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. He leads the Laboratory of Experimental and Applied Medical Technologies, serves as a collaborating researcher at Istituto Clinico Humanitas, and is currently affiliated with the Cellular Mechanosensing and Functional Microscopy Centre at Imperial College London. Further information about the laboratory is available at: www.tecmedlab.unipr.it.

 

He is the Director’s Delegate for Departmental Research and the Director’s Delegate for the VQR (Italian Research Quality Assessment). He also serves on the University Spin-Off Committee.

 

He obtained his degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Parma and earned a PhD in Systemic Pathophysiology. He then completed postdoctoral training at the University of Bern (2003–2008), investigating cardiac arrhythmogenic mechanisms and the pathogenic role of fibroblasts using transmembrane potential optical mapping. In March 2008, he moved to Imperial College London (Wellcome Trust), where he combined scanning ion conductance microscopy with optical mapping to correlate structural changes in membrane microdomains with cellular bioelectrical properties, helping to open new avenues in cardiac nanomedicine.

In 2012, he returned to Parma supported by the Italian Ministry of Health “Young Researchers” grant, establishing his research group at the University while running a parallel group at Humanitas Research Hospital (IRCCS) in Milan.

 

Publications and metrics

 

  • Over 100 peer-reviewed papers in international journals including Science, Science Translational Medicine, PNAS, Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Circulation, Circulation Research, Hepatology, and Nano Letters, among others.

  • H-index: 40 (Google Scholar)

  • Citations: >6,900

  • Average Impact Factor: 7.52

  • Patents: 2

  • Book chapters: 3

 

Major awards

 

  • 2014: NanoDay – Best Oral Presentation

  • 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 Physiological Society

 

Scientific activities

 

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

Member of scientific societies: British Heart Foundation Center of Research Excellence (UK), Swiss Physiological Society, Italian Society of Cardiovascular Research, European Society of Cardiology (Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology; Working Group on Myocardial Function), and the Italian Society of Experimental Biology.

Review and editorial activity: reviewer for ERC Grants (since 2017), ETH Grant Reviewers Committee (since 2014), Editorial Board member for Frontiers in Physiology (Frontiers of Cardiovascular Physiology, since 2013), and reviewer for multiple journals including Nano Letters, Cardiovascular Research, Circulation Research, Circulation, Environmental Health Perspectives, and Scientific Reports.

 

Grants and funding

 

Horizon 2020, FP7, Italian Ministry of Health, Wellcome Trust, PRIN, Nanomax Flagship Projects, EuropeAID, MUR PON 2021–2027, and 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

 

 

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