Dr Caligiuri has focused her research work on the role of systemic and local immune responses in atherosclerosis and of its acute complications.
The target of the immune response is not specific: the difference between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients is quantitative (enhanced, inappropriate responses) are associated with the pathology. The role of the immune response in cardiovascular diseases, far from being simply dihcotomic, is both protective and deleterious, following complex and still elusive paths.
In the most recent years, she has focused her attention on the regulation of the interaction between the cells of the blood-vessel interface (endothelial cells, platelets and blood leukocytes). Strategies able to regulate the cell-cell crosstalk in the circulation, including CD31-mimicking systemic drugs and endovascular medical devices, appear as promising clinical applications for the prevention of atherosclerosis progression and the treatment of atherothrombotic events.
