LIBERO VITIELLO, Curriculum Vitae Present address: Department of Biology University of Padova e-mail: libero.vitiello@bio.unipd.it Education Jul. 1988: Degree in Biological Sciences, University of Padova, final evaluation: Summa cum Laude. Title of the thesis: "Deletion mutations of the DMD-BMD locus: screening by molecular intragenic probes”. Nov. 1989 to Sept. 1993: Ph.D. student in the “Genetic Sciences” joint program between University of Ferrara and University of Padova. Title of the thesis: "Mutation analysis in coding and regulative sequences of the human dystrophin gene”. Professional experience Nov. 1993 to Dec. 1996: Post-Doctoral fellow in Dr. Ron Worton laboratory at the Department of Genetics of the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto), working on the project "Liposome-mediated gene therapy of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy". Collaboration, involving frequent visits, with the Liposome Research Unit of the University of British Columbia and with INEX Pharmaceuticals Inc., Vancouver. Dec. 1996 to Sept 1998: Researcher funded by Telethon Italia, at the Center for Innovative Biotechnologies of the University of Padua. Sept 1998 to present: Researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Padova, working at the Department of Biology. Aug 2013 to Sept 2014: Visiting Scientist at the Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering of the University of Toronto. Present research activity Study of macrophage-produced myogenic factors in relation to skeletal muscle regeneration/repair, isolation and expansion of myogenic stem cells in vitro and to down-regulate adipogenesis in diseased muscle. Study of anti-MAO molecules as therapeutic agents in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Collaboration with Dr. Marcella Canton and Prof. Bert Blaauw, University of Padova). Use of in vivo murine models to study the pathogenic mechanisms of causative mutations in inherited Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (collaboration with Dr. Alessandra Rampazzo, University of Padova). Collaboration with Dr. Carlo Nobile (CNR Italy) to study the functional effects of causative mutations in a type of inherited epilepsy Collaboration with Dr. Penney Gilbert (University of Toronto) to create in vitro 3D models of human skeletal muscle. Pre-clinical trial on anti-inflammatory molecules in dystrophic muscle (Dr. Luisa Gorza, University of Padova). Collaboration with Dr. Cesare Gargioli, University of Rome and Dr. Francesco Fascetti Leon (University of Padova) to create 3D muscle construct for the correction of congenital ano-rectal malformations.