Faculty

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Assistant
Beth Wesesky
weseskyma@upmc.edu

Education & Training

PhD
Molecular Genetics and Evolution, University of Bari, Italy
Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh
Human Genetics, University of Edinburgh

Research Interests

Modeling Infections of CNS with neurotropic virus; Modeling schizophrenia using iPSCs; Analysis of the interplay between nuclear bodies
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Zheng W, Klammer AM, Naciri JN, Yeung J, Demers MJ, Milosevic J, Kinchington PR, Bloom DB, Nimgaonkar VL, Hyde VR, Zhou C, Fernandez JR, Chatterjee K, Ramakrishna P, Lin A, Fisher GW, Celiker OT, Caldwell J, Bender O, Sauer PJ, Lugo-Martinez J, Bar DZ, D'Aiuto L, Shemesh OA. Anti-herpetic tau preserves neurons via the cGAS-STING-TBK1 pathway in Alzheimer's disease. Cell Rep. 2025 Jan 28;44(1):115109. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115109. Epub 2025 Jan 2. PMID: 39753133.
  2. D'Aiuto L, Caldwell JK, Edwards TG, Zhou C, McDonald ML, Di Maio R, Joel WA, Hyde VR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, Wesesky MA, Shemesh OA, Nimgaonkar VL, Bloom DC. Phosphorylated-tau associates with HSV-1 chromatin and correlates with nuclear speckles decondensation in low-density host chromatin regions. Neurobiol Dis. 2025 Mar;206:106804. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106804. Epub 2025 Jan 14.PMID: 39818277; PMCID: PMC12001802.
  3. Versace A, Hitchens TK, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, D'Aiuto L. 11.7T Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and tractography to probe human brain organoid microstructure. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2024 Jun 7;4(5):100344. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100344. PMID: 39099731; PMCID: PMC11295450.
  4. Paranjape AN, D'Aiuto L, Zheng W, Chen X, Villanueva FS. A multicellular brain spheroid model for studying the mechanisms and bioeffects of ultrasound-enhanced drug penetration beyond the blood?brain barrier. Sci Rep. 2024 Jan 22;14(1):1909. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50203-3. PMID: 38253669; PMCID:PMC10803331.
  5. McNulty J, Babu-Dokuburra C, Scattolon J, Zepeda-Velazquez C, Wesesky MA, Caldwell JK, Zheng W, Milosevic J, Kinchington PR, Bloom DC, Nimgaonkar VL, D'Aiuto L. Truncated ring-A amaryllidaceae alkaloid modulates the host cell integrated stress response, exhibiting antiviral activity to HSV-1 and SARSCoV-2. Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 30;13(1):1639. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-28691-0.PMID: 36717567; PMCID: PMC9885069.

Education Interests

Teaching stem cell-based technologies; Molecular genetics training; Mentorship of early-career researchers

Neurobiology of Disease: Phosphorylated-tau Associates with HSV-1 Chromatin and Correlates with Nuclear Speckles Decondensation in Low-Density Host Chromatin Regions

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

Abnormal tau phosphorylation is a key pathophysiological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, infectious agents, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 1, may be associated with the onset or progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. However, outstanding questions remain regarding the contribution of viruses in the etiology of...

Psychiatry Residents Present Robust Research at the 7th Annual Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium

PRP Residents and Mentors

The Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to present their work to fellow residents, faculty mentors, T32 postdoctoral research program directors, and interested members of our academic community. This year, the PRP Symposium began with a panel discussion focused on interventional psychiatry, moderated by Katherine Lyman...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Leonardo D’Aiuto, PhD, to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

We are pleased to announce that Leonardo D’Aiuto, PhD, has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After earning his undergraduate degree in biological sciences, Dr. D’Aiuto received two fellowships in molecular cytogenetics at the Institute of Genetics in Bari, Italy. Upon receiving his PhD in molecular genetics and evolution at the University of Bari...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Leonardo D’Aiuto, PhD, to Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Dr. Leonardo D'Aiuto Promoted to Research Assistant Professor

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the promotion of Leonardo D’Aiuto, PhD, to Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. D’Aiuto’s area of expertise is neurotropic viruses, focusing on novel approaches for the generation of three-dimensional neuronal cultures from human-induced pluripotent stem cells to as a model system for exploring the relationship between central nervous system neurotropic...

Department Researchers Pioneer Method for Growing Human Neurons That Could Create Better Models of Brain Diseases and More Accurately Identify New Treatments

Drs. Leonardo D'Aiuto and Vishwajit Nimgaonkar

Pictured above: Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD and Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD Unlike cells from other organs such as the liver or lungs, neurons are very difficult to collect from a living patient. In fact, one of the biggest hurdles to treating brain diseases is a lack of cells that researchers can use to study the conditions and develop new therapies. Over the last decade, a method to “reprogram” human skin cells into...