A5086520462- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
- Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Galectins and Cancer Biology
- Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans research
- Peptidase Inhibition and Analysis
- Congenital heart defects research
- Protease and Inhibitor Mechanisms
- Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
- Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research
- Nonlinear Optical Materials Studies
- Cell Image Analysis Techniques
- Cardiac Structural Anomalies and Repair
- Multiple Myeloma Research and Treatments
- Diabetes and associated disorders
- Global Health and Surgery
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Chemokine receptors and signaling
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
University of Padua
2020-2024
Science Foundation Ireland
2024
University Hospital Galway
2019-2024
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway
2016-2022
Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of mortality due to irreversible damage cardiac muscle. Inspired by the post-ischemic microenvironment, we devised an extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking hydrogel using catalyst-free click chemistry covalent bonding between two elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs). The resulting customized included functional domains for cell adhesion and protease cleavage sites, sensitive metalloproteases overexpressed after myocardial infarction (MI). scaffold...
Abstract In spite of tremendous advances made in the comprehension mechanotransduction, implementation mechanobiology assays remains challenging for broad community cell biologists. Hydrogel substrates with tunable stiffness are essential tool mechanobiology, allowing to investigate effects mechanical signals on behavior. A bottleneck that slows down popularization hydrogel formulations is assessment their stiffness, typically requiring expensive and sophisticated methodologies domain...
Abstract Generation of artificial vascular grafts as blood vessel substitutes is a primary challenge in biomaterial and tissue-engineering research. Ideally, these should be able to recapitulate physiological mechanical properties natural vessels guide the assembly an endothelial cell lining ensure hemo-compatibility. In this paper, we advance on challenging task by designing fabricating 3D analogues two-photon laser lithography using synthetic photoresist. These scaffolds guarantee human...
Abstract The rising incidence of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and associated long-term high mortality constitutes an urgent clinical issue. Unfortunately, the study possible interventions to treat this pathology lacks a reproducible pre-clinical model. Indeed, currently adopted small large animal models MI mimic only full-thickness, ST-segment-elevation (STEMI) infarcts, hence cater for investigation into therapeutics directed at subset MI. Thus, we develop ovine...
Mammalian hearts have regenerative potential restricted to early neonatal stage and lost within seven days after birth. Carbohydrates exclusive cardiac tissue may be key regulators of potential. Although cell surface extracellular matrix glycosylation are known modulators cellular function development, variation in from maturation has not been fully examined. In this study, the adult rat ventricle showed no variability between two strains analysed, nor were there any differences right or...
Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is characterized by the impairment of microcirculation, necrosis and inflammation muscular tissue. Although role glycans in mediating has been reported, changes glycosylation following muscle remains poorly understood. Here, a murine CLI model was used to show increase high mannose, α-(2, 6)-sialic acid decrease hybrid bisected N-glycans as associated with ischemic environment. Using this model, efficacy an elastin-like recombinamers (ELR) hydrogel assessed. The...
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key pathological signals expressed in inflammatory diseases such as cancer, ischemic conditions and atherosclerosis. An ideal drug delivery system should not only be responsive to these but also elicit an unfavourable host response. This study presents innovative platform for where a natural/synthetic composite composed of collagen type I synthesized polythioether, ensures dual stimuli-responsive behaviour. Collagen is extracellular matrix constituent...
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of terminally-differentiated plasma cells that develops mainly inside the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. It well known autocrine and paracrine signals are responsible for progression this disease but precise mechanism contributions from single cell remain largely unknown. Mesenchymal stem (MSC) an important cellular component BM: they support MM growth by increasing its survival chemo-resistance, little about signaling pathways. Three-dimensional...
The ability of the zebrafish heart to regenerate following injury makes it a valuable model deduce why this capability in mammals is limited early neonatal stages. Although metabolic reprogramming and glycosylation remodeling have emerged as key aspects many biological processes, how they may trigger cardiac regenerative response still crucial question. Here, by using an up-to-date panel transcriptomic, proteomic glycomic approaches, we identify switch from mitochondrial oxidative...
Lectin histochemical analysis of tissues combined with immunohistochemistry is a valuable tool to characterize and correlate the spatial distribution glycans presence specific cell types or antigens interest. The current protocol describes application monosaccharide motif specificity lectin binding glycan residues different tissue types. In addition, we describe stereological methods provide further quantification analyzed tissues. For complete details on use execution this protocol, please...
Mechanical signals are pivotal ingredients in how cells perceive and respond to their microenvironments, synthetic biomaterials that mimic them. In spite of increasing interest mechanobiology, probing the effects physical cues on cell behavior remains challenging for a biology laboratory without experience fabrication biocompatible materials. Hydrogels ideal recapitulating natural extracellular matrices (ECM) deliver cells. Here, protocols streamlined synthesis functionalization adhesive...
Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) have been employed successfully in immunotherapy and regenerative medicine, but their therapeutic potential is reduced considerably by the ischemic environment that exists after transplantation. The assumption preconditioning MSC to promote quiescence may result increased survival upon transplantation gaining popularity.The purpose of this work was evaluate anti-inflammatory effects human bone marrow (hBM-MSC) extracellular vesicles (EVs) grown isolated a...
Event Abstract Back to Towards an elastin-based hydrogel platform for the repair of myocardial infarction Paolo Contessotto1, Gesmi Milcovich1*, Renza Spelat1*, Grazia Marsico1*, Ankit Chaturvedi2*, Doriana Orbanić3*, Tatjana Flora3*, Mark Da Costa1, 4, Mindaugas Rackauskas5*, Heinz Amenitsch6*, Mike Mccartin2*, José Carlos Rodriguez-Cabello3*, Lokesh Joshi7*, Peter Dockery8*, Michelle Kilcoyne7, 9* and Abhay Pandit1 1 National University Ireland, CURÁM, Centre Research in Medical Devices,...
<h3></h3> Heart failure caused by myocardial infarction (MI) is a burgeoning clinical problem. The modulation of post-ischemic remodelling after MI may ameliorate the deleterious effect on cardiac function. Elastin main component ECM and has critical functions in vasculature structures. We hypothesized that an elastin-like recombinamer-based (ELRs) hydrogel could benefit ovine model MI. A novel was developed to mimic patchy regional often seen at coronary revascularization surgery early...
Abstract The rising incidence of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and associated long-term high mortality constitutes an urgent clinical issue. Unfortunately, the study possible interventions to treat this pathology lacks a reproducible pre-clinical model. Indeed, currently adopted small large animal models MI mimic only full-thickness, ST-segment-elevation (STEMI) infarcts, hence cater for investigation into therapeutics directed at subset MI. Thus, we developed ovine...
<h3>Background</h3> Modulation of post-ischaemic remodelling is a significant clinical need.<sup>1</sup> Ischaemia results in the loss millions living cells as result hypoxic condition.<sup>1</sup> However, our tissue programmed to compensate for this by activating program which leads formation fibrotic scar.<sup>1</sup> Inspired natural extracellular matrix, we have developed an injectable elastin-based hydrogel showed marked functional and biological improvements ischaemic hearts using...