E-mail: laura.degirolamo@grupposandonato.it
Scopus Author ID: 55319504700
ORCID: 0000-0002-9979-3092
Researcher ID: C-6274-2011

BIO
Laura de Girolamo, PhD was born and grew up in Italy, where she received her MSc in Biology and Ph.D from the University of Milan. She got her post-doctoral training between the Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute and other international centers, including the Cartilage Repair Center, Boston, MA affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is currently the Director of the Orthopaedic Biotechnology Laboratory (OBL) of the Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute in Milan. Her basic and translational research focus is on mesenchymal stem cells, particularly derived from adipose tissue and tendons. The goal of Dr. de Girolamo’s laboratory is to derive biological solutions aimed to promote cartilage, tendon and bone regeneration by improving activity and clinical therapeutic potential of MSCs. Her clinical-related research activity includes the study of cell-based products and growth factors directly derived in surgery room. Her wish to satisfy curiosity into optimizing the real regenerative biological capacity of the musculoskeletal tissues has led her to promote the birth of the REGAIN Centre (REgenerative GAleazzi INstitute), whose she is the current Director. She served as PI or co-PI in several research projects collaborating with national and international research centers. She is author of more than 70 papers and book chapters in orthopedic regenerative medicine, and has been invited speaker at more than 40 national and international congresses and courses.
She is Chair of the Basic Science Committee of the European Society of Sports Traumatology Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) and Chair of the Research Committee of Italian Knee Surgery Arthroscopy Sports and Cartilage Society (SIGASCOT). She was co-founder of the Italian Mesenchymal Stem Cell Group (GISM) and currently member of the Executive Committee.

PUBLICATIONS
Usuelli FG, Grassi M, Maccario C, Vigano’ M, Lanfranchi L, Alfieri Montrasio U, de Girolamo L. Intratendinous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) injection provides a safe, efficacious treatment for Achilles tendinopathy: results of a randomized controlled clinical trial at a 6-month follow-up. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2017 Mar 1
Ambra LF, de Girolamo L, Mosier B, Gomoll AH.Review: Interventions for Cartilage Disease: Current State-of-the-Art and Emerging Technologies. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017 Jul;69(7):1363-1373
Abat F, Alfredson H, Cucchiarini M, Madry H, Marmotti A, Mouton C, Oliveira JM, Pereira H, Peretti GM, Romero-Rodriguez D, Spang C, Stephen J, van Bergen CJA, de Girolamo L.
Current trends in tendinopathy: consensus of the ESSKA basic science committee. Part I: biology, biomechanics, anatomy and an exercise-based approach. J Exp Orthop. 2017 Dec;4(1):18
Perucca Orfei C, Lovati AB, Viganò M, Stanco D, Bottagisio M, Di Giancamillo A, Setti S, de Girolamo L. Dose-Related and Time-Dependent Development of Collagenase-Induced Tendinopathy in Rats. PLoS One. 2016 Aug 22;11(8):e0161590.
Fontana A, de Girolamo L. Sustained five-year benefit of autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis for femoral acetabular impingement-induced chondral lesions compared with microfracture treatment. Bone Joint J. 2015;97-B(5):628-35
de Girolamo L, Niada S, Arrigoni E, Di Giancamillo A, Domeneghini C, Dadsetan M, Yaszemski MJ, Gastaldi D, Vena P, Taffetani M, Zerbi A, Sansone V, Peretti GM, Brini AT. Repair of osteochondral defects in the minipig model by OPF hydrogel loaded with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Regen Med. 2015;10(2):135-51
Stanco D, Viganò M, Perucca Orfei C, Di Giancamillo A, Peretti GM, Lanfranchi L, de Girolamo L.Multidifferentiation potential of human mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue and hamstring tendons for musculoskeletal cell-based therapy. Regen Med. 2015;10(6):729-43
de Girolamo L, Stanco D, Galliera E, Viganò M, Lovati AB, Marazzi MG, Romeo P, Sansone V. Soft-Focused Extracorporeal Shock Waves Increase the Expression of Tendon-Specific Markers and the Release of Anti-inflammatory Cytokines in an Adherent Culture Model of Primary Human Tendon Cells. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2014 Mar 13 [Epub ahead of print]
de Girolamo L, Lucarelli E, Alessandri G, Avanzini MA, Bernardo ME, Biagi E, Brini AT, D’Amico G, Fagioli F, Ferrero I, Locatelli F, Maccario R, Marazzi M, Parolini O, Pessina A, Torre ML, Italian Mesenchymal Stem Cell Group. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells: a new ”cells as drugs” paradigm. Efficacy and critical aspects in cell therapy. Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(13):2459-73
de Girolamo L, Arrigoni E, Stanco D, Lopa S, Addis A, Borgonovo S, Dellavia C, Domeneghini C, Brini AT. Role of autologous rabbit adipose-derived stem cells in the early phases of the repairing process of critical bone defects. J Orthop Research 2011;29:100-8

Education
2005-2008: Ph.D in Medical Pharmacology, University of Milano, Milan, Italy - Thesis at Orthopaedics Biotechnology Lab, lead by Dr. Anna T. Brini at the Department of Medical
Pharmacology entitled: “Il tessuto adiposo fonte di cellule progenitrici per medicina rigenerativa: studio in vitro del potenziale osteogenico e condrogenico e possibili applicazioni cliniche”
1997-2002: M.Sc. Biology, Insubria University, Varese, Italy

Work experiences
2017 – present: Company: Director of RE.GA.INTM (REgenerative GAleazzi Institute), Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute, Milan - Italy
2016: Research Fellowship, Cartilage Repair Center at the Brigham and Women Hospital, Boston (MA, USA) under the direction of Dr. A.H. Gomoll
2009 – present: Director of Orthopaedics Biotechnology Lab, Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute, Milan - Italy.
2006-2009: Junior Researcher and Clinical Trial Assistant, Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute, Milan - Italy
2003-2005: Post-lauream student, Orthopaedic and Traumatology Institute – Biomaterials Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan - Italy

Professional membership
- From 2016 – Chairwoman of the Research Committee of SIGASCOT (Italian Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy and Sport Medicine Society)
- From 2016 - Chairwoman of the Basic Science Committee of ESSKA (European Society Of Sports Traumatology Knee Surgery And Arthroscopy)
- From 2010 – Founding member and member of the Executive Committee of GISM (Italian Mesenchymal Stem Cell Group)

Lab Skills
Isolation, culture and differentiation of primary mammalian cells culture (mainly Mesenchymal stem cells from adipose, bone marrow and tendon tissue, and leucocytes), viability and proliferation assays (MTT, Alamar, Live&Dead, Cyquant, BrdU), ELISA assays, Real Time RT-PCR, mRNA extraction and processing, histology sample preparation and stainings, immunoistochemical techniques, immunofluorescence microscopy techniques.

Clinical trial skills:
Identification of study design, size, endpoints; protocol drafting, clinical monitoring. Analysis of the results and statistical analysis