Jose’ Fernando Maya-vetencourt

José Fernando Maya-Vetencourt obtained his PhD and a Post Doc in Neurobiology at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa while working with Lamberto Maffei. He also worked as Research Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genova with Fabio Benfenati. More recently, he obtained an Associate Professor Position in the Biology Department, Physiology Institute, at the University of Pisa. He is also affiliated researcher in the NSYN Department at the IIT in Genova. His research interests centre on (i) neuronal interfaces designed to substitute damaged tissues in the nervous system, (ii) optogenetics- and experience-dependent mechanisms of neuronal plasticity that underlie sensory perception as well as behaviour, and (iii) retinal circuitries under physiological and pathological conditions. Dr. Maya-Vetencourt is editor of 1 neuroscience book, author of 4 book chapters, and coinventor in 4 patents. He has published 34 scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, out of which 29 indexed in pubmed including: Science, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Journal of Physiology, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, European Journal of Neuroscience, Progress in Neurobiology, Experimental Eye Research, Nanomedicine, and others. He has delivered more than 20 scientific presentations at international meetings abroad. His academic record includes > 3500 citations with an “H-index” of 22 (Google Scholar) and an “impact factor per manuscript” of 13.06. He has also supervised > 50 students for Master Thesis in the Degrees of Neuroscience, Biotechnology, and Molecular Biology. He is member of the Italian Society of Neuroscience, the American Society of Neuroscience, and the Italian Physiological Society. He works as associate review editor for “Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience”, “Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience” and "Frontiers in Medicine". In the year 2017, he was awarded two prestigious and independent scientific recognitions as "Young Investigator": one by the Italian Physiological Society in Pavia and another one by the Federation of European Physiological Societies in Vienna.


Selected Publications (Impact Factor 2023)

• Maya-Vetencourt, et al. 2020. Subretinally injected P3HT nanoparticles rescue vision in a rat model of retinal dystrophy. Nature Nanotechnology 15(8): 698-708. IF 40.5

• Maya-Vetencourt, et al. 2017. A fully organic retinal prosthesis restores vision in a rat model of degenerative blindness. Nature Materials 16(6): 681-689. IF 47.7

• Maya-Vetencourt, et al. 2008. The antidepressant fluoxetine restores plasticity in the adult visual cortex. Science 320(5874): 385-388. IF 63.8


External Fund Raising (Research Grants)

• PRIN 2024-2026. Grant: 205.500 €. Principal Investigator (PI). “Transcriptional regulation of visual cortex plasticity: vision restoration by chemo-optogenetic regulation of the transcriptional repressor REST/NRSF”

• PRIN 2022-2025. Grant: 716.000 €. Local Principal Investigator (Pisa Research Unit).
“Wireless and non-genetic photostimulation of neurons by cell-specific targeting of photovoltaic nanoparticles: application to neurodegenerative diseases of retina and brain”

• PRA 2020-2021. Grant: 84.616 €. Co-Investigator.
“Riprogrammazione anti-infiammatoria della microglia come terapia per la neurodegenerazione retinica"

• CARIPLO 2018-2021. Grant: 400.000 €. Co-Investigator.
"Nanosparks: high-resolution and non-invasive photostimulation strategies to rescue vision and alleviate geriatric frailty in age-related macular degeneration"

• Compagnia di San Paolo (CSP) 2016-2018. Grant: 180.000 €. Principal Investigator (PI).
“Modulation of adult visual cortical plasticity via optogenetic control o