204(1):9-18.

2. Gozzi A, Colavito V, Seke Etet P, Montanari D, Fiorini S, Tambalo S, Bifone A, Grassi Zucconi G, Bentivoglio. Modulation of fronto-cortical activity by Modafinil: a functional imaging and Fos study in the rat. Neuropsychopharmacology (2011) In press

3. Wellman PJ, Clifford S, Rodriguez JS, Hughes S, Francesco C, Melotto S, Tessari M, Corsi M, Bifone A, Gozzi A. Brain Reinforcement System Function is Ghrelin Dependent: Studies in the Rat Using Pharmacological fMRI and Intracranial Self-Stimulation, Addiction Biology, (2011) In press

4. Gozzi A, Tessari M, Dacome L, Agosta F, Lepore S, Lanzoni A, Cristofori P, Pich EM, Corsi M, Bifone A. Neuroimaging Evidence of Altered Fronto-Cortical and Striatal Function after Prolonged Cocaine Self-Administration in the Rat. Neuropsychopharmacology (2011) 36(12):2431-40.

5. Large CH, Bison S, Sartori I, Read KD, Gozzi A, Quarta D, et al. The efficacy of sodium channel blockers to prevent PCP-induced cognitive dysfunction in the rat: Potential for novel treatments for schizophrenia. 2011. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 338(1):100-13

6. Gozzi A, Turrini G, Piccoli L, Massagrande M, Amantini D, Antolini M, et al.. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Different Neural Substrates for the Effects of Orexin-1 and Orexin-2 Receptor Antagonists. 2011, PLoS ONE6: e16406.

7. Gozzi A. Bifone A. Imaging del Cervello: stato dell’arte preclinico. Quarterly Journal of Nuclear medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2011, In press

8. Gozzi A, Jain A, Crestan V, Schwarz A, Tsetsenis T, Sheridan G, Gross C, Bifone A; A neural switch for active and passive fear, 2010, Neuron, 66:656-666

9. Bifone A, Gozzi A, Schwarz A; Functional connectivity in the rat brain: a complex network approach; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2010, 28:1200-1209.

10. Gozzi A, Crestan V, Turrini G, Clemens M, Bifone A. Antagonism at serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors modulates functional activity of frontohippocampal circuit. Psychopharmacology. 2010 Mar; 209:37-50,

11. Ferrari L, Crestan V, Sabattini G, Vinco F, Fontana S, Gozzi A Brain penetration of local anaesthetics in the rat: implications for experimental neuroscience; J Neurosci Methods. 2009, 186:143-149.

12. Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A, Bifone A Community structure in networks of functional connectivity: Resolving functional organization in the rat brain with pharmacological MRI NeuroImage, 47:302-311

13. Gozzi A, Herdon H, Schwarz AJ, Crestan V, Bifone A, Pharmacological stimulation of NMDA receptors via co-agonist site suppresses fMRI response to phencyclidine in the rat. Psychopharmacology, 2009, 201:273-284.

14. Gozzi A, A Schwarz, V Crestan, Angelo Bifone; Drug-anaesthetic interaction in phMRI: the case of the pyschotomimetic agent phencyclidine, MRI, 2008,26:999-1006

15. Schwarz,AJ, Gozzi A, Bifone A. Community structure and modularity in networks of correlated brain activity, MRI, 2008, 26:914-920

16. Gozzi A, Large CH, Schwarz AJ, Crestan V, Bifone A. Differential effects of antipsychotic and glutamatergic agents on the phMRI response to phencyclidine”, (2007) Neuropsychopharmacology, 2008, 33:1690-703

17. Micheli F; Heidbreder C; Beato S ; Bonanomi G; Blaney F ; Braggio S; Capelli AM; Checchia A; Curcuruto O; Damiani F; Di-Fabio R; Donati D; Felici S; Gentile G; Gribble; Hampecht D;  Perini O; Piner J; Rossi T; Pilla M, Manolo Mugnaini ; Wood M; Andreoli M; Lacroix L; Gozzi A,  Schwarz A; Bifone A; Ashby C; Hagan J.  1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-thiopropyl-tetrahydrobenzazepines: A series of potent and selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonists, J. of Chemistry; Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2007, 50:5076-5089

18. Gozzi A, Ceolin L, Schwarz A, Reese T, Bertani S, Crestan V, Bifone A. A multimodality investigation of cerebral hemodynamics and autoregulation in pharmacological MRI. Magn Reson Imaging, 2007, 25:826-33.

19. Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A., Bifone A.; Community structure and modularity in networks of correlated brain activity. 2007 arXiv: q-bio.NC/0701041

20. Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A, Reese T, Heidbreder CA, Bifone A. Pharmacological modulation of functional connectivity: the correlation structure underlying the phMRI response to d-amphetamine modified by selective dopamine D(3) receptor antagonist SB277011A. Magn Reson Imaging, 2007, 25:811-20.

21. Ceolin L, Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A, Reese T, Bifone A. Effects of cocaine on blood flow and oxygen metabolism in the rat brain: implications for phMRI. Magn Reson Imaging. 2007, 25:795-800

22. Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A, Reese T, Bifone A. Functional connectivity in the pharmacologically activated brain: resolving networks of correlated responses to d-amphetamine. Magn Reson Med. 2007, 57:704-13.

23. Schwarz AJ, Gozzi A, Reese T, Bifone A.  In vivo mapping of functional connectivity in neurotransmitter systems using pharmacological MRI. Neuroimage. 2007, 34:1627-36

24. Schwarz AJ, Whitcher B, Gozzi A, Reese T, Bifone A. Study-level wavelet cluster analysis and data-driven signal models in pharmacological MRI. J Neurosci Methods. 2007, 159:346-60

25. Schwarz, A, Danckaert A, Reese T, Gozzi A, Paxinos G, Watson C, Merlo-Pich E, Bifone A. A stereotaxic MRI template set for the rat brain with tissue class distribution maps and co-registered anatomical atlas: application to pharmacological MR. Neuroimage, 2006, 32:538-50

26. Gozzi A, Schwarz AJ, Reese T, Bertani S, Crestan V, Bifone A (2005) Region-specific effects of nicotine on brain activity: a pharmacological MRI study in the drug-naïve rat. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006, 31:1690-703.

27. Gozzi A, Adam J. Schwarz, Torsten Reese, Valerio Crestan, Simone Bertani, Giuliano Turrini, Mauro Corsi, Angelo Bifone, Functional Magnetic Resonance Mapping of Intracerebroventricular Infusion of a Neuroactive Peptide in the Anaesthetised Rat, J Neurosci Methods. 2005, 142:115-24.

28. Schwarz, Adam; Gozzi A; Reese, Torsten; Bertani, Simone; Crestan, Valerio; Hagan, Jim; Heidbreder, Christian; Bifone, Angelo  Selective dopamine D(3) receptor antagonist SB-277011-A potentiates phMRI response to acute amphetamine challenge in the rat brain. Synapse, 2004, 54:1-10

29. Schwarz AJ, Reese T, Gozzi A, Bifone A.  Concurrent Pharmacological MRI and in situ Microdialysis of Cocaine Reveals a Complex Relationship between the Central Haemodynamic Response and Local Dopamine Concentration  Neuroimage. 2004, 23:296-304.

30. Schwarz AJ, Reese T, Gozzi A, Bifone A et al. Functional MRI using intravascular contrast agents: detrending of the relative cerebrovascular (rCBV) time course Magnetic Resonance Imaging 2003, 21:1191–1200

31. Rimini R, Jansson, Feger G, Roberts T.C., De Francesco M, Gozzi A, Domenici E, Wallace M, Frandsen N, Polissi A. “Global analysis of transcription kinetics during competence development in Streptococcus pneumoniae using high density DNA arrays.” Mol.  Microbiol. 2000,36:1279-92.

1. Book chapters

2. A Bifone, A Gozzi; Functional and pharmacological MRI in understanding brain function, In “Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences”, Neuropsychiatric research Models, Edited by J. Hagan; In press, Springer-Verlag Berlin

 

 

Awards

GSK Exceptional Science Award (2006)

GSK Scinovation Award (2007 and 2009)

 

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