Erika Bronzato

Dr. Erika Bronzato


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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7 October 2026 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
FSFrancesco Silvestri
Francesco Silvestri
EBErika Bronzato
Erika Bronzato
ISIlaria Scambi
Ilaria Scambi
VAValerio Arietti
Valerio Arietti
LSLuca Sacchetto
Luca Sacchetto
Ermanna TuranoErmanna Turano
Ermanna Turano
The olfactory neuroepithelium (ON) collected with nasal swabs (NS) is a valuable source for studying brain processes in physiological and pathological conditions, due to its anatomical proximity to the brain and heterogeneous neural cell population. In this proof-of-concept study, we developed a protocol for co-culturing distinct cellular populations from ON, establishing a human olfactory neuroepithelium cell culture (hON) model from healthy individuals (HIs) without differentiation factors. We characterized the cellular composition of ON samples at harvesting, identifying sustentacular cells (Pan-CK+), neuronal cells (PGP9.5+), and ciliated respiratory cells (βIV-tubulin+) by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. We assessed the expression and distribution of TDP-43, Tau, and α-synuclein, together with their phosphorylated isoforms, to establish a physiological reference profile. Furthermore, Seeding Amplification Assay (SAA) analysis, including disease-positive and healthy control cohorts, confirmed the absence of aggregated protein species in HIs. While p-Tau and p-α-syn localization was preserved between collection and culture, p-TDP-43 displayed neuron-specific nuclear redistribution upon culture, suggesting distinct regulatory dynamics. Longitudinal monitoring revealed that hON cultures maintain a stable neuronal population for up to 21 days, after which cells transition toward a fibroblast-like phenotype. This study establishes NS-derived hON as a feasible model for investigating neurodegenerative mechanisms, providing a baseline for disease comparisons.