During his scientific career, Maurizio Taglialatela has focused his research efforts on various aspects of ion channel physiology and pharmacology and, more recently, of human genetic diseases caused by ion channel pathogenic variants (genetic channelopathies), with specific interest in potassium channels (both voltage-gated and non-voltage-gated) involvement in human epileptic disorders. He has conducted his studies using a combination of technical approaches including advanced electrophysiology, biochemistry, morphology, and molecular genetics, and he has published his work in some of the most prestigious scientific journals, including Nature, Science, PNAS, Annals of Neurology, among others, with over 13.600 citations and an h-index of 67 (Google Scholar). Over the years, his research has been supported by several competitive grants from national and international institutions. He is currently the scientific coordinator of the largest spoke in term of human resources and budget of MNESYS, an ambitious project to implement neuroscience and neuropharmacology in Italy, funded by the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR).
His current research efforts continue to concentrate on these rare channelopathies, which lack effective therapies. The results achieved thus far have had a direct impact on patients and their families, as they have helped to define the natural history of these diseases, to reveal genotype-phenotype correlations, to improve patient stratification, and to highlight novel treatment strategies involving newly-synthesized and repurposed drugs.
