Faculty Profile

Dr. Marino currently works as Assistant Professor of Neurology at UTMB focuses on underlying biophysical, biomolecular, and physiological mechanisms for either preventing or halting neurodegenerative disorders such as AD, and translating these findings into novel disease-modifying therapies. Her long-term research interest focuses on contributing to characterizing novel druggable targets relevant for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a devastating disorder that currently lacks disease-modifying therapies and affects millions of individuals worldwide. The primary research focus of her laboratory aims to advance the knowledge of mechanisms of resilience against familial Alzheimer's disease neuropathology and to use this knowledge to design disease-modifying interventions against AD and related neurodegenerative diseases.

During her postdoctoral studies, the groundbreaking discovery of the effect of the homozygous mutation in the APOE gene, the APOE3 Christchurch mutation, in delaying the onset by up to three decades in an individual carrying a very aggressive form of Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease, and the characterization of novel antibodies capable of mimicking the mechanism of action of this mutation, allowed us to propose an attractive target for effective disease-modifying therapies for AD. In parallel work, my research contributed to the characterization of a second protective genetic variant against familial Alzheimer's disease, the RELN-COLBOS variant, which will contribute to a better understanding of biomolecular mechanisms of resilience against AD and to the design of novel therapeutic interventions that mimic such resilience.

Dr. Marino's background in pharmacy and the research experience at the National Research Council in Italy after her master's degree gave her the opportunity to build strong skills in organic chemistry and biophysics. It also allowed her to contribute to the design and characterization of synthetic inhibitors of amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation, one of the earliest causes of AD. Dr. Marino's doctoral research under Dr. Taglialatela's mentorship at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston focused on the role of chaperones, natural protectors of protein homeostasis, against toxic Aβ oligomers, which are intermediate states of Aβ aggregation known to be involved in the synaptic dysfunction characterizing AD pathogenesis.

Dr. Marino's research focuses on underlying biophysical, biomolecular, and physiological mechanisms for either preventing or halting neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), and translating these findings into novel disease-modifying therapies. During her postdoctoral studies, the groundbreaking discovery of the effect of the homozygous mutation in the APOE gene, known as the APOE3 Christchurch mutation, in delaying the onset by up to three decades in an individual carrying a very aggressive form of Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease. The subsequent characterization of novel antibodies capable of mimicking the mechanism of action of this mutation, allowed her to propose ApoE interactions as attractive targets for effective disease-modifying therapies for AD. In parallel work, Dr. Marino's research contributed to the characterization of a second protective genetic variant against familial Alzheimer's disease, the RELN-COLBOS variant, which will contribute to a better understanding of biomolecular mechanisms of resilience against AD and to the design of novel therapeutic interventions that mimic such resilience.

Medical/Professional School:

MS, PhamD, cum laude,University of Palermo, Italy, 2014,

PhD, Neuroscience, UTMB-Univerisity of Palermo joint Ph.D. program, Galveston, TX, 2019

Fellowship:

Post-doctoral Fellow, Schepens Eye Research Insitute, Ophthalmology Dept., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA., 2023

State of Italy Certified Pharmacist, 2014

• Design and characterization of novel therapeutic interventions against Alzheimer’s disease targeting reelin and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) pathway
• Antibody- and small molecule-based therapeutic approaches against ApoE4-induced neurotoxicity
• Patient-inspired mechanisms of resilience against Alzheimer’s disease
• Biomolecular characterization of protective genetic variants against familial Alzheimer’s disease
• Characterization of synthetic, recombinant and biological inhibitors of amyloidogenic proteins.

• Marino* C., Perez-Corredor* P, O'Hare M, Heuer A, Chmielewska N, et al. (2023) APOE Christchurch-mimetic therapeutic antibody reduces APOE-mediated toxicity and tau phosphorylation. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Oct 4.
• Lopera* F., Marino* C., Chandrahas A.*, O’Hare* M., et al. (2023) Resilience to autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease in a Reelin-COLBOS heterozygous man. Nat Med. 29:1243-1252.
• Arboleda-Velasquez J. F., Lopera F., O'Hare M., Delgado-Tirado S., Marino C., et al. (2019) Resistance to autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease in an APOE3 Christchurch homozygote: a case report. Nat Med. 25(11):1680-1683.
• Marino* C., et al. (2019) Hsp60 protects against Amyloid b oligomer synaptic toxicity via modification of toxic oligomer conformation. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 10 (6):2858-67.

Complete List on PubMed:

PubMed

2018       Excellence in Student Research for Basic Science and Neuroscience Research category, 22^nd Annual Forum on Aging. The University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX

2018       Recipient of the award “Neurodegeneration and Disease”, 3^rd Annual Neuroscience Graduate Program Student Symposium. The University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX 

2017       Recipient of Best Overall Oral Presentation Award, 2^nd Annual Neuroscience Graduate Program Student Symposium. The University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX

2017       Recipient of Student’s Choice Award, 2^nd Annual Neuroscience Graduate Program Student Symposium. Galveston, TX

2016       Excellence in Student Research for Neuroscience, 20^th Annual Forum on Aging. The University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, TX

2016       Chair of the “Third Year Graduate Students” session of the Neuroscience Graduate Student Symposium. Galveston, TX

2016       Best Oral Presentation: Second Year, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Neuroscience Graduate Program Symposium. Galveston, TX

2016       Service Excellence Award, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Neuroscience Graduate Program Symposium. Galveston, TX

2016       Excellence in Translational Science Award, 57^th Annual National Student Research Forum. Galveston, TX

2016        Chair of the “Bioscience” session of the XI Conference of Italian Researchers in the world, Houston, TX

Member, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 2014-2019, 2024-present

Member, ISTART Alzheimer’s Association, 2022-present

Member, Society for Neuroscience, 2014-present