Vincenza Cifarelli, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
vincenza.cifarelli@health.slu.edu

Phone: 314-977-6419
Fax: 314-977-6410

Mailing address:

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Schwitalla Hall M431 (lab)
Doisy Hall R415 (office)
1402 South Grand Blvd
St. Louis, MO, 63104

DEI Statement

The Cifarelli Lab appreciates that our differences result in better science, teaching, and mentoring, and so, we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and feel welcome by maintaining a culture of safety, inclusion and respect.

Diversity: We benefit from the unique experiences of all group members. These experiences may lead to differences in opinion, belief or outlook, but as long as an environment of mutual respect is maintained, we feel this strengthens our group endeavors. We also note that we are a scientific organization and our discussions will be data-driven and follow scientific reasoning.

Equity: We strive to ensure equitable access to all opportunities and resources in the lab. This means that we have zero tolerance for discrimination based on but not limited to an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, age, marital status, socioeconomic status or job title.

Inclusion: Our lab fosters a welcoming and respectful environment free of harassment for all. In particular, we will work to make new members and visitors feel welcome. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind.

We foster a lab environment dedicated to anti-racism and to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). We commit to investing in our education on these ideas, acknowledging our own privileges, and listening to each other. This process can be challenging and uncomfortable, and it requires dedication on the part of all lab members.

Cifarelli Lab

At the Cifarelli Lab, we study the role of the endothelium in tissue remodeling, inflammation and metabolic health.

We use primary and immortalized cells as well as animal models of diseases in combination with clinical and translation studies to investigate:

The role of lipids in endothelial dysfunction
Cross-family signaling in endothelial function
Inflammation during dysfunctional lipid metabolism

People

Principal Investigator:
Vincenza Cifarelli, Ph.D.

Assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology (2022-present)
Assistant professor of medicine, Center for Human Nutrition Washington University School of Medicine (2018-2022)
Postdoctoral fellow/Instructor, Washington University School of Medicine (2018)
Ph.D. in Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh of UPMC (2011)

Postdoctoral Fellows

Simon Guignard
Ph.D., Digestive Health Research Institute, University of Toulouse, France

Graduate Student

Silvia Gonzalez Nieves, Rotating SLU Core Graduate Ph.D. Student
B.S. Biology, University of the Andes (2012)
M.S. Biology, University of the Andes (2019)

Medical Students

Morgan Ross, SLU 2024
B.S. University of Alabama (2020)
morgan.ross@health.slu.edu

Thi Nguyen, SLU 2027
B.S. Saint Louis University (2020)
thi.nguyen@health.slu.edu

Publications

2024

Adipose tissue biology and effect of weight loss in women with lipedema
Cifarelli V, Smith GI, Gonzalez-Nieves S, Samovski D, Palacios HH, Yoshino J, Stein RI, Fuchs A, Wright TF, Klein S.
Adipose tissue biology and effect of weight loss in women with lipedema.
Diabetes. 2024 Dec 9:db240890. doi: 10.2337/db24-0890. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39652636

2022

Cifarelli V, Peche V, Abumrad NA. Vascular and Lymphatic Regulation of Gastrointestinal Function and Disease Risk. BBA Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbalip.2022.159207

Cifarelli V, Kuda OJ, Yang K Liu X, Gross RW, Pietka TA, Heo GS, Sultan D, Luehmann H, Lesser J, Ross M, Goldberg IJ, Gropler R, Liu Y, and Abumrad NA. Cardiac immune cell infiltration associates with abnormal lipid metabolism. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. Front. Cardiovasc. Med., 17 August 2022
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.948332

2021-2020

Cifarelli V, Appak-Baskoy S, Peche VS, Kluzak A, Shew T, Narendran R, Pietka KM, Cella M, Walls CW, Czepielewski R, Ivanov S, Randolph GJ, Augustin HG, Abumrad NA. Visceral obesity and insulin resistance associate with CD36 deletion in lymphatic endothelial cells. Nature Communications. 2021 Jun 7;12(1):3350. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8184948.

Cifarelli V, Beeman SC, Smith GI, Yoshino J, Morozov D, Beals JW, Kayser BD, Watrous JD, Jain M, Patterson BW, Klein S. Decreased adipose tissue oxygenation associates with insulin resistance in individuals with obesity. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2020, 130(12):6688-6699

Fuchs A, Samovski D, Smith GI, Cifarelli V, Farabi SS, Yoshino J, Pietka T, Chang SW, Ghosh S, Myckatyn TM, Klein S. Associations among adipose tissue immunology, inflammation and exosomes and insulin sensitivity in people with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Gastroenterology. 2021 May 15; PubMed PMID: 34004161.

Cifarelli V, Chen H, Scallan J. Editorial: The Role of the Lymphatic System in Lipid and Energy Metabolism, and Immune Homeostasis During Obesity and Diabetes. March 2021. Front. Physiol. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.652461.

Goldberg IJ, Cabodevilla AG, Samovski D, Cifarelli V, Basu D, Abumrad NA. Lipolytic enzymes and free fatty acids at the endothelial interface. Atherosclerosis 2021 Jul;329:1-8.

Job Postings

A postdoc position is available immediately. Please contact Cifarelli at vincenza.cifarelli@health.slu.edu

If you are interested in Ph.D. training at the SLU School of Medicine, please visit the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program webpage.

View Program Details

Combined M.D./Ph.D. training is also offered, and information for this program can be found online.

M.D./Ph.D. Program