Federica Marelli-Berg

Professor Federica Marelli-Berg is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professor of Cardiovascular Immunology and Centre Lead of Biochemical Pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). She holds a medical degree from the University of Milan (1989) and specialized in Hematology at the University of Pavia (1993). After completing her PhD at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (1997), she advanced to a Governors’ Lectureship at Imperial College London (2000) before becoming a Professor of Immunology there. Since 2011, she has been at QMUL, leading the Biochemical Pharmacology Centre (2014) and earning the prestigious BHF Chair in 2016.

Research Focus: Her work centers on T-cell trafficking mechanisms, particularly in cardiovascular immunity. Key areas include antigen-dependent T-cell recruitment, metabolic regulation of T-cell motility, and translational therapies for immune-mediated diseases like heart transplant rejection and myocarditis. She explores how metabolic pathways (e.g., glucose transporters, mTORC1 signaling) influence T-cell function and migration, with an emphasis on clinical applications.

Grants & Collaborations: Supported by funders such as the BHF, MRC, and Diabetes UK, her research involves collaborations with institutions like King’s College London and Imperial College London. Her lab includes researchers like Dr. Hongmei Fu and Dr. Juho Vuononvirta, focusing on topics like T-cell metabolism and regulatory T-cell migration.

Awards & Editorial Roles: Beyond her BHF Chair, she serves as an associate editor for journals including the British Journal of Cardiology, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, and Immunometabolism. She has consulted for companies like AstraZeneca and Serepta, bridging academic research and industry applications.

Labs & Future Work: Her lab investigates therapeutic targets for immune-mediated cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing metabolic pathways and T-cell migration. Current projects aim to translate discoveries into clinical tools for heart disease management and immune tolerance therapies.