Mauro (from Italy) obtained his MSc (summa cum laude with honours) in Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine at University of Palermo, Italy in 2006 and his PhD in Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine at University of Bristol, England in 2010. He worked as postdoctoral fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, USA and at Heidelberg University, Germany. Mauro joined the IVS in 2016 and his research interests lie in understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling endothelial cell function and how their alterations contribute to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes). Ongoing studies investigate the relevance and mechanisms of action of small open reading frame-encoded microproteins following endothelial cell activation in cardiovascular disease and vascular repair, as well as eNOS/NO signalling in the “epigeNOmic” regulation of gene expression in the endothelium.