Manuela Lavorato, PhD

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Manuela Lavorato, PhD, is a research assistant professor with Mitochondrial Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Appointments and Referrals: 1-800-TRY-CHOP (1-800-879-2467)

Education and Training

Fellowship

Postdoctoral Fellow, Cell and Developmental Biology – Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Postdoctoral Fellow, Mitochondrial Medicine – Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Undergraduate Degree

Bachelor’s Degree in Biology - University of Calabria, Italy

Graduate Degree

PhD in Animal Biology - University of Calabria, Italy

Master’s Degree in Biology (molecular pathology) - University of Calabria, Italy

Titles and Academic Titles

Research Assistant Professor

Departments and Services

Research Interests

Electron microscopy and live-cell imaging

Excitation contraction coupling

Skeletal and cardiac muscle diseases

Mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondria morphology and dynamics

Ecotoxicology

Video-tracking analysis of amphibians affected by neurotoxic pesticides impairing neuromuscular system

Publications

Papers

2017

Lavorato M, Iyer V R, Dewight W, Cupo R R, Debattisti V, Gomez L, De la Fuente S, Zhao Y-T, Valdivia H H, Hajnóczky G, Franzini-Armstrong C. Increased mitochondrial nanotunneling activity, induced by calcium imbalance, affects intermitochondrial matrix exchanges. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Jan 31;114(5):E849-E858. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1617788113. Epub 2017 Jan 17.

Perni S, Lavorato M, Beam KG. De novo reconstitution reveals the proteins required for skeletal muscle voltage-induced Ca2+ release. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114 (52), 13822-13827. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Dec 26;114(52):13822-13827. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1716461115. Epub 2017 Dec 11.

2016

Lavorato M, Gupta P K, Hopkins P M, Franzini-Armstrong C.Skeletal muscle microalterations in patients carrying Malignant Hyperthermia-related mutations of the e-c coupling machinery. Eur J Transl Myol. 2016 Sep 15;26(4):6105. doi: 10.4081/ejtm.2016.6105. eCollection 2016 Sep 15.

Linsley J W, Hsu I-U, Groomc L, Yarotskyy V, Lavorato M, Horstick E J , Linsley D, Wang W, Franzini-Armstrong C, Dirksen R T, Kuwada J Y, 2016. Congenital myopathy results from misregulation of a muscle Ca2+ channel by mutant Stac3. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 114(2): E228–E236.

2015

Lavorato M, Taiqin H, Iyer V R, Perni S, Meissner G, and Franzini-Armstrong C, 2015. Dyad content is reduced in cardiac myocytes of mice with impaired calmodulin regulation of RyR2. J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 36(2):205-14.

2013

Lavorato M, Bernabò I, Crescente A, Denoël M, Tripepi, Brunelli E, 2013. Endosulfan Effects on Rana dalmatina Tadpoles: Quantitative Developmental and Behavioural Analysis. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2013 Feb;64(2):253-62. doi: 10.1007/s00244-012-9819-7. Epub 2012 Oct 13.

Abstracts

2017

Lavorato M. Mitochondria fission in fatigued muscle. Gordon Research Seminar and Gordon Conference, Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling, 2017. Les Diablerets, Switzerland.

Lavorato M, Iyer V. R, Franzini-Armstrong C. A convenient alternative view of muscle membranes. Gordon Conference, Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling, 2017. Les Diablerets, Switzerland.

Madan A, Viswanathan M C, Lavorato M, Schmidt W, Ochala J, Cammarato A, 2017. ACTA1-Related Nemaline Myopathy Mutations Engender a Range of Structural and Functional Phenotypes in Drosophila Indirect Flight Muscles. Biophys J, 112 (3) p182a.

2016

Iyer V R, Monfredi O, Maltsev V, Lavorato M; Stern M, Franzini-Armstrong C, 2016. SR Contribution to Calcium Cycling in Sino-Atrial Node Cells: As seen from Nanoscale Electron Microscopy and Numerical Modeling. Biophys J 110, 359a.

Lavorato M, Ramesh V I, Zhao Y-T, Valdivia H H, Franzini-Armstrong C, 2016. Electron tomography of mitochondrial nanotunnels in a CPVT model with RyR2 loss-of-function mutation. Biophys J 110, 367a.

2015

Lavorato M, Schmidt W, Viswanathan M C, Ochala J, Franzini-Armstrong C, Cammarato A, 2015. The actin F352S nemaline myopathy mutation disrupts indirect flight muscle structure and function in Drosophila. Biophys J 110, 128a.

Iyer V R, Lavorato M, Zhao Y-T, Valdivia H H, Franzini-Armstrong C, 2015. Mitochondrial abnormalities in a mouse CPVT model with RyR2 loss-of-function mutation. Biophys J 108, 132a.

Beqollari D, Romberg CF, Feng W, Lopez JR, Lavorato M, Perni S, Hopkins PM, Franzini-Armstrong C, Pessah IN, Allen PD, Beam KG, Bannister RA, 2015. Calcium channel dysfunction in a mutant mouse model of malignant hyperthermia (CaV1.1 R174W). Biophys J 108, 504a.

Iyer V R*, Lavorato M*, Zhao YT, Valdivia H., Franzini-Armstrong C. Ultrastructural cardiac alterations resulting from cardiac RyR2 mutations with opposite functions. * contributed equally. Gordon Conference: Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling, 2015, Sunday River in Newry ME United States.

Posters and Presentations

2017

Lavorato M. Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar. Muscle: Excitation -Contraction Coupling. Les Diablerets, Switzerland. Selected talk, two posters’ presenter.

2016

Lavorato M. 60th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting. Selected talk and poster presenter.

Lavorato M. Biomedical Postdoctoral research symposium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Poster presenter.

2015

Lavorato M. Gordon Conference: Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling, 2015, Sunday River in Newry ME United States. Selected talk and poster presenter.

Lavorato M. 59th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland (poster presenter).

Lavorato M. Biomedical Postdoctoral research symposium. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Poster presenter.

Invited Lectures

2017

Lavorato M. Mitochondrial nanotunnels in a CPVT model with RyR2 loss-of-function mutation. The ISHR-Latin American Section-Sponsored Symposia during the XXIV Congreso Argentino de Hipertensión, Mendoza, Argentina.

2015

Lavorato M. Invited speaker: Strange mitochondrial behavior. Friendly or not? At the Mitocare, Jefferson University, Philadelphia PA

Awards and Honors

2017, FEBS Journal Poster Prize at the GRC on Muscle: Excitation-Contraction Coupling, Les Diablerets, Switzerland

2010-2011, Two International Mobility Fellowships for PhD students, Department of Environmental Sciences, Behavioral Biology Unit, University of Liège (Belgium)

2009, Bonino Pulejo Foundation Fellowship, Messina, Italy

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in Professional Organizations

2012-present, Biophysical Society