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“She has a superb background with all necessary qualifications to run an international bench-to-bedside research operation. Most important, she’s respected by the scientific community that she’ll interact with and oversee.” --- Jeffrey Rothstein When Packard Center head Jeffrey Rothstein wrote out a job description for the Center’s new scientific director — now a dedicated position, given the Center’s growth — colleagues took a look at the formidable list and shook their heads.
The position is significant, requiring, as it does, someone with a thorough grasp of what’s known about ALS biology and medicine and knowledge of leading edge scientific technique. Because the science director has the word on who gets Packard grants and, in a real way, steers research in a meaningful direction, that person must have a feel for who’s-doing-what worldwide and understand how the Packard research model works. “A person with integrity,” the description reads. “A person with a passion and optimism for the work of the Packard Center and a strong commitment to its mission and goals.” *** Neuroscientist Piera Pasinelli, Ph.D., accepted the job this summer. She’ll direct Packard science while maintaining her ALS research laboratory with the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Italian by birth and raised in that country, Pasinelli knew by high school’s end that science was meant to be her life’s focus. She excelled in chemistry and pharmacology at the University of Milan, following a neurobiochemistry path aimed at a pharmaceutical industry career in drug design. On the way, however, Pasinelli discovered biomedical research. “The idea of basic science that could translate into therapy became seriously appealing,” she says. Doctoral work in neuroscience at Holland’s University of Utrecht grounded her interests, which focused on signalling at the brain’s synaptic sites for learning and memory. Then came a life-changing call: Would she work in the Harvard lab of ALS investigator Robert Brown? Brown, distinguished in the ALS research field, offered Pasinelli a postdoctoral fellowship. The fact that she’d wanted to do basic disease research made it easy to accept. “But I knew very little about ALS at the time,” she said. A quick and enthusiastic study, she grew intrigued by the problems of the disease and revealed skill in experimental design and its execution. In her 10 years at Harvard, using the SOD1 animal model of ALS — mentor Brown had discovered the SOD1 mutation responsible for some of the familial illness in patients — Pasinelli studied how simple mutations in that gene could convert its normally protective protein product into one that triggers cell death. She was part of a team that showed, for example, how mutant SOD1 “derails” Bcl-2, an agent that blocks death pathways. Now from her Philadelphia laboratory, she’s attacking the problem at an earlier stage, before motor neurons’ injury becomes obvious. Specifically, she’s looking at the direct toxic effect of mutant SOD1 on mitochondria, the cell’s energy-producing organelles. As an administrator, Pasinelli is experienced in the ways of government and nonprofit institutional funding. Important for the new directions the Center is heading, she is also well-versed in early drug discovery: Recently, she coordinated and obtained funding for a large, multi-center effort in drug screening using high-throughput techniques. The bonus, Rothstein says is that, “she’s also a wonderful communicator with patients.” Pasinelli often collaborates with her husband, a cell physiologist skilled in electrophysiology. She finds it difficult to contain her enthusiasm for the work. When Pasinelli officially joins the Center this fall as scientific director, she not only brings expertise but that same enthusiasm. “I have nothing but praise,” she says, “for the way Packard works and what it’s able to do.” Letter from Packard Center Scientific Director, Piera Pasinelli Dear colleagues and friends of the Packard Center,
Starting mid-August, I will have the privilege to serve as your scientific director. I want to thank the staff at Packard for their warm welcome and assistance over the past few months. I also am grateful to the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee for their advice and encouragement to take this position. And I offer special thanks to Center Director Jeff Rothstein for inviting me to join this excellent team of investigators and researchers. As an ALS researcher, I have been convinced that we have a better chance of successfully confronting this devastating disease if we foster collaboration among researchers, increase coordination among relevant organizations and bridge the gap between bench scientists and patients. After participating in just a few of your meetings, I realize that this is the essence of the Packard Center. You are a team of outstanding investigators working together in a performance-driven manner without the barriers of confidentiality, a fragmented approach or the lack of coordination that too often slow the pace of research. It is in this spirit that I look forward to joining you. I intend to work closely with all of you to accelerate the speed of your current research. In addition, I will reach out to other disciplines and look across Packard to get fresh ideas that may help our search for disease pathways and cures. I hope to work closely with other organizations to reduce duplication of efforts and speed up as much as possible the process of funding excellent research. Ultimately, my goal is to work with you to find the quickest and most effective way to translate your research into therapies that will reach the ALS patients who so urgently need them. I look forward to working closely with you and welcome your suggestions on how we can reach our goals to support the ALS community. Sincerely, Piera Piera Pasinelli, Ph.D. |
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