Elena Cattaneo OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛːlena katˈtaːneo]; born 22 October 1962) is an Italian pharmacologist and co-founding director of the University of Milan's Center for Stem Cell Research. She is an internationally prominent Huntington's disease researcher and stem cell research advocate. She is internationally recognised for her major commitment to research ethics and research policy, and for increasing knowledge and engagement in research among the general public. On 30 August 2013, she was appointed senator for life in the Italian Parliament.