PluchinoLab - Regenerative Neuroimmunology

01/01/2026

Thanks .it for featuring our work and Leandro Perrotta for the very nice piece

Having left Sicily at 18, he found his «happy place» in Cambridge (UK), where he is a professor of Regenerative Neuroimmunology. Italy? «It trains talents but doesn't know how to make them flourish, and it doesn't attract any from abroad»

22/12/2025

Seoul trip

22/12/2025

Society for Neuroscience conference in

18/12/2025

18/12/2025

14/12/2025

✨ Had a fantastic experience speaking at the Cell Press Beijing Conference 2025 on 'Cell and Gene Therapies for Neurological Conditions'! 🌟 Engaging with cutting-edge science and inspiring discussions was a privilege

18/11/2025

Researchers identify a new cell type that may drive progressive MS

Wednesday 12 November 2025
Dr Caroline Wennington

Researchers from our Cambridge Centre of Excellence have made a discovery that could lead to new ways to treat MS progression. They’ve identified an unusual type of brain cell that seems to actively fuel the slow, ongoing inflammation and nerve damage seen with the condition.

Researchers from our Cambridge Centre of Excellence have made a discovery that could lead to new ways to treat MS progression. They’ve identified an unusual type of brain cell that seems to actively fuel the slow, ongoing inflammation and nerve damage seen with the condition.

15/10/2025

The Rogue Cell: Scientists Uncover a Key Driver of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers at Cambridge University have identified a strange, malfunctioning brain cell that reverts to a developmental state while aging prematurely, fueling the chronic inflammation that defines this debilitating disease.

Researchers have identified a strange, malfunctioning brain cell that reverts to a developmental state while aging prematurely, fueling the chronic inflammation that defines this debilitating disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relentless condition where the body's own immune system turns against....

10/10/2025

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Scientists have identified an unusual type of brain cell that may play a vital role in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), likely contributing to the persistent inflammation characteristic of the disease. The discovery, reported today in Neuron, is a significant step towards understanding the compl...

10/10/2025

Nuova scoperta nelle forme progressive di sclerosi multipla: identificato un raro tipo di cellula cerebrale coinvolta nell’infiammazione

La ricerca condotta da un team internazionale e pubblicata sulla rivista Neuron, è stata sostenuta anche da AISM e la sua Fondazione

10/10/2025

Unusual Brain Cell Type Linked to Progressive MS, Could Point to Therapeutics

“Disease in a dish” study indicates DARG cells may be contribute to persistent inflammation characteristic of progressive MS.

10/10/2025

🚀 Exciting Breakthrough in Progressive MS Research! 🚀

My team at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with Isabel Beerman at the National Institute on Aging (and many other friends), has uncovered a potentially ground-breaking discovery in the fight against hashtag (MS). This work was spearheaded by Alexandra Nicaise, a key member of my team at Cambridge and
co-lead author, along with Irina Mohorianu, co-senior author, also based at
Cambridge.

Using a pioneering ‘disease in a dish’ model, we identified a novel brain cell type—disease-associated radial glia-like cells (DARGs). These cells originate from mature astroglia undergoing adaptive developmental reprogramming and appear to play a central role in driving hashtag and hashtag in progressive MS.
Notably, DARGs revert to an early developmental stage and exhibit features of premature hashtag , actively contributing to the damaging environment within the brain.

This discovery opens new avenues for targeted therapies that could transform treatment for this devastating disease, offering hope to thousands. Our findings may also provide insights into other neurodegenerative conditions.

Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the molecular machinery of hashtag and explore their potential as therapeutic targets!

Park, Nicaise, Tsitsipatis, and colleagues discover transcriptional and epigenetic markers in human PMS iNSCs and fibroblasts that may underlie their senescent and inflammatory state. Novel DARGs with the potential to fuel smoldering inflammation are found in chronic lesions from people with PMS.