Francesca Capotosti, PhD, joined AC Immune in January 2013 and is project leader of the alpha-synuclein imaging program aimed at identifying small molecules as PET imaging agents for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Capotosti also is the lead biology scientist of the tau imaging program, partnered with Piramal, as well as of the small molecule therapeutic program for tau. The development and validation of new assays to identify small molecules binding to alpha-synuclein and tau aggregates in human tissues, as well as small molecules interfering with tau aggregation, misfolding and toxicity has been the main focus of Dr. Capotosti's work over the last five years.

Prior to joining AC Immune, Dr. Capotosti worked in different academic institutions. She received her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2010 and worked has a post-doctoral fellow at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in the bioengineering department.