RESEARCH GROUP

Cardiovascular System – Mechanobiology

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

KEY INTERESTSCell Mechanobiology • Cardiac Pathologies • Cardiomyocytes • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells • Bioengineered Tissues

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Identification of potential cellular mechanosensors involved in the onset of cardiac pathologies and suitable as bio-markers of the diseases.

Identification of novel molecular processes involved in cardiac phenotype acquisition. Generation of valuable in vitro models of cardiac diseases.

RESEARCH FOCUSThe Cardiovascular System – Mechanobiology group (CSM) is mainly interested in correlating defects in tissue-specific cell mechanobiology system with the onset of cardiac pathologies. In particular, CSM researchers adopt loss- and gain-of-function approaches, microfluidics and micropatterning technologies to manipulate the mechanosome of adult, pluripotent stem cells and stem cell-derived cardiac cells. CSM takes the advantage of cutting-edge technologies for live imaging, cell separation and high-throughput gene and protein analysis to highlight perturbations in the mechanosensing apparatus occurring in the cardiac tissue and cells derived from patients.

ST. ANNE‘S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL BRNOINTERNATIONAL CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER

Giancarlo FORTE, Ph.D.

E-mail: giancarlo.forte@fnusa.czPhone: (+420) 511 158 281

CREATING THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE

EDUCATION

2005: Ph.D. in Experimental Pathophysiology, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

2000: MSc. in Biological Sciences, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

TRAINING

2010-2013: Senior Scientist, World Premier Institute for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan

CLINICAL RESEARCH CORE FACILITIESBASIC RESEARCHTRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

TOP PUBLICATIONS

MAIN PARTNERS AND COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS University of Porto, Porto, Portugal University of Jena, Jena, Germany Campus Biomedico, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

OFFERED SERVICES AND EXPERTISE Multicolor high quality confocal imaging Live imaging in confocal microscopy 3D confocal rendering Automated MACS cell separation Real Time PCR and PCR arrays Multiphoton analysis of thick biological tissues

BEST RESULTS Identification of YAP protein as the key determinant of cell-ECM interaction. Identification of YAP protein as a novel marker in myocardial infarction. Identification of HGF as a factor involved in MSC differentiation. Generation of human cardiac progenitor cell patches for myocardial infarction treatment.

NARDONE, G., OLIVER DE LA CRUZ, J., VRBSKÝ, J., MARTINI, C., PRIBYL, J., SKLÁDAL, P., PEŠL, M., CALUORI, G., PAGLIARI, S., MARTINO, F., MACECKOVA, Z., HAJDUCH, M., SANZ-GARCIA, A., PUGNO, N., STOKIN, GB., FORTE, G. YAP regulates cell mechanics by controlling focal adhesion assembly. Nature Communications. 2017, 8(MAY), 15321.

MOSQUEIRA, D., PAGLIARI, S., UTO, K., EBARA, M., ROMANAZZO, S., ESCOBEDO-LUCEA, C., NAKANISHI, J., TANIGUCHI, A., FRANZESE, O., DI NARDO, P., GOUMANS, M., TRAVERSE, E., PINTO-DO-O, P., AOYAGI, T., FORTE, G. Hippo Pathway Effectors Control Cardiac Progenitor Cell Fate by Acting as Dynamic Sensors of Substrate Mechanics and Nanostructure. ACS Nano. 2014, 8(3), 2033-2047.

FORTE, G., PIETRONAVE, S., NARDONE, G., ZAMPERONE, A., MAGNANI, E., PAGLIARI, S., PAGLIARI, F., GIACINTI, C., NICOLETTI, C., MUSARO’, A., RINALDI, M., RIBEZZO, M., COMOGLIO, C., PRAT, M., TRAVERSA, E., MINIERI, M., OKANO, T., DI NARDO, P. Human Cardiac Progenitor Cell Grafts as Unrestricted Source of Super-Numerary Cardiac Cells in Healthy Murine Hearts. Stem Cells. 2011, 29, 2051-2061.

FREIRE, A., NASCIMENTO, D., FORTE, G., VALENTE, M., RESENDE, T., PAGLIARI, S., ABREU, C., CARVALHO, I., DI NARDO, P., PINTO-DO-O, P. Stable Phenotype and Function of Immortalized Lin(-)Sca-1(+) Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Long-Term Culture: A Step Closer to Standardization. Stem Cells and Development. 2014, 23(9), 1012-1026.

PAGLIARI, S., VILELA-SILVA, A.C., FORTE, G., PAGLIARI, F., MANDOLI, C., VOZZI, G., PIETRONAVE, S., PRAT, M., LICOCCIA, S., AHLUWALIA, A., TRAVERSA, E., MINIERI, M., DI NARDO, P. Cooperation of Biological and Mechanical Signals in Cardiac Progenitor Cell Differentiation. Advanced Materials. 2011, 23, 514-518.

St. Anne‘s University Hospital BrnoInternational Clinical Research Center

Pekařská 53, 656 91 Brno | Czech Republic | ID: 00159816Phone: (+420) 543 181 111 | E-mail: icrc@fnusa.cz | www.fnusa-icrc.org

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCHTranslating Basic Mechanisms of Development of Disease into Clinical Practice and Vice Versa

TECHNOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT Laboratory equipment for cell sorting, analysis, tissue characterization:

▪Flow Cytometer▪Cell Sorter ▪Multiphoton Microscope

Magnetic Cell Separator – mastering the complexity of cell processing Bioreactors and stretching machines Confocal Laser Scanning

Supported by the project no. LQ1605 Translational Medicine from the National Program of Sustainability II (MEYS CR)