Dr Lorenzo Odierna

Lecturer in Clinical Neuroscience - School of Science and Technology

Building: McClymont W034 - Rm 395

Biography

Dr Lorenzo Odierna is a lecturer and neuroscientist currently working on understanding how the nervous system functions in health and disease. He joined the University of New England’s School of Science and Technology in 2025.

Dr Odierna completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in 2019 where he explored the role of down syndrome cell adhesion molecules on endosomal biology and synaptic transmission using fruit flies as a model organism. He then completed a short postdoctoral project at the University of Sydney where he investigated the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in treating neuromuscular diseases. In 2021, Dr Odierna was recruited to the Queensland Brain Institute to develop in vitro zebrafish neuron assays to study the function of genes associated with epilepsy and autism. From 2022-2025, he held a postdoctoral position at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute where he investigated the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in motor neuron disease using laboratory rodent models.

Qualifications

Bsc(Hons)

PhD

Awards

Academic Title Holders, tutor, Clinical, Research or Professional Practice Supervisors Award, 2019

International Postgraduate Symposium, Presentation Award, 2015

Annual Australian Fly Meeting, Presentation Award, 2015

Teaching Areas

Dr Odierna’s teaching areas focus on neuroscience. Units he currently teaches into include:

NEUR330/530

NEUR501

NEUR502

Primary Research Area/s

Synapse physiology; Neurotransmitter release; Neurodegeneration; Nervous system development

Research Interests

Dr Odierna is interested in how genes and molecules contribute to the structure and function of brain cells and their connections, called synapses. He uses multi-disciplinary approaches to interrogate neuron and synapse physiology. Dr Odierna’s significant contributions to the field include discovery of a novel mechanism of synaptic homeostasis, uncovering a new signalling pathway utilised by down syndrome cell adhesion molecules, pioneering a premier protocol for long term culture of embryonic zebrafish brain cells, and revealing new factors underlying selective vulnerability of skeletal muscle in motor neuron disease.

Research Supervision Experience

Honours, Masters and PhD

Publications

Odierna GL, Stednitz S, Pruitt A, Arnold J, Hoffman EJ, Scott EK. Generation of stable brain cell cultures from embryonic zebrafish to interrogate phenotypes in zebrafish mutants of neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 2025;418:110426.

Odierna GL, Reale LA, Dickson TC, Blizzard CA. Biological sex determines skeletal muscle atrophy in response to cortical TDP-43 pathology. bioRxiv. 2024:2024.09. 01.610721.

Odierna GL, Kerwin SK, Shin GJ-e, Millard SS. Drosophila larval motor patterning relies on regulated alternative splicing of Dscam2. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2024;17:1415207.

Odierna GL, Vucic S, Dyer M, Dickson T, Woodhouse A, Blizzard C. How do we get from hyperexcitability to excitotoxicity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? Brain. 2024;147(5):1610-21.

Dyer MS, Odierna GL, Clark RM, Woodhouse A, Blizzard CA. Synaptic remodeling follows upper motor neuron hyperexcitability in a rodent model of TDP-43. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 2023;17:1274979.

Odierna GL, Phillips W. Targeting the safety factor for neuromuscular transmission to treat myasthenia gravis: Safety factor for neuromuscular transmission. RRNMF Neuromuscular Journal. 2023;4(3).

Odierna GL, Phillips WD. The Safety Factor for Neuromuscular Transmission: Effects of Dimethylsulphoxide, Cannabinoids and Synaptic Homeostasis. Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases. 2021;8(5):831-44.

Karunanithi S, Lin YQ, Odierna GL, Menon H, Gonzalez JM, Neely GG, et al. Activity-dependent global downscaling of evoked neurotransmitter release across glutamatergic inputs in Drosophila. Journal of Neuroscience. 2020;40(42):8025-41.

Ge D, Odierna GL, Phillips WD. Influence of cannabinoids upon nerve-evoked skeletal muscle contraction. Neuroscience Letters. 2020;725:134900.

Odierna GL, Kerwin SK, Harris LE, Shin GJ-e, Lavidis NA, Noakes PG, et al. Dscam2 suppresses synaptic strength through a PI3K-dependent endosomal pathway. Journal of Cell Biology. 2020;219(6):e201909143.

Memberships

Australasian Neuroscience Society

Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology