Bio:
Lucio Barile, PharmD, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and Head of Division at the Institute for Translational Research, USI–EOC. He earned his PhD in Experimental Medicine from Sapienza University of Rome. He was a research fellow at the Cardiobiology Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University (USA) and a postdoctoral fellow at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy. Formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, he was subsequently appointed Affiliate Professor at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa. Since 2019, he has led the Laboratory for Cardiovascular Theranostics, directing a multidisciplinary team focused on translational cardiovascular research. He also serves as Deputy Coordinator of USI’s PhD School in Biomedical Sciences. Prof. Barile is a leading researcher in extracellular vesicle (EV) biology applied to cardiovascular medicine. He has pioneered the use of EVs derived from cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) as regenerative, cell-free therapies and diagnostic tools in cardiology. He was among the first to demonstrate that CPC-derived EVs reduce infarct size and improve cardiac function. He also led the development of Exo-GMP, a patented, clinical-grade EV product shown to promote fibrosis reduction, functional recovery, and angiogenesis in large-animal models. Beyond therapeutic applications, his laboratory has advanced EV molecular profiling for precision diagnostics, including a machine learning–based test for cardiac allograft rejection and the EVaging index, an EV signature associated with cardiovascular risk in aging populations.
Abstract:
Early studies provided some of the first evidence that EVs exert cardioprotective effects, introducing a cell-free therapeutic paradigm. Subsequent work elucidated key molecular mechanisms underlying EV-mediated signaling in cardiac cells and was recognized with the Best Basic Research Paper Award by Cardiovascular Research. These discoveries enabled the translational development of Exo-GMP, a clinical-grade EV product. Optimization, scale-up, and standardization of Exo-GMP resulted in patented technologies and successful validation in large-animal models, underscoring its potential for clinical application.
In parallel, an independent diagnostic research line has been developed to characterize biofluid-derived EVs using advanced molecular profiling techniques. Surface protein and membrane lipid signatures of plasma- and serum-derived EVs were defined, leading to the development of standardized EV-based diagnostic assays. These approaches demonstrated that EV molecular profiles can detect and stage cardiac allograft rejection following heart transplantation. More recently, computational analyses of EV signatures have been applied to stratify cardiovascular risk and to characterize systemic inflammatory and procoagulant EV responses.
Hosts: Extracellular Vesicle Research Team & Board Members – Dr. C. Zivko, Prof. B. Gantenbein, PD A. Gazdhar, Dr. A. Gheinani, Prof. P. Luciani, Prof. K. Monastyrskaya-Stäuber, Prof. A. Schoeberlein and Prof. D. Stroka, Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland
The DBMR Research Conference takes place from 5pm - 6pm.
