Dr. Sipione is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta, where she also serves as the associate director of the Glycomics Institute of Alberta, and is a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

Dr. Sipione earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Catania, Italy, followed by advanced research training at the University of Milano and the University of Alberta. As a faculty member, she has received prestigious recognitions, including the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scholar Award and a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology of Huntington’s disease.

Dr. Sipione’s research focuses on the role of cholesterol and glycolipids in brain health and disease, with an emphasis on developing novel treatments for neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. Her work has identified dysfunctions in cholesterol and ganglioside metabolism in Huntington’s disease (HD), and led to the discovery of ganglioside GM1 as a potential treatment for HD. Her laboratory is also exploring novel modulatory functions of gangliosides in extracellular vesicle secretion in both brain and cancer cells. Additionally, she is investigating the role of lipid droplets in cellular proteostasis and misfolded protein diseases.