Alessandro Bertero

Our long term vision is improving human sustainable wellbeing. We work to achieve this goal through the integrative application of stem cell biology, gene editing, genomics, and bioengineering to: (1) elucidate the genetic underpinnings of cardiac disease, the #1 killer worldwide; (2) develop regenerative medicine therapy for congenital heart disease, the most common life-threatening malformation in newborns; and, last but not least, (3) provide a cell-based alternative to factory farming, the main cause of biodiversity loss and a central contributor to climate change. These seemingly distinct aspects are actually deeply interconnected: elucidating the gene regulatory mechanisms behind cardiac development and disease provides the knowledge needed to develop cells and tissues for heart remuscularization, which in turn can be produced in even larger scale from animal cells for human consumption. Overall, our work has the potential to improve human life on earth from a holistic perspective: cradle to table and all the way to rocking chair.