Year
2025
Principal Investigator
Platform 1
Platform 2
Location
Italy, IT
Abstract
Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are neurovascular anomalies caused by mutations in CCM genes, disrupting brain capillary homeostasis. With no pharmacological therapies and surgery as the only curative option, there is an urgent need for humanized models to study CCM pathogenesis and identify new treatments. Current CCM models lack perfusion, a critical extrinsic factor that influences endothelial cell behaviour. This project aims to develop perfused vascular models (e.g. organoids and OoC) carrying homozygous or heterozygous CCM mutations - the latter modelling a predisposed genetic background vulnerable to environmental "second hits." The strategy includes: (1) CCM gene editing, (2) generation of vascularized models, (3) integration of physiological flow to mimic brain perfusion, and (4) use of this model to test drug candidates and environmental modulators such as hypoxia or inflammation. This platform merges genetic and tissue engineering with advanced microscopy and precision medicine, enabling mechanistic insight and therapeutic discovery in a clinically relevant context.
Objectives
- Objective 1 - Develop CCM1-mutated cell lines to model the early stages of cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) formation in both homozygous and heterozygous genetic backgrounds, using advanced gene-editing tools.
- Objective 2 – Develop 3D vascular models that mimic cavernoma-like structures as predictive of CCM human disease and employment of advanced microscopy approaches for model’s characterization.
- Objective 3 – Engineer a microfluidic device with controlled flow to study CCM lesion development under physiological conditions and to investigate the effects of environmental modulators (e.g., hypoxia, inflammation) relevant to personalized medicine strategies.
Collaborators
- University of Turin, Turin
- CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology, Lecce
- Unisalento, Lecce
- Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma
Key 5 publications
- 1. Guarino et al., Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2025
- 2. De Luca E. et al., Journal of Cell Science, 2021
- 3. De Luca E. et al., ACS Omega, 2018
- 4. Goitre, L., De Luca E. et al., Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2013
People
- Saverio Francesco Retta, Full Professor at the Departiment of Clinical and Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Turin; Founder and coordinator of the CCM Italia research network (CCM Italia); Founder and honorary president of the Associazione Italiana Angiomi Cavernosi (AIAC)
- Vita Guarino, Post Doc, Unisalento, Department of Experimental Medicine.
- Valentina Arima, Senior Researcher, CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology.
- Alberto Rainer, Full Professor at the Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma.
- Antonio Galeone, Researcher, CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology.