IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano

The IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano with two different sites in Lombardy and Pidemonte represents an excellence for neuroscience both from the diagnostic and rehabilitative point of view. The cerebrovascular, neurodegenerative, and neuromuscular together with the demyelinating diseases represent the most frequent pathologies: after a personalized diagnostic approach with the identification of biomarkers (genetic, sera, and peripheral tissue derived) the patients are quickly addressed to the differentiate neurorehabilitation programs.

The two Departments of Neurology related to the academy (University of Milan Medical School and University of Turin, respectively) are able to combine clinical skills with fully equipped laboratory support to identify genetic and non-genetic pathogenetic biomarkers, complemented with cells obtained from the same patient transformed to iPSCs and then to different neural phenotypes, used as bioassay to test new therapeutical strategies. The laboratory work is able to guarantee a personalized approach of the single patient, defining the clinical subtypes in a prospective able to address the most appropriate neurorehabilitation strategy with an academic department of Neurorehabilitation, fully equipped with modern instruments.

The acute cerebrovascular diseases are diagnosed in Milano within a Stroke Unit able to perform acute stroke treatment and rapid neurorehabilitation acting in strict collaboration with a Cardiology O.U. A special interest is devoted to sleep disorders with new technologies able to define sleep disorders in the neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. Neuropshychological evaluations are well structured assuring the most adequate diagnosis, offering also the genetic counselling due to the specific interest in genetics related to neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases.

A special interest is, finally, devoted to clinical trials: the Institution has been selected several times to be referral center in Italy, being part of international consortia and of the European ERN Network (EURO ERN-NMD). The Institute is well organized on the territory, having different centers perfectly organized and centralized with the support of the patient Associations of different neurological diseases to guarantee a better support both to the patients and families.