Francesca Taraballi

Francesca Taraballi, PhD

Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Academic Institute
Assistant Member, Research Institute
Director, Center for Musculoskeletal Regeneration
Houston Methodist


Taraballi Lab


ftaraballi2@houstonmethodist.org
Biography

Dr. Taraballi earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences and her M.S. in Biochemistry at University of Milan – Bicocca, Italy. After another M.S. in Structural Biochemistry, she earned her Ph.D. in Nanostructures and Nanotechnologies from a joint program of the Materials Science Department of University of Milan, Bicocca with the Lawrence National Berkeley Laboratory.

Dr. Taraballi is currently an Assistant Professor and serves as Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Regeneration at Houston Methodist Research Institute affiliated to the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital. At the same time, Dr. Taraballi is also affiliated faculty to the Center for RNA therapeutics, the Department of Nanomedicine and the Neal Cancer Center of Houston Methodist Academic Institute.

Dr. Taraballi’s research is focused on the development of smart biomaterials, both injectable and implantable, to target the immune system toward tissue restoration. Dr. Taraballi’s contributions to the field of nanomedicine are truly extraordinary. Her research paved the way for novel drug delivery platforms capable of precise targeting, enhancing drug efficacy while minimizing side effects. Her innovative work has shown great promise in treating various diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, and orthopedic conditions. Throughout her career, Dr. Taraballi has been a strong advocate for education and mentorship. She actively participates in mentoring young scientists and students, inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in STEM fields. Her dedication to fostering scientific curiosity has left a lasting impact on many aspiring researchers. Dr. Taraballi’s success can be attributed not only to her resources but also to her unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her belief in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and her willingness to embrace challenges have propelled her forward in her journey of scientific exploration and innovation.

Description of Research

  • mRNA therapeutics for orthopedic applications
  • mRNA vaccine development and validation in small and large animal models.
  • Translational bioaterials fabrication and functionalization to tune the immune system towards tissue homeostasis for reconstructive surgery
  • cGMP fabrication of devices and regulatory studies for validation
  • Development of smart nano-biomaterials to tune the immune system
  • Enhancing immunemodulatories capabilities of mesenchymal stem cells from different sources for surgical adjiuvant. (Clinical trials)
  • Evaluation of local delivery of antibiotics to fight surgical-related infections (Clinial trials)

Patents

Thermosensitive Hydrogel Sealing of the Left Atrial Appendage to Prevent Thromboembolism in Atrial Fibrillation".

Patent Number: 62/935,084, Jan 01 2019


Implantable drug delivery systems

Patent Number: WO2017146819A1, Jan 01 2018


METHOD FOR ENCAPSULATING LIVING CELLS IN A KERATIN-CONTAINING HYDROGEL

Patent Number: WO2013012397, Jan 24 2013

Publications

Electrospun Chitosan-Based Nanofibrous Coating for the Local and Sustained Release of Vancomycin
Serpelloni, S, Williams, ME, Caserta, S, Sharma, S, Rahimi, M & Taraballi, F 2024, , ACS Omega, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 11701-11717. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c08113

Sex-dependent improvement in traumatic brain injury outcomes after liposomal delivery of dexamethasone in mice
Baudo, G, Flinn, H, Holcomb, M, Tiwari, A, Soriano, S, Taraballi, F, Godin, B, Zinger, A & Villapol, S 2024, , Bioengineering and Translational Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10647

Intramuscular but not nebulized administration of a mRNA vaccine against Rhodococcus equi stimulated humoral immune responses in neonatal foals
Legere, RM, Poveda, C, Ott, JA, Bray, JM, Villafone, EG, Silveira, BPD, Kahn, SK, Martin, CL, Mancino, C, Taraballi, F, Criscitiello, MF, Berghman, L, Bordin, AI, Pollet, J & Cohen, ND 2024, , American Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 85, no. 2. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.23.09.0208

Stem Cell-Based Strategies for Prenatal Treatment of Spina Bifida and the Promise of Cell-Free, Minimally Invasive Approaches
Corradetti, B, Taraballi, F & Finnell, RH 2024, , Current Stem Cell Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40778-024-00233-y

Intraosseous Versus Intravenous Vancomycin in Tourniquetless Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Trial
Wininger, AE, Gurusamy, P, Sullivan, TC, Serpelloni, S, Taraballi, F, Park, KJ & Brown, TS 2024, , Journal of Arthroplasty. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2024.02.083

Assessment of compression-induced solid stress, fluid pressure and mechanopathological parameters in cancers in vivo using poroelastography
Khan, MDHR, Islam, MT, Taraballi, F & Righetti, R 2023, , Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 68, no. 13, 135014. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/acdf39

Reasons for the Sex Bias in Osteoarthritis Research: A Review of Preclinical Studies
Franke, M, Mancino, C & Taraballi, F 2023, , International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 24, no. 12, 10386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210386

Reasons for the Sex Bias in Osteoarthritis Research: A Review of Preclinical Studies
Franke, M, Mancino, C & Taraballi, F 2023, , International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 24, no. 12, 10386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210386

Immunomodulatory biomimetic nanoparticles target articular cartilage trauma after systemic administration
Mancino, C, Pasto, A, De Rosa, E, Dolcetti, L, Rasponi, M, McCulloch, P & Taraballi, F 2023, , Heliyon, vol. 9, no. 6, e16640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16640

Microparticle-Delivered Cxcl9 Prolongs Braf Inhibitor Efficacy in Melanoma
Romano, G, Paradiso, F, Li, P, Shukla, P, Barger, LN, Naggar, OE, Miller, JP, Liang, RJ, Helms, TL, Lazar, AJ, Wargo, JA, Taraballi, F, Costello, JC & Kwong, LN 2023, , Cancer immunology research, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 558-569. https://doi.org/10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-22-0224

Mice deficient for G-protein-coupled receptor 75 display altered presynaptic structural protein expression and disrupted fear conditioning recall
Speidell, A, Walton, S, Campbell, LA, Tomassoni-Ardori, F, Tessarollo, L, Corbo, C, Taraballi, F & Mocchetti, I 2023, , Journal of Neurochemistry, vol. 165, no. 6, pp. 827-841. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15818

Otto Aufranc Award: Intraosseous Vancomycin in Total Hip Arthroplasty — Superior Tissue Concentrations and Improved Efficiency
Harper, KD, Park, KJ, Brozovich, AA, Sullivan, TC, Serpelloni, S, Taraballi, F, Incavo, SJ & Clyburn, TA 2023, , Journal of Arthroplasty, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. S11-S15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2023.04.028

Heterologous mRNA-protein vaccination with Tc24 induces a robust cellular immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi, characterized by an increased level of polyfunctional CD8+ T-cells
Poveda, C, Leão, AC, Mancino, C, Taraballi, F, Chen, YL, Adhikari, R, Villar, MJ, Kundu, R, Nguyen, DM, Versteeg, L, Strych, U, Hotez, PJ, Bottazzi, ME, Pollet, J & Jones, KM 2023, , Current Research in Immunology, vol. 4, 100066, pp. 100066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crimmu.2023.100066

Protein Corona Sensor Array Nanosystem for Detection of Coronary Artery Disease
Lee, GY, Li, AA, Moon, I, Katritsis, D, Pantos, Y, Stingo, F, Fabbrico, D, Molinaro, R, Taraballi, F, Tao, W & Corbo, C 2024, , Small, vol. 20, no. 10, 2306168. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202306168

Metal–Organic Framework as a New Type of Magnetothermally-Triggered On-Demand Release Carrier
Ge, X, Mohapatra, J, Silva, E, He, G, Gong, L, Lyu, T, Madhogaria, RP, Zhao, X, Cheng, Y, Al-Enizi, AM, Nafady, A, Tian, J, Liu, JP, Phan, MH, Taraballi, F, Pettigrew, RI & Ma, S 2024, , Small, vol. 20, no. 12, 2306940. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202306940

Systemic Cisplatin Does Not Affect the Bone Regeneration Process in a Critical Size Defect Murine Model
Brozovich, AA, Lenna, S, Brenner, C, Serpelloni, S, Paradiso, F, McCulloch, P, Yustein, JT, Weiner, B & Taraballi, F 2024, , ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 1646-1660. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01266

Harnessing RNA Technology to Advance Therapeutic Vaccine Antigens against Chagas Disease
Mancino, C, Pollet, J, Zinger, A, Jones, KM, Villar, MJ, Leao, AC, Adhikari, R, Versteeg, L, Tyagi Kundu, R, Strych, U, Giordano, F, Hotez, PJ, Bottazzi, ME, Taraballi, F & Poveda, C 2024, , ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, vol. 16, no. 13, 3c18830, pp. 15832–15846. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c18830

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor-loaded biomimetic nanoparticles as a treatment for osteosarcoma
Taraballi, F 2022, , Cancer Nanotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-022-00146-7

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor-loaded biomimetic nanoparticles as a treatment for osteosarcoma
Giordano, F, Lenna, S, Baudo, G, Rampado, R, Massaro, M, De Rosa, E, Ewing, A, Kurenbekova, L, Agostini, M, Yustein, JT & Taraballi, F 2022, , Cancer Nanotechnology, vol. 13, no. 1, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-022-00146-7, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-022-00146-7

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor-loaded biomimetic nanoparticles as a treatment for osteosarcoma
Giordano, F, Lenna, S, Baudo, G, Rampado, R, Massaro, M, De Rosa, E, Ewing, A, Kurenbekova, L, Agostini, M, Yustein, JT & Taraballi, F 2022, , Cancer Nanotechnology, vol. 13, no. 1, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-022-00146-7

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