Dr. Fabrizio Pennacchio

I am a senior postdoc in the Vogel’s lab since June 2022. My scientific journey began with my graduate studies in material science and engineering, when I started to be intrigued by biomaterials.
During my PhD in bioengineering, I focused on the development of cell-instructive materials, a special class of bio-platform precisely engineered on the micro and nano-scale to properly interact with cells and guide their behavior.
Then, I extended my interest in mechanobiology as junior postdoc at FIRC Institute of molecular oncology (IFOM) in Milan, joining the spatio-temporal organization of the nucleus research group. There, I worked in quantitative mechanobiology, with a special emphasis on how mechanical forces impact upon nucleus and cytoplasm volume regulation in mammalian cells. This period allowed to complement my “bioengineering” background with new skills both in molecular biology and biophysics.
Recently, I joined the Vogel’s lab where I started a“coagulation mechanobiology” project, aiming to understand how blood cells, with special focus on human platelets, generate physical and mechanical stimuli underlying the biochemical and biomechanical reactions involved in blood coagulation.
We move from a single cell approach to a multicellular levelanalysis (i.e. 3D clot characteristics) to get a deeper comprehension of the coagulation biomechanics as a basis to design more effective therapies for bleeding associated disorders.

Main research tools:
• Light-microscopy combined with quantitative image analysis for high-throughput morphometric screening
• State-of-the-art super-resolution microscopy for nanometer resolution
• Microfabricated post-array-detectors (mPADs) to measure single cell traction forces
• Micropatterning as a tool to control the geometry of cellular adhesion and substrate rigidity

Are you interested?
I am always happy to supervise semester-, bachelor- or master-students. Don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will explain you my research in more detail.