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 of CNS infections using induced pluripote; Modeling schizophrenia using induced pluripotents; Development of three-dimensional neuronal platform
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Zheng W, Klammer AM, Naciri JN, Yeung J, Demers MJ, Milosevic J, Kinchington PR, Bloom DB, Nimgaonkar VL, DAiuto L. (2020). Patterns of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection in Neural Progenitor Cells. Journal of Virology, 30 Jul;94(16):e00994-20. PMID: 32493817 PMCID: PMC7394888.
  2. D'Aiuto L, Williamson K, Dimitrion P, McNulty J, Brown CE, Dokuburra CB, Nielsen AJ, Lin WJ, Piazza P, Schurdak ME, Wood J, Yolken RH, Kinchington PR, Bloom DC, Nimgaonkar VL. Comparison of three cell-based drug screening platforms for HSV-1 infection. Antiviral Res. 2017 Jun;142:136-140.
  3. McClain L, Zhi Y, Cheng H, Ghosh A, Piazza P, Yee MB, Kumar S, Milosevic J, Bloom DC, Arav-Boger R, Kinchington PR, Yolken R, Nimgaonkar V, D'Aiuto L. Broad-spectrum non-nucleoside inhibitors of human herpesviruses Antiviral Res. 2015 Sep;121:16-23.
  4. D'Aiuto L, Prasad KM, Upton CH, Viggiano L, Milosevic J, Raimondi G, McClain L, Chowdari K, Tischfield J, Sheldon M, Moore JC, Yolken RH, Kinchington PR, Nimgaonkar VL. Persistent infection by HSV-1 is associated with changes in functional architecture of iPSC-derived neurons and brain activation patterns underlying working memory performance. Schizophr Bull. 2015 Jan;41(1):123-32.
  5. D'Aiuto L, Di Maio R, Heath B, Raimondi G, Milosevic J, Watson AM, Bamne M, Parks WT, Yang L, Lin B, Miki T, Mich-Basso JD, Arav-Boger R, Sibille E, Sabunciyan S, Yolken R, Nimgaonkar V. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models to investigate human cytomegalovirus infection in neural cells. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e49700.

Education Interests

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

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...

Hot Publication - D'Aiuto et al. in the Schizophrenia Bulletin

Persistent Infection by HSV-1 Is Associated with Changes in Functional Architecture of iPSC-Derived Neurons and Brain Activation Patterns Underlying Working Memory Performance D'Aiuto L, Prasad KM, Upton CH, Viggiano L, Milosevic J, Raimondi G, McClain L, Chowdari K, Tischfield J, Sheldon M, Moore JC, Yolken RH, Kinchington PR, and Nimgaonkar VL Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2015, 41(1): 123–132 Herpes simplex virus...