Maria Luisa Brandi - Biography#

I made a series of key contributions in the fields of molecular and cellular endocrinology and of bone diseases that have had major impact on the taxonomy, diagnosis and clinical management of bone and mineral disorders. I developed over 10 permanent cell lines that made possible the understanding of key mechanisms of action for calci-phospho-tropic hormones. I developed in the early years of my career pioneer genetic testsfor hereditary endocrine tumors that made possible the translation of molecular discoveries into clinical practice. I established a solid group of research in Florence, Italy, where we span from basic science to clinical studies on bone and mineral disorders. The cellular models developed in time became useful for our Center and for numerous centers around the world to uncover molecular mechanisms that causes parathyroid, bone and muscle diseases. Clinical Studies from Phase 1 to observational analyses have been carried out in Florence in the past three decades. We serve as reference Center in Italy for patients suffering for common and rare disorders of the parathyroid glands, with a great interest on hereditary endocrine tumors. I have initiated and maintained national and international clinical databases and a biological repository of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndrome Type 1 (MEN1),hypoparathyroidism, hypophosphatemia, and parathyroid carcinoma. In the past decade our interest was extended to rare metabolic bone disorders in the adult and soon we became a leading Center for the diagnosis and therapy of these difficult diseases. This prompted the development of international registries, whose we are active participants, sitting also in the steering committee of three different repositories. These contributions have facilitated the development of clinical guidelines, encompassing MEN 1, hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, osteoporosis, hypophosphatasia, and phosphate wasting disorders. My scientific publications are 974 peer reviewed papers, and 155 book chapters, and I have been invited speaker at >500 national/international scientific meetings.