image: Laura Cancedda, head of the Brain Development and Disease Research Unit at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa (Italy).
Credit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Genoa (Italy) July 1, 2025 – Laura Cancedda, head of the Brain Development and Disease Research Unit at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia – IIT), has today been elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the international community of more than 2,100 distinguished scientists in the life sciences field across Europe and around the world. Receiving EMBO Membership is a recognition of the excellence of her research and the outstanding achievements throughout her career.
This year’s 60 newly elected members, whose fields range from RNA biology to plant science, epidemiology to molecular medicine, are based in 18 different countries. Only two of them, including Cancedda, are currently working at research centers in Italy.
EMBO is a membership organization, and its members help shape the future direction of life sciences by actively participating in EMBO initiatives. They serve on EMBO Council and Committees, editorial boards of EMBO Press journals, and review funding applications. Each year, new members are selected through nomination and election by the existing EMBO Membership. The process ensures the representation of diverse research fields responds to emerging trends.
EMBO Director Fiona Watt says: “A major strength of EMBO lies in the excellence and dedication of its members. Science thrives on global collaboration, and the annual election of the new EMBO Members and Associate Members brings fresh energy and inspiration to our community. We are honoured to welcome this remarkable group of scientists to the EMBO Membership. Their ideas and contributions will enrich the organization and help advance the life sciences internationally.”
The new members will be formally welcomed at the next EMBO Members’ Meeting in Heidelberg, Germany, on 22-24 October 2025. A directory listing every member with affiliation and subject area is available online.
“When I received the official notification of my EMBO Membership, I literally couldn’t believe it—it’s one of the most prestigious recognitions for scientists in my field” says Laura Cancedda, IIT Principal Investigator. “Then, when I realized, I was very happy for myself and for all the PhD students, postdocs, and technicians who have been part of my team over the years and who contributed to this achievement. I’m excited to take part in the upcoming meeting and officially join a community of such interesting and talented researchers who share many of my goals. Together, we’ll be able to create a critical mass and work collectively to push forward life sciences research”.
Laura Cancedda earned her degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Genoa, followed by a PhD in Neurophysiology from the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, she returned to Italy to lead a research team at IIT. She now heads the Brain Development and Disease unit, focusing, among other topics, on brain developmental anomalies in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.
In 2015, Cancedda published two major studies in the prestigious journals Nature Medicine and Nature Neuroscience, suggesting that a commonly used diuretic drug could improve brain plasticity and cognitive impairment in Down syndrome. These results laid the foundation for further research, also published in top journals, and led to a phase II clinical trial on Bumetanide for improving cognitive symptoms in individuals with Down syndrome. She later co-founded IAMA Therapeutics, a start-up aimed at developing novel neuroscience-based drugs, with a focus on the autism spectrum.
Over the years, Cancedda has collaborated with leading international institutions and received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2025, she was awarded the FIS2 Advanced Investigator Award from the Italian Science Fund (Fondo Italiano per la Scienza). In January 2016, she received the Telethon Career Award for her work on Down syndrome and joined the Telethon Dulbecco Institute. That same year, she was also awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant from the European Union and became a member of the FENS-KAVLI Network of Excellence (FKNE). In 2009, she received the Young Investigator Award from the Italian Society of Physiology.