SilkFusion is coordinated by Prof. Alessandra Balduini, head of the “Laboratory of Study on Megakaryocyte Function” which is based at the University of Pavia, one of the world’s oldest academic institutions.
The laboratory is located at the ‘Istituto Golgi-Spallanzani’, in the Department of Molecular Medicine, a multidisciplinary department in which basic and clinical research integrate to bridge the gap between the two halves to further the understanding of the molecular basis of several major diseases and develop new diagnosis and therapies.
Alessandra Balduini, has a broad background in hematology, with specific training and expertise in research of stem cell and megakaryocyte biology, as well as in the clinical aspects of the diseases related to platelets and clotting processes.
Alessandra Balduini’s research focuses on how the different components of the bone marrow microenvironment regulate platelet production. In the last decade, she developed the groundwork for modelling human bone marrow by bioengineering a new 3D model made of silk that fully recreates the physiology of the living bone marrow niche environment and allows functional platelet production ex vivo.
Laboratory of Study on Megakaryocyte Function
University of Pavia
Department of Molecular Medicine
Alessandra Balduini’s research
