Team

Research interests

Bruno Benedetti is s senior academic researcher specialized on brain physiology and pathophysiology, with a background of biology and neuroscience, and focus on medical neuroscience.
His work involves cortical plasticity after spinal cord injury, regeneration and plasticity of the central nervous system and in vitro neural models.
Soft skills include writing, project management, student supervision, and teaching. Bruno is passionate about electrophysiology, microscopy, ex vivo and in vitro research, and technical troubleshooting.
Besides research, Bruno is involved in outreach activities and social media networking at the service of the local community and supporting young neuroscientists, and board member of the Austrian Neuroscience Association.

Selected publications

1. Benedetti, B., Reisinger, M., Hochwartner, M., Gabriele, G., Jakubecova, D., Benedetti, A., Bonfanti, L., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2023). The awakening of dormant neuronal precursors in the adult and aged brain. Aging cell, 22(12), e13974. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.13974
2. Benedetti, B., Bieler, L., Erhardt-Kreutzer, C., Jakubecova, D., Benedetti, A., Reisinger, M., Dannehl, D., Thome, C., Engelhardt, M., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2023). Depolarization and Hyperexcitability of Cortical Motor Neurons after Spinal Cord Injury Associates with Reduced HCN Channel Activity. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(5), 4715. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054715
3. Benedetti, B., Weidenhammer, A., Reisinger, M., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2022). Spinal Cord Injury and Loss of Cortical Inhibition. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(10), 5622. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105622
4. Romanelli, P., Bieler, L., Heimel, P., Škokić, S., Jakubecova, D., Kreutzer, C., Zaunmair, P., Smolčić, T., Benedetti, B., Rohde, E., Gimona, M., Hercher, D., Dobrivojević Radmilović, M., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2022). Enhancing Functional Recovery Through Intralesional Application of Extracellular Vesicles in a Rat Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 15, 795008. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.795008
5. Romanelli, P., Bieler, L., Scharler, C., Pachler, K., Kreutzer, C., Zaunmair, P., Jakubecova, D., Mrowetz, H., Benedetti, B., Rivera, F. J., Aigner, L., Rohde, E., Gimona, M., Strunk, D., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2019). Extracellular Vesicles Can Deliver Anti-inflammatory and Anti-scarring Activities of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells After Spinal Cord Injury. Frontiers in neurology, 10, 1225. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.01225

Research interests

Sébastien Couillard-Després is the head of the Institute of Experimental Neuroregeneration at the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg.
The research program of the institute aims for the development of innovative strategies to treat spinal cord injury.
To restore functionality after injury, four cardinal requirements for regeneration must being achieved:  
1) provide a pro-regenerative environment permissive for regeneration, 2) provide support and guidance for regenerating axons,
3) provide trophic support and myelination to regeneration axons, and 4) inhibit the acute inflammation. The group developed strong
expertise in rodent models of spinal cord injury, neural stem cell, neuronal maturation, extracellular vesicles, 2D and 3D cell culture models, and electrophysiology.

Selected Publications

1. Benedetti, B., Bieler, L., Erhardt-Kreutzer, C., Jakubecova, D., Benedetti, A., Reisinger, M., Dannehl, D., Thome, C., Engelhardt, M., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2023). Depolarization and Hyperexcitability of Cortical Motor Neurons after Spinal Cord Injury Associates with Reduced HCN Channel Activity. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(5), 4715. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054715
2. Romanelli, P., Bieler, L., Heimel, P., Škokić, S., Jakubecova, D., Kreutzer, C., Zaunmair, P., Smolčić, T., Benedetti, B., Rohde, E., Gimona, M., Hercher, D., Dobrivojević Radmilović, M., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2022). Enhancing Functional Recovery Through Intralesional Application of Extracellular Vesicles in a Rat Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 15, 795008. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2021.795008
3. Romanelli, P., Bieler, L., Scharler, C., Pachler, K., Kreutzer, C., Zaunmair, P., Jakubecova, D., Mrowetz, H., Benedetti, B., Rivera, F. J., Aigner, L., Rohde, E., Gimona, M., Strunk, D., & Couillard-Despres, S. (2019). Extracellular Vesicles Can Deliver Anti-inflammatory and Anti-scarring Activities of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells After Spinal Cord Injury. Frontiers in neurology, 10, 1225. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.01225
4. Timotius, I. K., Bieler, L., Couillard-Despres, S., Sandner, B., Garcia-Ovejero, D., Labombarda, F., Estrada, V., Müller, H. W., Winkler, J., Klucken, J., Eskofier, B., Weidner, N. & Puttagunta, R. (2021). Combination of Defined CatWalk Gait Parameters for Predictive Locomotion Recovery in Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Rat Models. ENEURO. 8, 2 https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0497-20.2021
5. Couillard-Després, S., Bieler, L. S. & Vogl, M. (2017). Pathophysiology of traumatic spinal cord injury. In: Neurological Aspects of Spinal Cord Injury. Eds. Weidner, N., Rupp, R. & Tansey, K. Switzerland: Springer Verlag, p. 503-528. ISBN 978-3-319-46291-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46293-6

Research interests

My main research focus is the investigation of regenerative processes after injuries with special emphasis on the nervous system, the elucidation of modes of action of mechanical stimuli on Schwann cells and nervous tissue as well as non-viral gene therapy, extracellular vesicles and novel imaging modalities and their application in the field of regenerative medicine. Most important scientific findings are the identification of phenotypical commitment of motor and sensory Schwann cells after nerve injury as well as the development of a novel contrast agent-enhanced µCT 3D histology method for application in peripheral and central nervous tissue regeneration as well as novel findings of functional regeneration using automated gait analysis. I am a molecular biologist by training, finished my Dr. scient. med. in medical sciences and currently am the head of the Neuroregeneration group at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology since 2018. I published 30 peer reviewed articles in international journals and presented my work at > 30 national and international congresses.

Selected Publications

1. Hromada C, Heimel P, Kerbl M, László G,Nürnberger Sylvia, Schaedl B, Ferguson J, Swiadek N, Monforte X, Heinzel JC, Nógrádi A, Teuschl-Woller AH*, Hercher D*. Silk-based nerve guidance conduits with macroscopic holes modulate the vascularization of regenerating rat sciatic nerve. Neural Regen. Res. 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-01518, May 13, 2024. | doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-01518 *contributed equally
2. Hromada C, Szwarc-Hofbauer D, Quyen Nguyen M, Tomasch J, Purtscher M, Hercher D*, Teuschl-Woller AH*. J Strain-induced bands of Büngner formation promotes axon growth in 3D tissue-engineered constructs. Tissue Eng. 2024 Jan 18;15:20417314231220396. doi: 10.1177/20417314231220396 *contributed equally
3. Heinzel JC, Oberhauser V, Keibl C, Schädl B, Swiadek NV, Längle G, Frick H, Slezak C, Prahm C, Grillari J, Kolbenschlag J*, Hercher D*. ESWT Diminishes Axonal Regeneration following Repair of the Rat Median Nerve with Muscle-In-Vein Conduits but Not after Autologous Nerve Grafting. Biomedicines. 2022 Jul 22;10(8):1777. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10081777 *contributed equally
4. Ashmwe M, Posa K, Rührnößl A, Heinzel JC, Heimel P, Mock M, Schädl B, Keibl C, Couillard-Despres S, Redl H, Mittermayr R, Hercher D. Effects of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy on Functional Recovery and Circulating miR-375 and miR-382-5p after Subacute and Chronic Spinal Cord Contusion Injury in Rats.Biomedicines. 2022 Jul 7;10(7):1630. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10071630
5. Romanelli P, Bieler L, Heimel P, Škokić S, Jakubecova D, Kreutzer C, Zaunmair P, Smolčić T, Benedetti B, Rohde E, Gimona M, Hercher D, Dobrivojević Radmilović M, Couillard-Despres S. Enhancing Functional Recovery Through Intralesional Application of Extracellular Vesicles in a Rat Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Front Cell Neurosci. 2022 Jan 3;15:795008. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.795008 .

Research interests

Flavia Millesi is a postdoctoral researcher interested in how biomaterials such as hydrogels and spider silk fibers affect the behavior of primary neural cells. This work in combination with detailed material characterization will identify the components and properties crucial for nerve regeneration. This allows efficient application of biomaterials and facilitates the production of synthetic alternative. Dr. Millesi is further investigating the phagocytic capabilities of peripheral and central nervous system glia towards myelin and looking at myelin composition differences as a possible underlying reason for this. Besides Schwann cells, she is using primary olfactory ensheathing cells, specialized glia cells at the border of the central and peripheral nervous system, microglia and astrocytes cultures.

Selected Publications

Millesi F, Mero S, Rihl S, Steinwenter S, Stadlmayr S, Borger A, Supper P, Haertinger M, Ploszczanski L, Sinn G, Naghilou A, Semmler L, Radtke C. Hollow commercial nerve guidance conduits inhibit cell proliferation and migration – Fibre and hydrogel fillings improve cellular behavior. Journal of Biomedical Science. 2024. In revision.

Millesi F, Mero S, Semmler L, Rad A, Stadlmayr S, Borger A, Supper P, Haertinger M, Ploszczanski L, Windberger U, Weiss T, Naghilou A, Radtke C. Systematic Comparison of Commercial Hydrogels Revealed That a Synergy of Laminin and Strain-Stiffening Promotes Directed Migration of Neural Cells. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2023 Mar 15;15(10):12678-12695. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c20040. Epub 2023 Mar 6. PMID: 36876876; PMCID: PMC10020957.

Semmler L, Naghilou A, Millesi F, Wolf S, Mann A, Stadlmayr S, Mero S, Ploszczanski L, Greutter L, Woehrer A, Placheta-Györi E, Vollrath F, Weiss T, Radtke C. Silk-in-Silk Nerve Guidance Conduits Enhance Regeneration in a Rat Sciatic Nerve Injury Model. Adv Healthc Mater. 2023 Apr;12(11):e2203237. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202203237. Epub 2023 Feb 25. PMID: 36683305.

Ciotu CI, Kistner K, Kaindl U, Millesi F, Weiss T, Radtke C, Kremer A, Schmidt K, Fischer MJM. Schwann cell stimulation induces functional and structural changes in peripheral nerves. Glia. 2023 Apr;71(4):945-956. doi: 10.1002/glia.24316. Epub 2022 Dec 10. PMID: 36495059.

Millesi F, Weiss T, Mann A, Haertinger M, Semmler L, Supper P, Pils D, Naghilou A, Radtke C. Defining the regenerative effects of native spider silk fibers on primary Schwann cells, sensory neurons, and nerve-associated fibroblasts. FASEB J. 2021 Feb;35(2):e21196. doi: 10.1096/fj.202001447R. Epub 2020 Nov 19. PMID: 33210360; PMCID: PMC7894153.

Research interests

Aida Naghilou is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Her research involves characterization of native spider silk for finding a correlation between its material properties and its success in supporting peripheral nerve regeneration. She is also interested in employing spectroscopical methods for quantification of nerve regeneration. In addition, she uses ultrashort pulsed lasers for precise and targeted production of functional materials with tailored properties. She is also interested in single cell and biomaterial mechanics and during her post-doctoral work at Leiden University, she developed new methods for quantification of the mechanics of biomolecular condensates.

Selected Publications

1. Naghilou A, Peter K, Millesi F, Stadlmayr S, Wolf S, Rad A, Semmler L, Supper P, Ploszczanski L, Liu J, Burghammer M, Riekel C, Bismarck A, Backus EHG, Lichtenegger H, Radtke C. Insights into the material properties of dragline spider silk affecting Schwann cell migration. Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Jul 31;244:125398. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125398
2. Stadlmayr S, Peter K, Millesi F, Rad A, Wolf S, Mero S, Zehl M, Mentler A, Gusenbauer C, Konnerth J, Schniepp HC, Lichtenegger H, Naghilou A, Radtke C. Comparative Analysis of Various Spider Silks in Regard to Nerve Regeneration: Material Properties and Schwann Cell Response. Adv Healthc Mater. 2024 Mar;13(8):e2302968. DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202302968
3. Semmler L, Naghilou A, Millesi F, Wolf S, Mann A, Stadlmayr S, Mero S, Ploszczanski L, Greutter L, Woehrer A, Placheta-Györi E, Vollrath F, Weiss T, Radtke C. Silk-in-Silk Nerve Guidance Conduits Enhance Regeneration in a Rat Sciatic Nerve Injury Model. Adv Healthc Mater. 2023 Apr;12(11):e2203237. DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202203237
4. Millesi F, Mero S, Semmler L, Rad A, Stadlmayr S, Borger A, Supper P, Haertinger M, Ploszczanski L, Windberger U, Weiss T, Naghilou A, Radtke C. Systematic Comparison of Commercial Hydrogels Revealed That a Synergy of Laminin and Strain-Stiffening Promotes Directed Migration of Neural Cells. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2023 Mar 15;15(10):12678-12695. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c20040
5. A. Naghilou, L. Pöttschacher, F. Millesi, A. Mann, P. Supper, L. Semmler, T. Weiss, E.H.G. Backus, C. Radtke; Correlating the secondary protein structure of natural spider silk with its guiding properties for Schwann cells Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2020; 116: 111219, DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111219

Research interests

Lydia Zopf completed her degree in Natural Sciences at the University of Vienna, specialising in Neurobiology and Zoology, and obtained her doctorate in these fields in 2015. As part of her doctoral thesis, Lydia focussed on research into infrared and thermoreception in the blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus.
After her PhD studies, Lydia pursued her interest in imaging techniques at the Vienna Biocenter Core Facilities (VBCF) until 2019, where she worked as an Imaging Scientist. Since 2020, she has been a research associate at the LBI Trauma: her expertise includes CT scans, quantitative and qualitative data analysis and the general visualisation of research results using imaging techniques. In addition, Lydia makes an important contribution to the institute through her work on the development and design of laboratory equipment and surgical devices through the use of 3D printing technologies.

Selected Publications

Hagelkruys A, Horrer M, Taubenschmid-Stowers J, Kavirayani A, Novatchkova M, Orthofer M, Pai TP, Cikes D, Zhuk S, Balmaña M, Esk C, Koglgruber R, Moeseneder P, Lazovic J, Zopf LM, Cronin SJF, Elling U, Knoblich JA, Penninger JM (2022). The HUSH complex controls brain architecture and protocadherin fidelity. Sci Adv. 2022 Nov 4;8(44):eabo7247.

Zopf LM, Heimel P, Geyer SH, Kavirayani A, Reier S, Fröhlich V, Stiglbauer-Tscholakoff A, Chen Z, Nics L, Zinnanti J, Drexler W, Mitterhauser M, Helbich T, Weninger WJ, Slezak P, Obenauf A, Bühler K, Walter A (2021). Cross-Modality Imaging of Murine Tumor Vasculature-a Feasibility Study. Mol Imaging Biol. 2021 Dec;23(6):874-893. 

Zopf LM, Lazzari CR, Tichy H (2014). Infrared detection without specialized infrared receptors in the bloodsucking bug Rhodnius prolixus. J Neurophysiol. 2014 Oct 1;112(7):1606-15. 

Zopf LM, Schmid A, Fredman D, Eriksson BJ (2013). Spectral sensitivity of the ctenid spider Cupiennius salei. J Exp Biol. 2013 Nov 1;216(Pt 21):4103-8.