Zani Lab
Pediatric surgery
The Zani Lab’s mission is to harness extracellular vesicles (EVs) as therapeutic and diagnostic tools for fetal, neonatal, and pediatric conditions.
EVs are stable, membrane-bound nanoparticles released by all cells, facilitating intercellular communication by transporting bioactive cargo, including RNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids.
The Zani Lab is led by Augusto Zani, MD, PhD, a neonatal and pediatric surgeon at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and a professor of surgery at WashU Medicine.
He earned his medical degree and completed pediatric surgery training at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. He earned his doctorate degree from University College London, investigating stem cell therapy in necrotizing enterocolitis. Zani completed a fellowship in neonatal surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
His funded translational research program investigates the use of extracellular vesicles as therapeutic and diagnostic tools for fetal, neonatal and pediatric conditions.
Principal investigator
Current research
The lab’s research focuses on two main areas:
Extracellular vesicles for therapy
Through the RESPIRE program (Regeneration via Stem cell Products for the Improvement of Respiration), the lab investigates the use of EVs as therapeutic agents for treating several surgical conditions, including congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), gastroschisis, spina bifida, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers
The lab explores the potential of EVs’ cargo as diagnostic tools for various clinical conditions, aiming to develop non-invasive diagnostic methods.
Contact
Phone: 314-454-6022
News and updates
