[Seminar] "Blood Markers of Neuroaxonal Remodelling in Psychiatry: From the Lab to Clinical Use and Back" by Dr. Francesco Bavato

Speaker

Francesco Bavato, MD, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich

Title

"Blood Markers of Neuroaxonal Remodelling in Psychiatry: From the Lab to Clinical Use and Back"

Abstract

In clinical medicine, blood biomarkers are routinely used to assess the integrity and function of peripheral organs. Until recently, however, no reliable markers were available to quantify brain integrity in living humans. This has changed dramatically with the advent of next-generation immunoassay technologies (i.e., digital, miniaturized, and fully automated systems) which now enable sensitive and reproducible measurement of brain-derived proteins in blood.

Among these, neurofilament light chain (NfL), a neuronal cytoskeletal protein involved in axonal stability and synaptic maintenance, has emerged as the leading candidate for clinical application. In neurology, NfL is already used for screening, prognosis, severity assessment, and treatment monitoring across conditions. Extending this to psychiatry, my research provides evidence for its potential clinical relevance. I will present findings on longitudinal associations between NfL and substance use, its complex interplay with affective and psychotic disorders, and population-based data linking NfL to micro- and macrostructural brain changes, illustrating examples of its translational potential in clinical settings.

Finally, I will outline emerging back-translational approaches aimed at elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying NfL elevation in neuropsychiatric conditions. Early results from animal studies suggest that neuroaxonal remodelling, neuro-immune cross-talk, and cytoskeletal-synaptic interactions may represent convergent molecular pathways linking axonal plasticity and clinical symptoms.

Biography

Francesco Bavato is an attending physician and clinical scientist at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Aarhus University (Denmark). He studied medicine at the Universities of Padova (Italy) and Heidelberg (Germany) and obtained a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Psychotherapy at the University of Zurich. After working as a resident physician in neurology, he completed his specialty training in psychiatry at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich. His current research focuses on identifying markers of brain plasticity and vulnerability (molecular and neural) and testing their reversibility in psychiatric conditions through experimental treatments. Dr. Bavato has received research funding and awards from national and international organizations, including the Swiss National Science Foundation, EMDO Stiftung, Alkoholismus Therapieforschung Schweiz, and PUKZH Fonds. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3787-6706