Department of Obstetrics, IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Foundation, Italy
MD at Department of Obstetrics, IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Foundation, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy.
She obtained her degree in Medicine and specialized in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Milano-Bicocca. Her areas of interest include pregnancy complications, placental dysfunction, prenatal diagnosis, perinatal palliative care, and especially the angiogenic markers sFlt-1 and Plgf. She and her research group were the first to demonstrate that non-pregnant individuals with pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 exhibit an angiogenic imbalance similar to that observed in preeclampsia. Furthermore, she has highlighted the limitations of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio and proposed a new angiogenic classification that evaluates PlGF and sFlt-1 separately, categorizing pregnancies into nine possible combinations based on whether each marker is within, above, or below the expected range for gestational age. Even a very low sFlt-1/PlGF ratio warrants caution, emphasizing the importance of analyzing both biomarkers individually. Not all ratios are equivalent, and relying on a fixed ratio may overlook significant variations in biomarker levels that are crucial for understanding the nature and severity of placental dysfunction.
She introduced a novel index, the MTP (Multiples of a Normal Term Placenta), designed to quantify deviations in PlGF and sFlt-1 levels from the expected range in uncomplicated term pregnancies. This index aims to evaluate the severity of placental dysfunction and optimize the timing of delivery.
Additionally, she has underscored the potential utility of angiogenic markers in assessing CMV-related placental involvement and monitoring the effects of antiviral therapy on placental function, highlighting the possibility of integrating these markers into the clinical management of CMV infection.