Andrea Ballabio
Discovered TFEB, the transcription factor that links lysosomes to mTORC1
MD, University of Naples · founding director of the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples (1994–2024), now principal investigator there · Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Naples Federico II
Portrait: Human Technopole / TIGEM
Andrea Ballabio trained as a pediatrician in Naples before moving into genetics, first identifying disease genes at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and then, from 1994, building TIGEM in Naples into one of Europe's leading rare-disease research institutes.
His lab showed that TFEB, a transcription factor best known for driving lysosomal and autophagy genes, is itself a direct substrate of mTORC1: when nutrients are abundant, mTORC1 phosphorylates TFEB and keeps it out of the nucleus, and during starvation TFEB moves in and switches on a program of lysosomal biogenesis and clearance. The finding reframed the lysosome as a signalling hub that talks back to mTORC1, not just a passive recycling bin.
The timeline below follows Ballabio's contributions gathered in this Atlas.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | M | TFEB links autophagy to lysosomal biogenesis SET2011 Shows TFEB links autophagy induction to lysosomal biogenesis, launching the concept of the lysosome as a coordinated transcriptional program. |
| 2012 | M | A lysosome-to-nucleus signalling mechanism senses and regulates the lysosome via mTOR and TFEB SET2012 Shows mTORC1 phosphorylates TFEB at the lysosomal membrane and controls its nuclear entry, revealing a lysosome-to-nucleus signalling loop. |
| 2020 | M | A substrate-specific mTORC1 pathway underlies Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome NAP2020 Shows a substrate-specific mTORC1 pathway underlies Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, tying TFEB/TFE3 regulation to a hereditary kidney-tumour disorder. |
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Andrea Ballabio is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- upcoming Keystone Symposia: Tumor and Host Metabolism — Integrating Molecular, Cellular, and Systemic Interactions 2027 ↗ 7–10 Mar 2027 · Princeton, NJ, USA · Tier 2