The Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) is a research institute embedded in the biomedical research area of Padua, physically located between the University Hospital and the Life Sciences research complex (Vallisneri Complex). VIMM is the Research Institute of the Foundation for Advanced Biomedical Research, led by Prof. Francesco Pagano and works in close synergy with the University of Padua where most of its Faculty hold academic appointments
The mission of VIMM
VIMM carries out excellent research on aging related diseases, with the goal of providing new therapies for "healthy aging". The European and Italian region is rapidly aging: its average age is already the highest in the world and the percentage of people 65 or older is expected to increase from 14% in 2010 to 25% in 2050. Research is essential to guarantee to the aging population new therapeutic approaches for complex and potentially disabling diseases.
This research topic is developed in our institute in the following research fields
1. Cardiovascular diseases: Bellin, Elvassore, Fadini, Lefkimmiatis, Mongillo, Santoro, Scorrano, Zaglia.
2. Muscle diseases and loss of muscle mass: Blaauw, Pennuto, Sandri.
3. Neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases: Bortolozzi, Corbetta, Lodovichi, Scorrano, Zeviani.
4. Cancer: Alimonti, Carrer, Martinvalet, Piazza, Santoro, Scorrano, Semenzato.
5. Metabolic diseases: Elvassore, Fadini, Sandri, Scorrano.
The philosophy of VIMM
The Institute has a unique philosophy that allows it to be at the forefront of the national and global scene. This can be described by 5 key words:
Open: VIMM laboratories are "open spaces", where groups with different backgrounds share the working space to streamline information exchange and discovery.
Shared: at VIMM all the instruments are not “owned” by individual PIs, but they are shared among the research groups. The Institute provides for their full maintenance and renovation.
Advanced: VIMM possesses superb state of the art facilities for cell biology and in vivo analyses.
Multidisciplinary: at VIMM surgeons, physicians, engineers, physicists, cell biologists work under one roof.
Rigorous: VIMM research teams are evaluated on-site every two years by an international scientific advisory board of world-renowned scientists.
