Anna Urciuolo
University of Padua, Città della Speranza Foundation, University College London
Research areas: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Molecular Biology · Muscle Physiology and Disorders · Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine · 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
0000-0001-7571-9747
About
Anna Urciuolo is Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova (Italy), and holds an honorary Lecturer position at University College London (UCL, UK). She graduated in Medical Biotechnology in 2007 and completed her PhD in Genetics and Developmental Biology, at the University of Padova in 2011.
During her postdoctoral training in Italy and the UK, she worked in diverse research environments, integrating basic biology and animal models with stem cell technologies and bioengineering approaches. Her research focuses on how the cellular microenvironment and extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate stem cells and skeletal muscle in health and disease.
Following an initial postdoctoral appointment at the University of Padova, where she investigated collagen VI-related muscular dystrophies and skeletal muscle regeneration, she moved to UCL to specialize in tissue engineering approaches, including decellularized muscle scaffolds, for regenerative medicine.
In 2016, she returned to Italy to join the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Padova, where she developed an innovative 3D bioprinting approach known as intravital 3D bioprinting.
In 2018, she was awarded a STARS@UNIPD grant as Principal Investigator, hosted by the Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, marking the start of her independent research career. She subsequently expanded her work to human induced pluripotent stem cells, organoid models, and biomaterials.
Since late 2019, she is leading the Neuromuscular Engineering Laboratory at the Pediatric Research Institute “Città della Speranza” (Italy).
Employment
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University of Padua Associate Professor2026 - Present
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University of Padua Assistant Professor2021 - 2026
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Città della Speranza Foundation Principal Investigator2020 - Present
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University of Padua Senior Research Associate - Principal Investigator2018 - 2020
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University of Padua Postdoctoral Research Fellow2016 - 2018
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University College, London Postdoctoral Research Fellow2014 - 2015
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University of Padua Postdoctoral Research Fellow2011 - 2013
Education
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University of Padua PhD in Bioscience, curriculum “Genetics and Developmental Biology”2008 - 2011
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University of Padua Master's Degree in Medical Biotechnology2005 - 2007
Projects & Funding
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Engineering human neuromuscular organoids using the tissue-specific extracellular matrix MUR2025 - 2028
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RNA-based combinatorial multi target therapy for the treatment of inherited neuromuscular diseases Telethon Foundation2025 - 2030
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Modeling and targeting the mechanisms underlying cancer-cachexia using human neuromuscular system in vitro models AIRC2023 - 2028
Publications (43)
- Extracellular Vesicles From Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Drive Muscle and Neuronal Regeneration Through TNFα Modulation Save
- Human neuromuscular organoids mimic cancer-induced muscle cachexia Save
- Tissue-engineered neuromuscular organoids Save
- Engineering Assembloids to Mimic Graft‐Host Skeletal Muscle Interaction Save
- In situ tailored confining microenvironment for lung cancer spheroids Save
- Quantifying mechanical forces during vertebrate morphogenesis Save
- Tunable Hydrogel Confinement via On-Chip 3D Printing for Studying Cancer Cell Migration Save
- Hydrogel-in-hydrogel live bioprinting for guidance and control of organoids and organotypic cultures Save
- Native extracellular matrix promotes human neuromuscular organoid morphogenesis and function. Save
- Editorial: New trends in biomimetic tissue and organ modelling Save
- Quantifying mechanical forces during vertebrate morphogenesis Save
- Customized bioreactor enables the production of 3D diaphragmatic constructs influencing matrix remodeling and fibroblast overgrowth Save
- Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Micropatterned Ectoderm Allows Cell Sorting of Meso-Endoderm Lineages Save
- Mitochondrial fission links ECM mechanotransduction to metabolic redox homeostasis and metastatic chemotherapy resistance Save
- Quantifying mechanical forces during vertebrate morphogenesis Save
- Three-dimensional in vitro models of neuromuscular tissue Save
- Four-dimensional hydrogel-in-hydrogel bioprinting for the spatiotemporal control of organoid and organotypic cultures Save
- Decellularized Skeletal Muscles Support the Generation of In Vitro Neuromuscular Tissue Models Save
- 3D ECM-Rich Environment Sustains the Identity of Naïve Human iPSCs Save
- Four-dimensional hydrogel-in-hydrogel bioprinting for the spatiotemporal control of organoid and organotypic cultures Save