2° level degree in Medicine and Surgery – G.D’Annunzio University, Chieti-Pescara (July 2016)
Thesis title: Optical coherence tomography angiography in retinal vein occlusions.
Final degree mark: 110/110 L.
Medical License obtained on February/2017.
Residency in Ophthalmology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan (1/2022)
Large Choroidal Vessels as a Risk Factor for Idiopathic Choroidal Neovascularization Marco Battista, Lisa Checchin, Riccardo Sacconi, Andrea Saladino, Francesco Bandello, Giuseppe Querques Ophthalmic Surgery Lasers and Imaging Retina, 2025 Background and Objective: Idiopathic macular neovascularization (iCNV) is a rare and juvenile maculopathy affecting otherwise healthy individuals. The long-term visual prognosis is better than other CNVs. However, scarce insights on the disease mechanisms have been identified. The role of mechanical compression exerted by a pachyvessel is explored in this study. Patients and Methods: Patients affected by iCNV, with no evidence of previous retinal/uveitis diseases, were retrospectively enrolled. For every patient, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) data and angiographic exams were collected at baseline and after anti-VEGF therapy (follow-up). OCT parameters, including choroidal thickness (ChT), were compared with a dataset from a control group of healthy subjects. Results: Sixteen eyes of 16 patients (18.7% male, 41.2 ± 14.9 mean age) were enrolled. The mean number of intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF to reach anatomical stability was 2.2 ± 1.68. Twelve eyes (75%) displayed at least one large choroidal vessel below (10/12) or in strict proximity (2/12) of the neovascular net. The mean pachyvessel diameter was 80.4 ± 33.3 µm. No statistically significant differences were found at baseline between ChT parameters in the iCNV group and the control group, and no changes in ChT were observed in the iCNV group after the intravitreal treatment. Conclusion: Pachyvessels may act as a local factor in favoring the onset of iCNV. Choroidal thickness did not change during follow-up, excluding inflammatory congestion.
Rasch analysis of the NEI-VFQ-25: vision-related quality of life in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy after lenadogene nolparvovec gene therapy Benson S Chen, Stéphanie Perot, Magali Taiel, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, Mike Horton BMJ Open Ophthalmology, 2025 Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) for measuring vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy receiving lenadogene nolparvovec gene therapy in three Phase III randomised controlled clinical trials. Methods VRQoL was assessed using the NEI-VFQ-25 at baseline (n=174) and 2 years after treatment (n=152). All participants received lenadogene nolparvovec in at least one eye. The scoring structure of the original NEI-VFQ-25 was evaluated for fit to the Rasch model, and a post hoc revision was created and psychometrically reevaluated. Stacked analysis was conducted to compare Rasch-revised scores at baseline and 2 years after treatment. Results The original NEI-VFQ-25 exhibited multiple issues including limitations in response functioning and scale dimensionality. These issues were rectified by revising the NEI-VFQ25 into two separate unidimensional scales measuring ‘Vision-related Activity Limitation’ (VAL) and ‘Socioemotional Functioning’ (SEF). Participants’ mean VAL score at baseline on a Rasch-transformed 0–100 scale was 46.1 (11.7), improving to 48.4 (13.7) after treatment (F(1, 324) = 2.67, p=0.103). On the SEF scale, there was a significant difference 2 years after treatment, with participants improving from a mean score of 40.1 (14.1) at baseline to 49.6 (17.6) (F(1, 324) = 29.1, p<0.001). Conclusions The scoring structure of the original NEI-VFQ-25 has limitations that undermine its psychometric validity as a measure of VRQoL. Using the Rasch-revised NEI-VFQ-25, we determined that improvement in VRQoL after treatment with lenadogene nolparvovec was driven predominantly by an improvement in socioemotional functioning.
Efficacy of Intravitreal Brolucizumab Switch in Pachychoroid Neovasculopathy Nicolò Ribarich, Marco Battista, Lisa Checchin, Riccardo Sacconi, Francesco Bandello, et al. Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2025 INTRODUCTION: , Novartis) in patients affected by pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) who were considered as non-responders to previous anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies, defined as the persistence of intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (SRF), or subretinal hyper-reflective material (SHRM). METHODS: Twenty-three eyes of 21 patients with exudative PNV, who were switched to brolucizumab between April 2021 and December 2023, were retrospectively enrolled. All patients had previously received at least one injection of another anti-VEGF agent. Following the switch (baseline), patients received brolucizumab under a pro re nata regimen and were followed for 12 months. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CT), and height of IRF, SRF, SHRM, and pigment epithelial detachment (PED) were assessed at baseline and at the 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: At 12 months after the switch to brolucizumab (mean 5.26 injections), BCVA remained stable (20/50, 0.4 logMAR). However, significant anatomical improvements were observed, including a reduction in SRF (97-18 µm, p = 0.002), SHRM (75-0 µm, p = 0.008), and CT (379-337 µm, p < 0.001). Resolution of IRF was achieved in 70% of eyes and SHRM in 87%. A median of 2 brolucizumab injections were required to achieve fluid control (absence of both IRF and SRF). Notably, the number of injections needed for complete SRF resolution predicted final BCVA. CONCLUSION: In our cohort of patients with PNV, switching to brolucizumab demonstrated a significant anatomical response, leading to a reduction in exudative features. While BCVA remained stable, the number of brolucizumab injections required to resolve SRF emerged as a predictor of final visual outcome, suggesting that an earlier switch in non-responders might optimize anatomical results. The safety profile of brolucizumab in this study was favourable, with no severe inflammatory adverse events reported.
Machine Learning Applied to Visual Fields of Dominant Optic Atrophy Patients Catarina P. Coutinho, Ferdinando Zanchetta, Michele Carbonelli, Marco Battista, Alice Galzignato, Chiara La Morgia, Giulia Amore, Martina Romagnoli, Giacomo Savini, Luigi Brotto, Paolo Nucci, Leonardo Caporali, Francesco Bandello, Valerio Carelli, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Rita Fioresi, Piero Barboni Translational Vision Science and Technology, 2025 Purpose Identification and quantification of characteristic visual field (VF) patterns in patients with dominant optic atrophy (DOA) using the archetypal analysis (AA) machine learning algorithm. Methods In this retrospective study, we collected 30-2 or 24-2 VFs performed with Humphrey Visual Field analyzer from 144 patients (280 eyes) affected by molecularly confirmed DOA carrying OPA1 heterozygous mutation. The VFs were randomly separated into a training set (224 VFs, 80%) and test set (56 VFs, 20%). An AA model was developed by decomposing the VFs of the training set into archetypes (ATs). Spearman correlations were calculated between ATs’ weights and mean deviation (MD) and visual acuity (VA). Statistical comparison was performed between ATs weights according to mutation subtype groups. Results The DOA-AA model was composed of eight ATs with a high performance in the test set (R2 = 0.88). According to the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) classification, the central/ceco-central scotoma resembling ATs presented the highest weights (24%) followed by superior defects (13%). ATs with more abnormal VF resembling defects correlated most with MD (AT5-8), whereas only the total loss AT7 with VA (P value < 0.01). Subtype mutations linked with worse clinical features had statistically significantly higher weights for worse ATs (AT7, P < 0.001). Conclusions The developed AA model allowed the identification and quantification of VF patterns in DOA. Furthermore, a clinical genotype-phenotype association was supported by the comparison of severity at VF AA decomposition. Translational Relevance AA enables an objective identification of quantifiable visual field defects intrinsic to DOA providing functional details based on genotype.
Wolfram Syndrome: Only a Neurodegenerative Disease or Also a Maculopathy? Beatrice Tombolini, Marco Battista, Enrico Borrelli, Giulio Frontino, Francesco Bandello, Piero Barboni, Maria Lucia Cascavilla Journal of Neuro Ophthalmology, 2024 Tombolini, Beatrice MD; Battista, Marco MD, FEBO; Borrelli, Enrico MD; Frontino, Giulio MD; Bandello, Francesco MD, FEBO; Barboni, Piero MD; Cascavilla, Maria Lucia MDEditor(s): Avery, Robert DO; Golnik, Karl C. MD; Froment, Caroline MD, PhD; Wang, An-Guor MD Author Information
Inner retinal thickness in Stargardt disease Maurizio Battaglia Parodi, Alessandro Arrigo, Lorenzo Bianco, Alessio Antropoli, Andrea Saladino, Lorenzo Pili, Adelaide Pina, Marco Battista, Francesco Bandello European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2024 PurposeTo analyze the alterations at the level of the inner retina in patients affected by Stargardt disease (STGD1).MethodsCross-sectional investigation involving STGD1 patients with genetically confirmed diagnosis, who underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and microperimetry.ResultsOverall, 31 patients (62 eyes) with genetically confirmed STGD1 were included in the study. Mean inner retinal thickness, vessel density of plexa, and retinal sensitivity resulted significantly reduced in STGD patients, compared with healthy controls ( p < 0.05), both in the outer and in the inner ETDRS rings. Overall, 43% of eyes revealed an inner retinal thinning, whereas 21% and 35% showed a thicker or within normal range inner retina.ConclusionsInner retina is irregularly altered in STGD1, showing variable quantitative alterations as detected on OCT. Inner retinal status might represent a useful biomarker to better characterize STGD1 and to ascertain the effects of new treatment approaches.
Childhood-Onset Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy—Clinical and Prognostic Insights Piero Barboni, Chiara La Morgia, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Eun Hee Hong, Marco Battista, Anna Majander, Leonardo Caporali, Vincenzo Starace, Giulia Amore, Antonio Di Renzo, Michele Carbonelli, Paolo Nucci, Neringa Jurkute, Benson S. Chen, Roberta Panebianco, Anna Maria De Negri, Federico Sadun, Vincenzo Parisi, Francesco Bandello, Alfredo A. Sadun, Valerio Carelli, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2023
Indirect Comparison of Lenadogene Nolparvovec Gene Therapy Versus Natural History in Patients with Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Carrying the m.11778G>A MT-ND4 Mutation Valerio Carelli, Nancy J. Newman, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, Valerie Biousse, Mark L. Moster, Prem S. Subramanian, Catherine Vignal-Clermont, An-Guor Wang, Sean P. Donahue, Bart P. Leroy, Robert C. Sergott, Thomas Klopstock, Alfredo A. Sadun, Gema Rebolleda Fernández, Bart K. Chwalisz, Rudrani Banik, Jean François Girmens, Chiara La Morgia, Adam A. DeBusk, Neringa Jurkute, Claudia Priglinger, Rustum Karanjia, Constant Josse, Julie Salzmann, François Montestruc, Michel Roux, Magali Taiel, José-Alain Sahel, , Valerio Carelli, Piero Barboni, Michele Carbonelli, Lidia Di Vito, Giulia Amore, Manuela Contin, Susan Mohamed, Chiara La Morgia, Sara Silvestri, Pietro D’Agati, Nancy J Newman, Valérie Biousse, George Baker Hubbard, Ghazala O’Keefe, Andrew M. Hendrick, Michael Dattilo, Jason H. Peragallo, Eman Hawy, Lindreth DuBois, Deborah Gibbs, Alcides Fernandes Filho, Jannah Dobbs, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, James Acheson, Hayley Boston, Maria Eleftheriadou, Simona Esposti, Maria Gemenetzi, Lauren Leitch-Devlin, William R. Tucker, Neringa Jurkute, Asma Burale, Shweta Anand, Muhammad A. Memon, Rima Hussain, Rasha Jorany, Priyansha Sheel, Mark L. Moster, Robert C. Sergott, Melissa SantaMaria, Heather Tollis, Adam A DeBusk, Julia A. Haller, Maria Massini, Prem S. Subramanian, Paula Pecen, Marc Mathias, Mary Preston, Steve Cho, José A. Sahel, Catherine Vignal-Clermont, Jean François Girmens, Rabih Hage, Lise Plaine, Wahiba Khemliche, An-Guor Wang, Hui-Chen Cheng, Celia Chen, Jeong-Min Hwang, Chuanbin Sun, Sean Donahue, Shriji Patel, Sapna Gangaputra, Megan Barrett, Scott Ruark, Saige Wilkins, Bart P. Leroy, Julie De Zaeytijd, Caroline Van Cauwenbergh, Hilde Verhauwen, Thomas Klopstock, Claudia B. Catarino, Claudia Priglinger, Siegfried Priglinger, Günther Rudolph, Stephan Thurau von Livonius Bettina, Daniel Muth, Armin Wolf, Jasmina Al-Tamami, Angelika Pressler, Cosima Schertler, Martin Hildebrandt, Michael Neuenhahn, Alfredo A. Sadun, Gad Heilweil, Rustum Karanjia, Irena Tsui, Gema Rebolleda Fernández, Laia Jaumendreu Urquijo, Francisco J. Negrete Muñoz, Elizabeth Fortin, Bart K. Chwalisz, Dean Cestari, Rudrani Banik, Katy Tai, Lorena Castillo, Virginia Garcia, Antonio Morilla Francesco Bandello, Piero Barboni, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Marco Battista, Francesca Calcagno, Adelaide Pina, Stéphanie Leruez, Rod Forooza Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2023
Retinal vascular impairment in Wolfram syndrome: an optical coherence tomography angiography study Marco Battista, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Domenico Grosso, Enrico Borrelli, Giulio Frontino, Giulia Amore, Michele Carbonelli, Riccardo Bonfanti, Andrea Rigamonti, Costanza Barresi, Chiara Viganò, Beatrice Tombolini, Anna Crepaldi, Marina Montemagni, Chiara La Morgia, Francesco Bandello, Piero Barboni Scientific Reports, 2022
Characterisation of macular neovascularisation in geographic atrophy Riccardo Sacconi, Maria Brambati, Alexandra Miere, Eliana Costanzo, Vittorio Capuano, Enrico Borrelli, Marco Battista, Mariacristina Parravano, Eric H Souied, Francesco Bandello, Giuseppe Querques British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022
Capturing the Pattern of Transition From Carrier to Affected in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Michele Carbonelli, Chiara La Morgia, Martina Romagnoli, Giulia Amore, Pietro D'Agati, Maria Lucia Valentino, Leonardo Caporali, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Marco Battista, Enrico Borrelli, Antonio Di Renzo, Vincenzo Parisi, Nicole Balducci, Valerio Carelli, Piero Barboni American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022
The Pattern of Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss in Wolfram Syndrome is Distinct From Mitochondrial Optic Neuropathies Piero Barboni, Giulia Amore, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Marco Battista, Giulio Frontino, Martina Romagnoli, Leonardo Caporali, Cristina Baldoli, Laura Ludovica Gramegna, Elisa Sessagesimi, Riccardo Bonfanti, Andrea Romagnoli, Roberta Scotti, Maria Brambati, Michele Carbonelli, Vincenzo Starace, Claudio Fiorini, Roberta Panebianco, Vincenzo Parisi, Caterina Tonon, Francesco Bandello, Valerio Carelli, Chiara La Morgia American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022
Biobanking for COVID-19 research Patrizia ROVERE-QUERINI, Cristina TRESOLDI, Caterina CONTE, Annalisa RUGGERI, Silvia GHEZZI, Rebecca DE LORENZO, Luigi DI FILIPPO, Nicola FARINA, Giuseppe A. RAMIREZ, Marco RIPA, Nicasio MANCINI, Elisa CANTARELLI, Laura GALLI, Andrea POLI, Francesco DE COBELLI, Chiara BONINI, Angelo A. MANFREDI, Stefano FRANCHINI, Marzia SPESSOT, Michele CARLUCCI, Lorenzo DAGNA, Paolo SCARPELLINI, Alberto AMBROSIO, Davide DI NAPOLI, Emanuele BOSI, Moreno TRESOLDI, Adriano LAZZARIN, Giovanni LANDONI, Gianvito MARTINO, Alberto ZANGRILLO, Guido POLI, Antonella CASTAGNA, Elisa VICENZI, Massimo CLEMENTI, Fabio CICERI, and Panminerva Medica, 2022
Natural history of patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy—results from the REALITY study Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, Nancy J. Newman, Valerio Carelli, Chiara La Morgia, Valérie Biousse, Francesco M. Bandello, Catherine Vignal Clermont, Lorena Castillo Campillo, Stephanie Leruez, Mark L. Moster, Dean M. Cestari, Rod Foroozan, Alfredo Sadun, Rustum Karanjia, Neringa Jurkute, Laure Blouin, Magali Taiel, José-Alain Sahel, for the LHON REALITY Study Group, Rima Hussain, Rasha Jorany, Priyansha Sheel, Lindreth DuBois, Michele Carbonelli, Lidia Di Vito, Martina Romagnoli, Adam A. DeBusk, Maria Massini, Rabih Hage, Gad Heilweil, Irena Tsui, Virginia Garcia, Antonio Morilla, Piero Barboni, Maria Lucia Cascavilla, Marco Battista, Francesca Calcagno, Adelaide Pina Eye Basingstoke, 2022
CXCL10 levels at hospital admission predict COVID-19 outcome: hierarchical assessment of 53 putative inflammatory biomarkers in an observational study Nicola I. Lorè, Rebecca De Lorenzo, Paola M. V. Rancoita, Federica Cugnata, Alessandra Agresti, Francesco Benedetti, Marco E. Bianchi, Chiara Bonini, Annalisa Capobianco, Caterina Conte, Angelo Corti, Roberto Furlan, Paola Mantegani, Norma Maugeri, Clara Sciorati, Fabio Saliu, Laura Silvestri, Cristina Tresoldi, Bio Angels for COVID-BioB Study Group, Nicola Farina, Luigi De Filippo, Marco Battista, Domenico Grosso, Francesca Gorgoni, Carlo Di Biase, Alessio Grazioli Moretti, Lucio Granata, Filippo Bonaldi, Giulia Bettinelli, Elena Delmastro, Damiano Salvato, Giulia Magni, Monica Avino, Paolo Betti, Romina Bucci, Iulia Dumoa, Simona Bossolasco, Federica Morselli, Fabio Ciceri, Patrizia Rovere-Querini, Clelia Di Serio, Daniela M. Cirillo, Angelo A. Manfredi Molecular Medicine, 2021
OCT-A characterisation of recurrent type 3 macular neovascularisation Riccardo Sacconi, Marco Battista, Enrico Borrelli, Alexandra Miere, Eleonora Corbelli, Vittorio Capuano, Lea Querques, Eric H Souied, Francesco Bandello, Giuseppe Querques British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2021
Ocular Features and Associated Systemic Findings in SARS-CoV-2 Infection Michele Cavalleri, Maria Brambati, Vincenzo Starace, Luigi Capone, Francesco Nadin, Matteo Pederzolli, Francesca Gorgoni, Carlo Di Biase, Eleonora Corbelli, Marco Battista, Alessio Grazioli Moretti, Domenico Grosso, Francesco Bandello Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, 2020
Relationship between nerve fiber layer hemorrhages and outcomes in central retinal vein occlusion Adrian Au, Assaf Hilely, Jackson Scharf, Frederic Gunnemann, Derrick Wang, Ismael Chehaibou, Claudio Iovino, Christelle Grondin, Marie-Louise Farecki, Khalil Ghasemi Falavarjani, Nopasak Phasukkijwatana, Marco Battista, Enrico Borrelli, Riccardo Sacconi, Brittany Powell, Grant Hom, Tyler E. Greenlee, Thais F. Conti, Gerardo Ledesma-Gil, Mehmet Yasin Teke, Netan Choudhry, Adrian T. Fung, Valerie Krivosic, Jiwon Baek, Mee Yon Lee, Yoshimi Sugiura, Giuseppe Querques, Enrico Peiretti, Richard Rosen, Won Ki Lee, Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, Dinah Zur, Anat Loewenstein, Daniel Pauleikhoff, Rishi Singh, Yasha Modi, Jean Pierre Hubschman, Michael Ip, SriniVas Sadda, K. Bailey Freund, David Sarraf Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2020
Recent developments in maculopathy Francesco Bandello, Marco Battista, Maria Brambati, Vincenzo Starace, Alessandro Arrigo, Maurizio Battaglia Parodi Current Concepts in Ophthalmology, 2019
Diabetic Macular Edema Francesco Bandello, Rosangela Lattanzio, Ilaria Zucchiatti, Alessandro Arrigo, Marco Battista, Maria Vittoria Cicinelli Clinical Strategies in the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy A Step by Step Guide for Ophthalmologists Second Edition, 2018
