Brief CV:
Annalaura Mastrangelo is a researcher at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), working at the intersection of metabolism, the microbiome, immunity, and cardiovascular disease. Her research combines metabolomics, multi-omics technologies, computational analyses, and experimental approaches to identify molecular mechanisms linking microbial metabolism to chronic disease. She is particularly interested in the discovery of microbiota-derived metabolites that influence immune function and cardiometabolic health, and in translating these findings into clinically relevant biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. Her work also promotes rigorous and reproducible research practices and the development of open computational tools for biomedical data analysis.
Imidazole Propionate: From Multi-Omics Discovery to Therapeutic Targeting
Abstract:
The integration of metabolomics, microbiome profiling, and computational analyses is transforming our ability to investigate complex diseases, uncovering previously inaccessible layers of biology. Leveraging these approaches, we identified imidazole propionate as a gut microbiota-derived metabolite that promotes atherosclerosis. Mechanistic and translational studies established its causal role in disease progression through the modulation of immune and inflammatory responses. Therapeutic targeting of this pathway attenuated atherosclerosis, supporting its potential as a novel therapeutic strategy. Together, these findings establish imidazole propionate as a microbiota-derived immunomodulatory driver of atherosclerosis and illustrate how multi-omics approaches can translate biological discovery into therapeutic innovation.