Cell and molecular therapies for the heart

The main focus of this laboratory is the critically ill cardiac patient. In particular, the development of new stem cell-based therapeutic strategies and the identification of novel risk stratification markers for patients with ischemic heart disease represent our major long-term goals. We are also interested in the physiopathology of many cardiac diseases: acute coronary syndromes, cardiac inherited arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiac amyloidosis, pulmonary hypertension.

The laboratory is following several lines of basic and translational research: development of a “clinical grade” stem cell product for the treatment of ischemic heart disease, stem cell paracrine mechanisms, adult stem cell differentiation, disease modeling using iPSC technology, role of miRNA in the cardiovascular system.

The Laboratory collaborates with several national and international research groups. Dr Gnecchi is co-Chair of the Cardiovascular Committee of the International Society of Cell Therapy.

Selected Papers

Conditioned medium from human mniotic esenchymal stromal cells limits infarct size and enhances angiogenesis. Danieli P, Malpasso G, Ciuffreda MC, Cervio E, Calvillo L, Copes F, Pisano F, Mura M, Kleijn L, de Boer RA, Viarengo G, Rosti V, Spinillo A, Roccio M, Gnecchi M. Stem Cells Transl Med. 4(5):448-58 (2015). doi: 10.5966/sctm.2014-0253.

Combination of miRNA499 and miRNA133 exerts a synergic effect on cardiac differentiation. Pisano F, Altomare C, Cervio E, Barile L, Rocchetti M, Ciuffreda MC, Malpasso G, Copes F, Manuela M, Patrizia D, Viarengo G, Zaza A, Gnecchi M. Stem Cells 33(4):1187-1199 (2015). doi: 10.1002/stem.1928.

The unstoppable attraction for induced pluripotent stem cells: are they the magic bullet for modeling inherited arrythmogenic diseases ? Gnecchi M, Schwartz PJ. J Am Coll Cardiol 11;60(11):1001-4 (2012). doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.04.019.