Pietro V. De Camilli

Elucidated molecular mechanisms in membrane dynamics and traffic at the neuronal synapse, with emphasis on endocytic mechanisms. Identified and characterized proteins implicated in membrane remodeling along the endocytic pathway. Building on his discovery that a PI(4,5)P2 phosphatase, synaptojanin, is implicated in synaptic vesicle recycling, he advanced the field of phosphoinositide signaling and helped pioneer the concept that phosphoinositides represent determinants of membrane identity. In recent studies he has investigated the role of non-vesicular lipid transport between membranes in the control of membrane lipid homeostasis. Through his basic work on the cell biology of synapses, he has made contributions to the field of neuronal and neuroendocrine autoimmunity, and more recently of neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s disease in particular.