Valentina Fossati, Ph.D., is a senior research investigator at The Jackson Laboratory in New York City, where she leads research developing human induced pluripotent stem cell–based models of the central nervous system. Her work focuses on human glial biology and its roles in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, supporting JAX’s mission to advance human health through genetics and biology.
Her laboratory uses reductionist yet physiologically relevant human systems to study intrinsic and extrinsic disease mechanisms, cell-to-cell interactions, and genetic background effects on neuronal and glial function. Access to a fully automated iPSC production and differentiation pipeline enables large-scale, highly controlled studies across genetically diverse lines and supports high-throughput drug discovery. Analytical approaches include single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, secretome profiling, electrophysiology and functional assays.
Fossati pioneered methods to generate iPSC-derived oligodendrocytes and helped establish iPSC-based research in multiple sclerosis. Trained at the University of Bologna and Mount Sinai, she joined JAX following the organization’s 2025 acquisition of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.