Donato Santovito

Donato Santovito is a DZHK Professor for Vascular Immunotherapy at the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) of Munich, affiliated with the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK). His research focuses on epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, with particular emphasis on atherosclerosis and its associated immune response.

Dr. Santovito's research centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind canonical and non-canonical features of microRNA function and trafficking, the interaction of multiple epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, and how they contribute to communication between stromal and immune cells within and beyond the vessel wall. His work combines biophysical and molecular biology methods, sequencing techniques, experiments involving transgenic mouse models in vivo, and ex vivo translational studies to identify molecular mechanisms that can be exploited as therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. His investigations particularly focus on non-coding RNAs and histone modifications in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Santovito has received several scientific honors, including:

• Italian Society of Internal Medicine (SIMI), Research Award in Internal Medicine (2013)

As leader of the Santovito Lab for Translational Vascular Therapy, he mentors a research team investigating epigenetics and autophagy in atherosclerosis. His lab has secured funding for studies on microRNA functions and their therapeutic potential in cardiovascular disease. Analysis of his publication record reveals a strong focus on translational approaches to cardiovascular therapeutics, with particular emphasis on identifying molecular targets for intervention in atherosclerosis development and progression.

The Santovito Lab focuses on translational vascular therapy research, studying the role of epigenetics and autophagy in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The lab's work aims to identify molecular mechanisms that can be exploited as therapeutic targets or diagnostic/prognostic markers to improve the standard of care for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, which still account for the first cause of death worldwide.