Originally from Houston, Marissa received her undergraduate degrees in Neuroscience and Biology at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH. There she worked with Dr. Andrew Mickley to gain insight into memory formation and extinction. She completed her thesis research in the same lab studying how signaling pathways in different brain regions contribute to the formation of autistic-like behaviors in rats, for which she received the Edith C. Robinson Award in Developmental Neuroscience and the Thomas Surrarrer Biology Award. After this she moved back to Houston where she worked as a research technician with Dr. Thomas Cooper at Baylor College of Medicine to investigate how coordinated RNA alternative splicing contributes to muscle development, recovery, and disease in cell culture and mouse models. She then received her PhD in Developmental Biology from Baylor College of Medicine where she worked with Dr. Malgorzata Borowiak to better understand the molecular, cellular, and temporal mechanisms regulating endocrine development and physiology in mice and human stem cell based models. Her PhD work was recognized by the Lehmann Outstanding Student Award from Baylor College of Medicine and the Deborah K. Martin Achievement Award in Biomedical Science. After graduating, she strategically joined the lab of Dr. Paul Tesar, a world renowned leader in the field of stem cell and glial biology. In this position, she combined their multi-disciplinary skills in genetics, digestion, stem cells, and glial biology to set the foundation for her research program focused on enteric glial biology. Marissa is a dedicated mentor, is passionate about equity in science, and an advocate for open science.
The importance of her work in enteric glial cell biology has been highlighted through the conferral of numerous awards, including the NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellowship, HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellowship, and the 2024 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology - an international prize awarded annually for the most outstanding neurobiological research by a young scientist over the past three years. She has been invited to speak about her work across the globe, and her work has been supported by the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Digestive Diseases Research Core Center. The Scavuzzo Lab is uniquely equipped to unravel the mysteries of glial cells in the gut.
Research Information
Research Interests
The Scavuzzo lab is captivated by the mechanisms that regulate cell fates and states – not just how a cell acquires their identity, but how they maintain it against all odds when challenged. The digestive system is particularly interesting to study this, as cells must maintain their functions while constantly bombarded by stimuli. The ability to digest food, absorb nutrients, and process waste is required for life. Many of these essential processes are controlled by an independent nervous system called the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS, often referred to as the “second brain,” weaves through every layer of gastrointestinal tissue. The ENS has been called “the brain inside your gut” because it can control many aspects of gut function without input from the brain.
Glia regulate almost every aspect of neurophysiology. In the brain, a heterogeneous group of glia called astrocytes support synapse formation, govern vascular coupling, interact with microglia, regulate metabolism, maintain homeostasis, and respond to pathological cues. Enteric glia in the gut are abundant and diverse, suggesting that subtypes may perform defined functions in a manner that parallels the varied roles of glia in the brain. The Scavuzzo lab develops innovative, multidisciplinary technologies to map the functional states of enteric glial cells in health and across a range of conditions.
Remarkably, disturbances in gut function are documented not only in intestinal and metabolic disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity, but also in neurologic conditions like Parkinson’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Deciphering how enteric glia respond to environmental changes has proven challenging due to the labyrinth of intestinal cell types and the dynamic luminal milieu. Addressing this challenge demands a convergence of multidisciplinary skills and the development of sophisticated cellular and molecular tools. We aim to revolutionize our understanding of homeostasis in the gut and open doors to new therapeutic approaches. The Scavuzzo lab aims to push scientific boundaries to gain mechanistic insight into how enteric glia contribute to intestinal physiology and dysfunction, paving the way towards therapies for the millions of GI and neurodiverse patients suffering from gut disturbances.