She received her BS and MSc summa cum laude in human genetics from the University of Cagliari and PhD in medical genetics and neuroscience from the Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, and University of California, San Diego. She and her collaborators were first to discover changes in the PINK1 gene that cause Parkinson's disease (PD) and linked mitochondria -- the powerhouses of cells -- and the process of autophagy with PD. Her recent research efforts are focused on the development of new gene therapies for Parkinson's. Her recent publications describe the p11 gene as the first potential target for treating both motor symptoms of PD and dyskinesia. She currently studies the role of sexual dimorphism -- biological differences between men and women -- in the onset and drug-induced complications of Parkinson's disease