A Life Unraveling the Machinery of Neuronal Communication

Professor Pietro De Camilli, recipient of the 2025 ISSNAF Lifetime Achievement Award, has dedicated his career to uncovering how neurons communicate through synapses—the tiny junctions where chemical signals are exchanged. His pioneering work revealed the molecular machinery behind synaptic vesicle formation, membrane remodeling, and lipid dynamics, discoveries that now underpin modern cell biology and extend far beyond neuroscience.

In his lecture, De Camilli reflects on his journey from Milan to Yale, where he became a leading figure in cellular neuroscience and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He explains how studying the synapse provided a powerful model for understanding fundamental mechanisms shared across all cells, from membrane traffic to organelle communication. His research has also intersected deeply with medicine, illuminating pathways involved in neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s.

De Camilli closes by acknowledging the mentors, students, and collaborators who shaped his scientific path, and by expressing hope for renewed investment in Italian science. His lecture offers an accessible and inspiring overview of a career that transformed our understanding of the cell’s inner workings.