Thanks to his Comprehensive Atlas of Brain Lipids, Gioele La Manno from Palermo has won the 2026 Eppendorf Prize – Science for Neurobiology, a “very prestigious” award rarely given to Europeans. “It’s the fruit of many years of work, a long journey that almost no one thought possible,” said La Manno, 36, group leader at the EPFL. The Atlas, published in Nature, documents 539 previously unidentified types of lipid cells that may influence neuronal communication and diseases such as glioblastoma.
Manno explained that lipids, previously considered “nothing more than the concrete walls of a building,” exhibit a “great variety” that opens up new research perspectives. The work, conducted with the support of Giovanni D’Angelo of EPFL, used techniques such as mass spectrometry and mathematical algorithms to analyze the differences in neuronal lipids. “This opens up possibilities for studying mechanisms we don’t yet understand,” she emphasized.
🎉 Congratulations to Gioele La Manno, winner of the 2026 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology for his innovative experiments that have uncovered intricate layers of organization in the brain’s lipids—and have deciphered how these fatty molecules shape the diversity of… pic.twitter.com/9xkHUKMbSP
539 Lipid Cell Types Redefine Brain Research
The Atlas identified 539 types of lipid cells, each with a potential role in nervous system health and disease. Manno spent eight years developing techniques to analyze these molecules, a project she began after graduating in biotechnology in Palermo and continuing with a doctorate at the Karolinska Institutet. “Until recently, lipids were thought to be nothing more than the concrete walls of a building,” she noted, adding that her research has revealed a “great diversity” that “reflects the capabilities of the entire cell.”
From Palermo to Losanna: A Career Shaped by Ambition
Manno, recruited to EPFL in 2018 at the age of 28, described her career as guided by a “compass” that “directed choices” toward institutions offering “the most beautiful, interesting, and impactful things.” The 2026 prize, she emphasized, “is rarely awarded to Europeans,” an honor that adds to a career path that has seen the researcher move from Palermo to Stockholm and then to Lausanne. The coming years will be dedicated to “deciphering the practical role that each lipid configuration plays in the development, health, and pathologies of the nervous system.”
La Manno’s work, which took eight years to create the Atlas, represents a step forward in understanding the brain, with implications for neurological diseases and research into previously unexplored cellular mechanisms.
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