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About Christina Castellani

Dr. Christina Castellani is an assistant professor with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Western University. Her research interests include the study of cardiovascular diseases and disorders.

Children's Health Collaborators: Dan Arking, Noha Gomaa, Lisa Cameron


Description of Research Activities: The Castellani Lab is interested in the contribution of mitochondrial nuclear multiomic signalling to cardiovascular disease. We use both bioinformatic and cell culture approaches to assess the dynamic relationships between mitochondria quality/quantity and nuclear DNA at the level of the genome, epigenome, transcriptome, metabolome and proteome. The lab is specifically focused on:

1. Integration across large-scale multiomic datasets to determine the dynamic relationship of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN), heteroplasmy and nuclear epigenomic/transcriptomic patterns in cardiovascular disease,
2. Implementing and developing models that modify mtDNA-CN and heteroplasmy in culture to uncover mechanisms behind mitochondrial and nuclear cross-talk contributing to cardiovascular disease, and
3. Assessing the impact of environmental stimuli on mitochondrial DNA signalling to nuclear DNA and its impact on health and disease.

Keywords: Cardiovascular Disease, Mitochondrial DNA, Computational Genomics, Epigenomics, Transcriptomics, Complex Disease, Gene-Environment Interactions, Bioinformatics

Positions

Present Assistant Professor, Western University ‐ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
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Present Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute ‐ Children's Health Research Institute (CHRI)
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Disciplines

Research Interests

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Education

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BSc Honours, Genetics, Western University
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PhD, Human Molecular Genetics, Western University
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MSc, Molecular Biology, Western University ‐ Department of Biology
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Links

Recent Works (24)