Jessica Gambardella

Jessica Gambardella was born in Naples in 1990, and since childhood she was passionate about biology and science. In 2014, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Medical Biotechnology summa cum laude at University of Naples "Federico II". In 2018, she got my PhD in Translational Medicine at University of Salerno, with a research project focused on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and multimorbidities; her passion for cardiovascular diseases and the underlying molecular mechanisms stems from these studies. During her PhD and Postdoctoral training, she built her experience in studying vascular biology with particular attention to endothelial dysfunction, focusing on the role of calcium signaling, microRNA, and mitochondrial biology as implicated molecular mechanisms in several contexts of cardiovascular diseases. Her assiduous work and her enthusiasm gave her the opportunity to participate in several international conferences receiving awards including Young Investigator Award in Basic and Translational Science, Heart Failure (ESC-2019), Scholarships for young scientists, (EAACI 2018 in Munich and 2019 in Lisbon). Moreover, she grew her passion and scientific knowledge by meeting and interacting with important exponents of the field; for instance, in 2018, she was selected as one of the promising young scientists for participation into the “Nobel Prize Laureate week” at Lindau, Germany, one week of formation and inspiration with 30 Nobel Laureates in Medicine and Physiology, one of the best experience in her life. In 2020, she won a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellow from the American Heart Association (AHA) to study the role of vascular tone in heart failure in the Lab of Prof. Gaetano Santulli, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. During the pandemic outbreak, they focused their research on the mechanistic role of endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19, as most clinical manifestations can be attributable to endothelial damage (thromboembolism, kidney failure, diabetes exacerbation, neurological disorders). They were the first group worldwide to show endothelial involvement in SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting a new aspect of COVID-19 useful for patients management and treatment. They are currently working on examining the molecular mechanisms underlying the endothelial involvement in COVID-19, and their data are encouraging and promising.