Cardiovascular Pharmacology: Open Access

Luisa Mestroni

Luisa Mestroni
Professor, Division Of Cardiology
University of Colorado Cardiovascular Institute, USA

Biography

I started my early career in Italy (1979) under the mentorship of Prof. Fulvio Camerini, past Chair of the European Society of Cardiology Nucleus on Myocardial and Pericardial Disease at the University Hospital of Trieste. In 1989, at the University of Utah with Dr. Michael Bristow, I started a molecular genetics approach to myocardial disease. From 1991 to 1998, I worked at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (United Nations), where I expanded my research on molecular genetics of cardiomyopathy. In 1998, I joined the University of Colorado, to lead a new program of clinical and molecular genetics. The program is now well established, it includes both clinical care and basic science, and it has trained a number of graduate and post-graduate students.My cardiovascular research has focused on the discovery of Mendelian genes causing dilated cardiomyopathy and other more rare forms of heart muscle disease. My laboratory has discovered several genes and gene mutations and studied the association with the phenotype to provide tools in the clinical setting for diagnosis and therapy. I found that several pathways may be involved, ranging from mechanics of cytoskeleton, to force production, energy production, storage, ion homeostasis and signalling. More recently, I have expanded my research interests toward rare genetic forms of cardiomyopathies, advanced genome and nano science to investigate heart disease with novel tools. I am member of the AHA Pacific Mountain Research Committee since 2007, I served in several review boards of the NIH and AHA and I have recently participated in the expert panel for the development of the AHA guidelines for genetic testing in cardiomyopathies.
 

Research Interest

Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Arrhythmogenic right Ventricular Dysplasia, Left ventricular noncompaction and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy