Maria Cimini, PhD

Research Interests

I am cardiovascular scientist with a strong commitment in understanding the differences in cell communications between physiological and pathological conditions and mechanisms that can be modulated to recover the equilibrium in the injured tissue and restore the organ function. During my B.S. and M.S. degrees, I studied histopathology of the heart, the lymphatic system and mesenchymal cell phenotypes using transmission electron microscopy. Throughout my pre-doctoral studies, I investigated the novel role of lymphatic vessels in cardiac progenitor cell trafficking after myocardial infarction and during these studies, I noticed, by serendipity, that the glycoprotein Podoplanin (PDPN), a specific lymphatic endothelial cell marker, was expressed with an unexpected heterogeneity by non-lymphatic cells in ischemic hearts. Since PDPN binds a receptor expressed on immune cells, I immediately understood that de novo expression may represent a sign of activation. Thus, during my PhD I investigated and characterized the cell populations that acquire PDPN after myocardial infarction (MI) in a time-dependent manner. During my postdoctoral training, I focused on cell-to-cell communication of Podoplanin positive cells (PDPN+ cells), and during the first year of my post-doc, I published my findings regarding interactions between PDPN+-expressing cells and PDPN-binding cells (macrophages). At present, my research aims to fill gaps in cardio-pathology and describe how PDPN acquisition enables mesenchymal stromal cells to orchestrate inflammation and repair after ischemia through paracrine communication.

Educational Background

• PhD, University of Bologna, Italy

Memberships

• American Heart Association
• Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS)

Honors & Awards

• Awarded with American Heart Association Career Development Award Grant, 2023
• First Place -Poster Competition Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS), AHA, 2022
• First Place-Poster Competition, Department of Cardiovascular Science, annual retreat, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, 2022
• Young Investigator Award of the Basic Cardiovascular Science committee of the American Heart Association, 2021
• American Heart Association Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 2020
• First Place -Poster Competition-Post Doctoral division at the Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society (MAPS) of ASPET, 2019
• Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Abstract Travel Grant, 2018

Digital Bibliography

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