Ricercatrice (RTDA)

Anna Pisani, Ph.D., is a Researcher (RTD-A) at the Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II. She obtained her MSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology (110/110 cum laude) from the University of Tuscia and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome) with a dissertation investigating the mechanisms of cochlear damage induced by acoustic trauma and ototoxic agents. Dr. Pisani’s research is primarily focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying sensorineural hearing loss of genetic, environmental, and iatrogenic origin. Her work has contributed to elucidating the role of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and apoptotic pathways in auditory neurodegeneration. More recently, she has advanced the understanding of the gut–ear axis, demonstrating that intestinal inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis can impair blood–labyrinth barrier function, promote cochlear inflammation, and exacerbate hearing loss.
She possesses extensive expertise in in vivo and in vitro experimental models, including animal manipulation, electrophysiological assessments (ABRs), histological and immunofluorescence techniques, and advanced molecular biology methods. Dr. Pisani has presented her research at leading international and national conferences (IEB, Politzer Society, SIO, FENS) and was awarded the Spoendlin Junior Award 2024 for her innovative studies on microbiota-mediated mechanisms of hearing loss. She is the author and co-author of several peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, including Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Antioxidants, eLife, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Disease, and British Journal of Pharmacology.
Her current research focuses on developing novel neuroprotective strategies, including BDNF-based and antioxidant therapies, to prevent or mitigate hearing loss and tinnitus, thereby fostering the translation of experimental findings into clinical applications.