Prof.

MIRAGOLI MICHELE

Professore di II fascia
Settore scientifico disciplinare
Scienze tecniche mediche e chirurgiche avanzate
  • Presentation
  • Office hour
  • Teaching
  • Appointments
  • Research

Dr. Michele Miragoli is an Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Head of the Laboratory of Experimental and Applied Medical Technologies, and a researcher in affiliation with the Humanitas Clinical Institute. He is also an Honorary Researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Biomedicine, CNR, a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Cardiovascular Research, and affiliated with the Cellular Mechanosensing and Functional Microscopy Centre at Imperial College London.

He earned his degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Parma and completed a PhD in Systemic Pathophysiology. He then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Bern (2003–2008), where he studied cardiac arrhythmia mechanisms and the pathogenic role of fibroblasts using transmembrane potential optical mapping. In March 2008, he joined Imperial College London (Wellcome Trust), combining ion conductance microscopy with optical mapping to correlate structural changes in membrane microdomains with cellular bioelectric properties, opening new avenues in cardiac nanomedicine research.

In 2011, he returned to Parma through the Italian Ministry of Health “Young Researchers” grant, establishing his research group at the University and simultaneously a second group at the Humanitas Clinical Institute IRCCS, Milan.

Publications and Achievements:

  • >90 peer-reviewed articles in international journals such as Science, Science Translational Medicine, PNAS, Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Circulation, Circulation Research, Hepatology, Nanoletters, among others.

  • H-index: 39 (Google Scholar), citations: >6,700, average IF: 7.52.

  • Patents: 1; book chapters: 3.

Major Awards:

  • 2009: Italian Young Investigator Research Prize, Italian Society of Cardiovascular Research

  • 2008: Swiss Cardiovascular Biology Prize, Swiss Society of Cardiology

  • 2007: Best Poster Competition, Gordon Research Conference, Cardiac Arrhythmia Mechanisms, California, USA

  • 2004: Asher-Hess Prize, Swiss Society of Physiology

Scientific Activities:

  • Speaker and session chair at numerous national and international conferences (American Heart Association, Biophysical Society, European Society of Cardiology, Gordon Research Conference).

  • Memberships: British Heart Foundation Center of Research Excellence (UK), Swiss Physiological Society, Italian Society of Cardiovascular Research, European Society of Cardiology (Working Groups on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology and Myocardial Function), Italian Society of Experimental Biology.

  • Reviewer: ERC Grants (2017–), ETH Grant Reviewers Committee (2014–), Biomed Research International (guest editor 2014), Editorial Board Frontiers of Cardiovascular Physiology (2013–), and reviewer for journals including Nano Letters, Cardiovascular Research, Circulation Research, Scientific Reports.

Grants and Funding: Horizon 2020, FP7, Italian Ministry of Health, Wellcome Trust, PRIN, Nanomax Flagship Projects, EuropeAID, MUR PON 2021–2027, PNRR ECOSISTER.

Please contact by phone before arrange an appointment

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2025/2026

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2024/2025

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2023/2024

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2022/2023

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2021/2022

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2020/2021

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2019/2020

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2018/2019

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2017/2018

Anno accademico di erogazione: 2016/2017

Professor/Teacher

Other appointments

visiting professor

Director’s Delegate for Departmental Research 2024-2027

Director’s Delegate for the Research Quality Evaluation (VQR) 2024-2027

Member of the University Spin-Off Committee 2024-2026

Member of the Scientific Committee for Area 06

PhD

Honorary Research Associate at NHLI Imperial College London (UK)

Honorary Research Associate at CNR - IRGB (IT)

Research Associate at Humanitas Clinical and Research Center (IT)

Membro of Ph.D. committee for: 

Dept. of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering  at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, host Dr. Tomaso Zambelli

Dipartimento di Scienze Chiurgiche, Odontostomatologiche e Materno-Infantili, Università di Verona

Lines of research

Our research focus is on the mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias and potential therapeutic strategies, with an emphasis on patient-specific medical-technological development. Diseased hearts exhibit alterations beginning at the nanometer scale, which affect the physiology of subcellular microdomains. We believe that a nanometer-level approach, based on engineered and functionalized nanomaterials, can provide targeted solutions to combat specific cardiac pathologies. Available technologies In vitro: Optogenetics Laser-capture microdissection Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM) Non-linear imaging Flow cytometry Longitudinal Optokinematic Incubation (LOKI) Seahorse metabolic analysis In vivo: High-resolution spatiotemporal electrical mapping (MUX) Video acquisition of cardiac kinematics (ViKiE) Diode-based optical stimulation system (OPTOCardio) PowerLab for hemodynamic measurements Langendorff perfusion system for ex vivo studies Main research lines Interaction between airborne nanoparticles and cardiac tissue We have shown that inhaled nanoparticles can cross the alveolar–pulmonary barrier and reach the heart, exerting pro-arrhythmic effects depending on their physicochemical properties. Current studies focus on the chronicity of these effects and interactions with other cardiac conditions, using 3D in vitro models to analyze nanoparticle distribution. European Project NANOKOS: www.nanokos.org ERC Project Mameli: https://mameli.unimi.it Cardiac nanomedicine for drug delivery via inhalation This project exploits the same inhalation route used by environmental nanoparticles to deliver cardiospecific therapeutics (miRNAs, aptamers) through engineered nanomaterials, tuning their physicochemical properties and dosage for optimized efficacy. Horizon Project CUPIDO: www.cupidoproject.eu Nanomaterial interactions with infarcted tissue for anti-arrhythmic therapy The goal is to reduce post-infarction arrhythmias using biocompatible patches containing nanomaterials designed to integrate with damaged myocardial tissue. This research combines nanomaterial physics, biology, medicine, mathematical modeling, toxicology, and physiology. High-resolution video-based cardiac kinematic measurements Our ViKiE system, based on computer vision, records beating cardiac tissue and analyzes contraction speed, force, and energy using an algorithm derived from classical Hamiltonian equations. Ongoing developments aim to optimize this technology, incorporate 3D vision, and align ViKiE with gold-standard techniques. Organoid-on-chip: personalized medicine for congenital heart diseases We develop patient-derived iPSC organoids for electromechanical studies and high-throughput functional screening, using the LOKI system to analyze large-scale electromechanical coupling. For more information: www.tecmedlab.unipr.it

Publications

Contacts

Phone number
903256
Office location

Via Gramsci 14

Building 27, Traversa 2C

Office 2 Floor