MSE Seminar: Sergio Bertazzo (Cornell MSE)

Mineralomics: The Role of Minerals in Biology, Disease

Biomineralization occurs naturally and basically consists of the formation and regeneration of hard tissues. On the other hand, pathological biomineralization (in medicine, often referred to as calcification, drusen, calcium deposits, calcinosis, phleboliths) affects soft tissues, such as the vasculature, and is associated with several diseases, including cardiac diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, cataracts, among others.

We have been working on the characterization and study of the minerals that are formed in the context of these various diseases. Most of all, we are looking to find what their role is in the diseases and potentially unveil possible causes and mechanisms of progression of these diseases. In cardiovascular diseases, for example, even if calcification is not the direct cause of death, it significantly contributes to complications that can lead to heart failure or heart attack.

At present, the origins and mechanisms of vascular calcification are still hotly debated, with competing theories supported in the literature. By characterizing the minerals present in vascular tissue and examining their relationship to cells and proteins in the vascular system, we can propose a new mechanism for the origins of this calcification.

Using these research methods, we have also been studying the minerals present in breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We have been revealing hitherto unknown connections between the minerals and the proteins associated to the diseases, as well as gaining insight on the progression of these diseases.

Finally, we have also turned our attention to healthy, naturally calcified tissues such as osteoderms, showing that in vertebrates in general, there are several biomineralized tissues, healthy and pathological, that we know little about. Not only are their mechanisms of formation (biological or physico-chemical) still unknown, but their very existence is not recognized or reported in the literature.

Bio: Sergio Bertazzo is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at University College London. Prior, he held an Imperial College Research Fellowship at Imperial College London. His research is broadly related to the formation, behavior and role of minerals in biological contexts, particularly in pathological contexts such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, which he calls Mineralomics. Bertazzo was the first to describe the earliest calcified structures in human vascular tissue and to note that mainly the nucleus of neurons are calcified in Alzheimer’s disease.