Short CV:
Dr. Fernanda Ricci is Head of Advanced Cellular Assays at Axxam, an innovative CRO supporting the drug discovery journey. With over 15 years of experience in cell-based assays and phenotypic screening, she leads a multidisciplinary team specializing in high-content screening (HCS), iPSC-derived systems, and 3D cellular models. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biophysics from the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where she began her research in live-cell imaging and biosensors—such as ClopHensor—for real-time measurement of intracellular pH and chloride. Her postdoctoral work at the Italian Institute of Technology focused on high-content screening applied to functional genomics. Dr. Ricci’s current efforts focus on integrating omics technologies, high-dimensional data, and non-animal models to improve translational relevance in early drug discovery. She has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and holds two international patents and one national patent (WO2013001451, EP2045264B1, IT102016000053960). She also developed an image analysis pipeline published on the CellProfiler website (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard): CellProfiler Published Pipelines.
Abstract:
Traditional in vitro and in vivo systems often fail to recapitulate the complexity of the human brain, and consequently to accurately predict a drug’s effectiveness or safety in humans. Therefore, the development of safer and more effective drugs is mandatory and requires human-relevant models that can better predict clinical outcomes.
At Axxam, we are advancing drug discovery by leveraging 3D mini brains, developed in strategic collaboration with Tessara Therapeutics, a leading provider of micro-tissue models. These models capture key aspects of human neural biology and provide a powerful platform to assess compound safety, neurotoxicity, and mechanisms of neurodegeneration with greater translational relevance.
Complementing 3D models, we routinely employ iPSC-derived neural cell types and high-content imaging to establish robust assays for neurotoxicity and exploratory toxicology.
This integrated approach strengthens early decision-making in CNS drug discovery, supports the development of safer therapies, and reduces reliance on animal testing.
