Personale docente

Francesca Zimetti, PhD
PERSONAL DATA
Date of birth: January 20, 1976.
Place of birth: Parma, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Affiliation: Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma
Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Email: francesca.zimetti@unipr.it
Tel: +39 0521 906172

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Since 2022 Associate Professor (BIO-14) at the Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Italy
RESEARCH CAREER
2018-2021 Research Assistant Professor (RTD-B, BIO-14), Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma Italy.
2013-2018 Research Assistant Professor (RTD-A, BIO-14), Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma Italy.
2008-2013 Post-doctoral researcher (BIO-14), Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
2006-2007 Post-doctoral researcher, laboratory of lipid metabolism directed by Dr. Rothblat, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, USA.
2004-2006 PhD student, laboratory of lipid metabolism directed by Dr. Rothblat, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, USA.
2002-2003 Research Fellowship, Department of Pharmacological and Biological Sciences and Applied Chemistry, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

EDUCATION
2006 PhD in Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
2002 MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology (110/110 cum Laude), University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY
My research background focuses on the cardiovascular system area, regarding both basic and applied research, aimed to the investigation of mechanisms regulating lipid homeostasis and its modulation for the prevention and therapy of cardiovascular diseases. These studies are performed mainly in vitro and ex vivo, by using cell-based assays and different techniques and evaluating several cholesterol metabolism-related parameters, such as endogenous cholesterol synthesis, cholesterol uptake, distribution at the plasma membrane and efflux. Research activity also focuses on the study of HDL capacity to promote cholesterol efflux, as index of HDL function, and its modification in several clinical conditions associated to higher cardiovascular risk, or after pharmacological or nutraceutical treatments. Recently, the research interest has moved to the study of lipid metabolism and its potential alterations in Alzheimer's disease in the search of novel lipid-based pharmacological targets.

HONORS
2013 Award for the best oral presentation at the 36th national congress of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF), Torino, Italy.
2013 Award by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) for the best research project of Pharmacology in cardio-metabolic area.
2012 Award for the best oral presentation at the Convegno Monotematico della Società Italiana di Farmacologia (SIF) “Nuove frontiere nella terapia dell’aterosclerosi”, Milano, Italy.
2009, 2011-2015 Travel Grants by the Italian Society for Atherosclerosis (SISA) for the best abstracts submitted to the Annuals meetings.
2006 Young Investigator Poster Award at the XIV International Symposium on Atherosclerosis (ISA), Rome, Italy.
2005 New Investigator Travel Award at the 6th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Washington, DC, USA.

MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF), the Italian Society of Atherosclerosis (SISA), the International Society of Arteriosclerosis (ISA), the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) and the European Lipoprotein Club (ELC).
MEETINGS
Francesca Zimetti participated at several (about 170) national and international scientific meetings with both poster and oral presentations, including invited oral lectures (8).

INVITED LECTURES
2020 88th EAS Congress, Virtual Edition. Workshop: Lipoprotein receptors and lipid transport.: Lipoprotein transport in the brain.
2019 International Symposium HDL –BEYOND ATHEROSCLEROSIS Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. Role of brain HDL in cholesterol trafficking and in central nervous system diseases.
2017 Giornata della Ricerca del Centro E. Grossi Paoletti, Milano (Italy). Inflammation and lipid-related serum lipoprotein functions.
2016 30° Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana per lo Studio dell'Arteriosclerosi (SISA), Roma. Lipidi, lipoproteine e cervello.
2016 Convegno Società Italiana Studi sull’Aterosclerosi (SISA) sezione Emilia Romagna, Parma, Italy. PCSK9, metabolismo lipidico cerebrale e malattia di Alzheimer.
2013 Convegno Regionale S.I.S.A. – Sezione Emilia Romagna “Il rischio cardiovascolare: nuove acquisizioni e prospettive” - Ferrara, Italy. Aterosclerosi e malattia di Alzheimer.
2010 3rd Workshop on Lipid Metabolism And Vascular Biology-Stockolm, Sweden. Effect of Berberine on cellular cholesterol efflux.
2005 Workshop on Lipid Metabolism and Vascular Biology, Karolinska Institute-University of Parma, Stockolm. Measurement of bidirectional flux between cells and lipoprotein.

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY
2022 Academic Editor of Mediators of inflammation
2022 Member of the Editorial Board of Atherosclerosis Plus
2020 Guest Editor of the Special Issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine entitled: Pharmacological Lipid Strategies for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
2021 Review Editor of the Special Issue of Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences entitled: Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics.

MEETINGS ORGANIZATION
2018 Member of the Scientific and local committee for the organization of the IV Whorkshop on Lipid Metabolism and Vascular Biology, University of Parma - Karolinska Institutet, Parma, Centro S. Elisabetta – Campus Universitario 8-10 october 2018.

FUNDED PROJECTS
2018 Scientific project funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. Title of the project: AGAINST-AD - tArGeting brAIn cholesterol traNSporT in Alzheimer’s Disease. Role: Responsible of Operative Unit.
2018 Scientific project funded by Amgen Inc. (PCSK9 Competitive Grant Program) Title of the project: EXplorIng the paThophysological role of PCSK9 in Alzheimer’s Disease: focus on inflammation and lipid metabolism (EXIT-AD). Role: Co-Investigator.
2018 Finanziamento delle attività base di ricerca – FFABR MIUR.
2016 Scientific project funded by the Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Title of the project: Role of gut microbiota in calcific aortic valve stenosis pathogenesis. Role: co-investigator.
2014 Scientific project funded by the University of Parma. Title of the project: Potential mechanisms of increased cardiovascular risk related to alterations of HDL cholesterol efflux capacity in patients with vasculitides. Role: PI.

PUBLICATIONS
Author of 54 peer reviewed-publications
H-INDEX: 22 (Scopus)
Total citations: 1830 (Scopus)