Team leaders: Giuseppina CALIGIURI (DR INSERM) & Antonino NICOLETTI (PU UPC)
The “Cardiovascular Immunobiology” team conducts research on the interaction between cardiovascular tissue and the immune system’s activation in response to various stimuli. Our goal is to design new strategies for vasculoprotection.
Our team has a long-standing interest in understanding the role of immune effectors in cardiovascular disease. The immune system’s activation in response to injury is critical for tissue healing and restoring balance. Our focus is now on the triggers of the inflammatory response, or the “primum movens“, with the goal of discovering strategies to steer immune effectors from harmful to beneficial behavior.
Our research activity relies on specific skills and tools: immunology, cell and molecular biology, experimental animal models, and up-to-date fluorescent analysis core (cytometry and microscopy). During the past 6 years, we have implemented our strategies with cross-disciplinary expertise and cutting-edge methods. For instance, we have set-up a fab lab for assisting our innovative approaches with custom solutions and have implanted the analysis of molecular interaction and gene expression on tissue sections (proximity ligation assay and spatial transcriptomics). Furthermore, we have developed skills combining chemistry and bioengineering (bioactive coating for endovascular devices) as well as physics and biology (role of mechanics and temperature in cell biology and cardiovascular pathophysiology).