Stefano Vassanelli was born in Padova, Italy, in 16-06-1968 and received the degree cum Laude in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Padova in 1992. For his doctoral thesis he obtained in 1992 the “Casati” price awarded from the “Accademia Nationale dei Lincei”. In 1993 he spent one year as Post Docr at the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, Dpt. of Biochemistry, (Portland. Oregon, USA), in the laboratory of Prof. K.D.Garlid. There, he contributed to clarify the working mechanism of the uncoupling protein (UCP-1), which is involved in the thermogenesis by mitochondria of the brown adipose tissue. In 1994 he started a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology and Pathology at the Dept. of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padova. From 1995 to 2000, he was Post Doc at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Dpt. Membrane and Neurophysics (Martinsried, Germany) directed by Prof. P.Fromherz, working on the first recording of rat neurons by semiconductor-based field-effect-transistors. In 1999 he obtained the PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology and Pathology. In 2002 he won the second price in the StartCup competition for high technology applied research organized by the Universities of Padova and Bologna. Since 2000 he is leading a research group at the University of Padova, Dpt. of Human Anatomy and Physiology, section of Physiology. The current research activity of Prof. Vassanelli is focused on the development of new biotechnologies based on the application of microelectronics to biology and medicine. Silicon microchips are interfaced with mammalian neurons, muscle cells or transfected cell lines for the characterization of ion channels and the assessment of their involvement in human pathologies. Here, field effect transistors and capacitors integrated in the microchip are used to monitor and control ions displacements between cell and semiconductor. Silicon microchips are also used for introducing molecules such as drugs or genetic constructs into single cultured cells. Implantable chips are developed for recording and stimulation of neuronal networks “in vivo”. These techniques offer promising applications for basic research in life science, for high throughput screenings directed to identify drugs and genes functions and for neuroprosthetics. Other activities in collaboration with other groups include the effect of electromagentic fields on ion channels and neurons and the role of anti-GAD antibodies in the pathogenesis of epilepsy.