Prof. Dr. Alessandro Prigione specializes in mitochondrial medicine and stem cell–based disease modeling. He earned his MD from the University of Milan (2002) and his PhD from San Raffaele University (2008), with research training in neurological and mitochondrial disorders in Italy, the USA (UC Davis), and Germany (Max Planck Institute). 

Since 2019, he has been a tenured Associate Professor of Pediatric Metabolic Medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. 

Prof. Prigione’s research focuses on using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), genome editing, and patient-derived neuronal models to study rare mitochondrial neurodevelopmental disorders, especially Leigh syndrome. His team identified a repurposable drug that recently received Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with a clinical trial in preparation. 

He serves on several scientific committees—including ISSCR, AFM Telethon, Mitocon Italy, and the World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria—and is scientific advisor to the Cure Mito Foundation. Since 2021, he has been Editor-in-Chief of Stem Cell Research. His awards include the 2017 Career Advancement Initiative Award, the 2021 Award for Outstanding Achievements from the World Mitochondria Society, and the 2024 Eva Luise Köhler Research Award for Rare Diseases.