Dipartimento di Chirurgia Pietro Valdoni

Research Laboratory of the Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Pietro Valdoni

 

The scientific activity carried out in the Castro Laurentian Research Laboratory, is focused on the study of vascular, neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), cancer and research in microgravity simulated.

Research in the field of epigenetics is the study of changes in the metabolism of methylation, particularly of DNA methylation, and related diseases. In particular, the study is directed towards neurodegenerative and vascular diseases, linked hyperhomocysteinemia, breast cancer, and other diseases. The research, by in vitro and in vivo studies, is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms in various diseases and possible therapies using epigenetic techniques.

Research in the field of vascular diseases is directed at understanding the mechanisms involved in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis and hyperplasia myointimal, through the study of the regulation of growth factors in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells.

Cancer research is aimed at understanding the mechanisms involved in the process of proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of cancer cells after treatment with drugs or natural products.

The research in simulated microgravity conditions is addressed to the understanding of the effects of the absence of gravity on normal and tumor cells grown in 2D and 3D, with particular reference to the morphological and functional changes.

The main methods used are: Cell culture bi- and tri-dimensional; methods for the study of cell proliferation; flow cytometric analysis for the study of apoptosis and cell cycle; immunological methods for the expression of protein study: immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, Western blot analysis; methods of molecular biology: real time PCR, standard PCR, treatment with restriction enzymes; chromatographic methods with HPLC.