Clinical Instructor
Areas of Interest
Membrane physiology, dopamine and gut-brain axis, bile acids and neurotransmission, neuromodulation
Biography
Dr. Daniele Zanella joined the faculty at the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery in August 2025.
He obtained is Ph.D. in the Experimental and Translational Medicine program from the University of Insubria in 2019. His graduate work developed a model system based on Xenopus laevis oocytes and electrophysiology to study membrane-nanoparticle interactions.
As a Postdoctoral Scholar in Dr. Galli’s lab in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery he investigated the reward system in the context of the gut-brain axis, focusing primarily on psychostimulant addiction and its modulation by surgical and pharmacological interventions.
Dr. Zanella’s current focus is on the development of a novel cellular stimulation platform, with applications spanning from neuromodulation to cancer treatment. His overarching goal is to apply his cross-disciplinary expertise to translational research that can lead to significant improvements in the scientific and medical practice.
Selected Publications
“Cobalt oxide nanoparticles can enter inside the cells by crossing plasma membranes” – Elena Bossi, Daniele Zanella, Rosalba Gornati & Giovanni Bernardini – Scientific Reports | 6:22254 | DOI: 10.1038/srep22254
“Iron oxide nanoparticles can cross plasma membranes” – Daniele Zanella, Elena Bossi, Rosalba Gornati, Carlos Bastos, Nuno Faria & Giovanni Bernardini – Scientific Reports 7: 11413 – DOI:10.1038/s41598–017–11535–z
“The direct permeation of nanoparticles through the plasma membrane transiently modifies its properties.” – Daniele Zanella, Elena Bossi, Rosalba Gornati, Nuno Faria, Jonthan Powell & Giovanni Bernardini – BBA–Biomembranes 1861 (2019)– doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.05.019
“A network of phosphatidylinositol (4,5)–bisphosphate (PIP2) binding sites on the dopamine transporter regulates amphetamine behavior in Drosophila Melanogaster” – Andrea N. Belovich, Jenny I. Aguilar, Samuel J. Mabry, Mary H. Cheng, Daniele Zanella, Peter J. Hamilton, Daniel J. Stanislowski, Aparna Shekar, James D. Foster, Ivet Bahar, Heinrich J. G. Matthies & Aurelio Galli – Molecular Psychiatry –https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380–019–0620–0
“Glucagon–like peptide–1 receptor regulation of basal dopamine transporter activity is species–dependent” – Mathias E. Jensen, Aurelio Galli, Morgane Thomsen, Kathrine L. Jensen, Gerda K. Thomsen, Mette K. Klausen, Tina Vilsbøll, Mikkel B. Christensen, Jens J. Holst, Anthony Owens, Sabrina Robertson, Lynette Daws, Daniele Zanella, Ulrik Gether, Gitte M. Knudsen, Anders Fink–Jensen – May 2020 – Neurochemistry International 138 – DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104772
“Characterization of Transport Activity of SLC11 Transporters in Xenopus laevis Oocytes by Fluorophore Quenching” – Raffaella Cinquetti, Francesca Guia Imperiali, Salvatore Bozzaro, Daniele Zanella, Francesca Vacca, Cristina Roseti, Barbara Peracino, Michela Castagna, and Elena Bossi – SLAS Discovery – https://doi.org/10.1177/24725552211004123
“Bile acids gate dopamine transporter mediated currents.” – Romanazzi T, Zanella D, Cheng MH, Smith B, Carter AM, Galli A, Bahar I, Bossi E. – Frontiers in Chemistry – doi: 10.3389/fchem.2021.753990
“Syntaxin1 Ser14 Phosphorylation is Required for Non-Vesicular Dopamine Release” - Aparna Shekar, Samuel J. Mabry, Mary H. Cheng, Jenny I. Aguilar, Shalin Patel, Daniele Zanella, David P. Saleeby, Yanqi Zhu, Tiziana Romanazzi, Paula Ulery-Reynolds, Ivet Bahar, Angela M. Carter, Heinrich J. G. Matthies, Aurelio Galli – Science Advances – DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8417
“Bile Acid Interactions with Neurotransmitter Transporters” – Tiziana Romanazzi, Daniele Zanella, Manan Bhatt, Angela Di Iacovo, Aurelio Galli, Elena Bossi – Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience – https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2023.1161930
“Bile acids modulate reinstatement of cocaine conditioned place preference and accumbal dopamine dynamics without compromising appetitive learning” – Daniele Zanella, Nicholas K. Smith, J. Andrew Hardaway, Anna Marie Buchanan, Clarence H. Mullins, Aurelio Galli, and Angela M. Carter – Scientific Reports – https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40456-3
Education
Ph.D.
University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Experimental and Translational Medicine
M.Sc.
University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology
Contact
Campus Address
Kaul 830