Marco Salvetti is professor and chair of neurology at Sapienza University of Rome.

He received training in Neurology at Sapienza University of Rome and in neuroimmunology at the Max Planck Society for Multiple Sclerosis. He joined the Faculty of Sapienza University in 1990.

During his stay at the Max Planck he showed the existence of true autoantigen (acetylcholine receptor)-specific T-lymphocytes in the healthy immune repertoire and, back in Italy, he described the T lymphocyte response to N-formylated peptides in humans and a model explaining the role of molecular mimicry in determining the immunodominance of T-lymphocyte epitopes.

His research group focuses on the investigation of gene-environment interactions in the etiology of multiple sclerosis. Contributions in this field are new approaches to the analysis of genome-wide association studies, the proposal of a mechanistic, stochastic model for the etiology and clinical course of multiple sclerosis, and analyses of Epstein Barr virus genotypes associated with multiple sclerosis.

The clinical research work of the group focuses on proof-of-concept, repurposing clinical trials. Five of such trials (three in multiple sclerosis and two in rare diseases) have been completed in an independent, academic environment (the Centre for Experimental Neurological Therapies, a Special Project of the Italian MS Society).

He was awarded the Rita Levi-Montalcini award for research on multiple sclerosis in 1999. He is member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society and member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Alliance. He coordinates the Neuroimmunology Study group of the Italian Society of Neurology.