1. Creator and coordinator of an international survey involving 15 European neurosurgical centers with expertise in awake surgery and brain mapping. The survey aims to understand the differences in techniques and methodologies used during mapping and intraoperative monitoring. Furthermore, the survey will clarify the incidence and causes of intraoperative epileptic seizures and the need for perioperative antiepileptic drugs.

2. Long-standing collaboration with the European Study Group on Low-Grade Brain Gliomas. Thanks to this scientific collaboration, numerous contributions have been produced (see "Scientific Publications" 9, 16, 41, 45, 47, 49, 56, 58, 69).

3. Collaboration with a French study group to analyze the correlation between brain tumors and Ollier-Maffucci disease .

4. Collaboration with CeRiN (Center for Neurological Rehabilitation) in Rovereto, directed by Professor Gabriele Miceli, for the development of new language tests to be used during awake surgery. Specifically, we have been able to demonstrate that the use of specific tests for naming actions (and not just still images) during awake brain tumor surgery allows us to discriminate a significantly greater number of areas crucial to language than traditional naming tests.

 

5. Among the very first to document the use and effectiveness of ultrasound in visualizing intracranial structures through PMMA bone opercula ( Spencer G, Guerrini F, Grimod G, Salmaggi A, Mazzeo LA. In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding "Polymethyl-Methacrylate Cranioplasty Is an Effective Ultrasound Window to Explore Intracranial Structures: Preliminary Experience and Future Perspectives". World Neurosurg. 2019 Sep;129:548)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Co-founder of the startup "UpSurgeOn." This company aims to produce simulators for neurosurgical approaches using a scientific validation method, integrating physical reality, virtual reality, and augmented reality, leveraging the enormous potential of smartphones. The company has already achieved enormous global success, thanks to the scientific community's recognition of the high quality of its simulators and their key role in training young surgeons and residents. More than 30 dissection courses have been conducted on simulators worldwide, both at prestigious universities (Miami, Mayo Clinic, Royal College of Surgeons UK and Ireland) and in low-income countries (Cameroon, Senegal, Tunisia, Philippines). This type of project allows for "life-like" dissections to be performed at a lower cost than in cadaver labs. The future goal is to incorporate this type of training into the curriculum for residents to attempt to "certify" certain surgical skills. Currently UpSurgeOn is an LLC that employs approximately 20 people (programmers, digital artists, bioengineers)

7. In 2019 UpSurgeOn was awarded the SME Horizon 2020 grant (1.6 million Euro)