Valentina Triacca, Ph DIngegnere biomedico, Politecnico di Milano Ph.D in Bioengineering and Biotechnologies, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne COO e co-fondatrice di Lymphatica Medtech SA

Valentina Triacca, Ph D--Ingegnere biomedico, Politecnico di Milano Ph.D in Bioengineering and Biotechnologies, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne COO e co-fondatrice di Lymphatica Medtech SA

Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Career Summary
July 2017 - now
Lymphatica Medtech SA - Switzerland
Co-founder, Director and Chief Operating Officer
October 2016 –
December 2017
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) – Switzerland
Postdoctoral researcher at the Angiology Service – Prof. Lucia Mazzolai
October 2015 - September
2016
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) – Switzerland
Deputy study director of CTI Feasibility Project entitled “Development of an implantable fluid drainage device for lymphedema treatment”
June 2014 -
August 2015
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) – Switzerland
Postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering (LLCB) Education
September
2009 - May
2014
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) - Switzerland
PhD research assistant in Biotechnology and Bioengineering
Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering (LLCB)
Thesis director: Prof. Melody Swartz
• Doctorate project on the biophysical modulation of permeability and fluid transport in the lymphatic system
• Experience: Cell biology, physiology, computational modeling, design of in vitro and in vivo live-imaging assays
• Other responsibilities: teaching and supervising bachelor and master students, writing scientific publications, reports and grants
September
2006 - April
2009
Politecnico di Milano - Italy
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Master thesis entitled “Biomechanical Characterization of the Cornea” Thesis director: Prof. Federica Boschetti
Sept. 2003 – Sept.2006
Politecnico di Milano - Italy
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Bachelor thesis in Certification of Biomedical Devices Exchange Programs and Internships
Sept 2007 -
March 2008
Ghent University (UGent) - Belgium Erasmus Exchange Program
June 2005 -
August 2005
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus - Sarzana (SP) - Italy
Acquisition of clinical tests for Gait Analysis in healthy and pathological subjects Related Certificates and Credits
April 2021
Good Clinical Practice for Sponsors of Clinical Trials
Recherche clinique – complément pour Investigateur - promoteur
August 2020
Good Clinical Practice (GCP-E6(R2) 2016)
TRREE training programme in research ethics evaluation
August 2018
Internal Auditor for Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001, ISO 19011)
Studio Tau - Milano
September 2014
LTK Module II – Lausanne
Training for Persons Responsible for Directing Animal Experimentation
February 2013 -
June 2013
Start-Up and Entrepreneurship CTI training program - Lausanne
Successful business plan development in the frame of Venture Challenge
January 2010 RESAL Module I - Lausanne
Introductory Course in Laboratory Animal Science
Publications
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, C. Lessert, B. Petit, K. Bouzourene, A. Nahimana, M. Vozenin, N. Stergiopulos, MA. Swartz
and L. Mazzolai, Experimental drainage device to reduce lymphoedema in a rat model, EJVES, 2019.
V. Triacca, E. Guc, WW. Kilarski, M. Pisano and MA. Swartz, Transcellular transport pathways in lymphatic
endothelial cells regulate changes in lymph formation by fluid stress, Circ Res, 2017. 120(9): p.1440-1452.
M. Pisano, V. Triacca, KA. Barbee and MA. Swartz, An in vitro model of the tumor-lymphatic microenvironment with
simultaneous transendothelial and luminal flows reveals mechanisms of flow enhanced invasion, Integr Biol, 2015.
7(5): p. 525-33.
V. Triacca, M. Swartz (Dir.) Active Transport Mechanisms by Lymphatic Endothelium and their Modulation by
Inflammatory Mediators, Thèse EPFL, n° 6193 (2014).
F. Boschetti, V. Triacca, L. Spinelli and A. Pandolfi, Mechanical characterization of porcine corneas, J Biomech Eng,
2012. 134(3): p. 031003.
Patent application: Medical fluid drainage system, WO 2016055896 A1, Oct 2014; Applicant: EPFL; Inventors: M.
Pisano and V. Triacca.
Conference Participations
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, C. Lessert and L. Mazzolai, Artificial drainage of lymphatic fluid: towards the clinical testing
of an implantable pump for the treatment of chronic edema, 9th International Lymphoedema Framework
Conference 2018, Chicago, US, Oral presentation
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, C. Lessert and L. Mazzolai, Implantable pump for lymphedema treatment: technological
feasibility study and implant test in sheep, Congrès de l’Union des Sociétés Suisses des Maladies Vasculaires 2017,
Montreux, Switzerland, Oral presentation
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, C. Lessert, A. Nahimana, N. Stergiopulos and L. Mazzolai, Pathophysiological characterization
of a rat hind-limb lymphedema model and drainage of excess fluid with an implanted drainage device, 26th World
Congress of Lymphology 2017, Barcelona, Spain, Oral presentation
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, B. Petit, MC. Vozenin, MA. Swartz and L. Mazzolai, Heading Towards an Artificial Lymphatic
Vessel to Treat Lymphedema, Congrès de l’Union des Sociétés Suisses des Maladies Vasculaires 2016, Bern,
Switzerland, Best poster award
V. Triacca, M. Pisano, MA. Swartz and L. Mazzolai, Development of an implantable fluid drainage device for
lymphedema treatment, Swiss Medtech Day 2016, Bern, Switzerland, Poster presentation
V. Triacca, E. Guc, WW. Kilarski and MA. Swartz, Lymphatic endothelial cells as active players in the regulation of
transport in homeostasis and inflammation, Gordon Research Conference (GRC) 2014, Barga (Lucca), Italy, Poster
presentation
Technical Skills and Competences
Clinical and Regulatory Affairs: Preparation of medical
device documentation compliant with ISO 13485 and
dossier for submission to competent authorities and
ethical committees
Cell biology: Primary cell isolation, culture and
characterization, 2D and 3D culture, dynamic culture
Animal models: Development and characterization of
lymphedema models
Immunohistology: Staining of cultured cells and tissues
for imaging and flow cytometry
Molecular biology: DNA and RNA extraction and
purification, RT-PCR, ELISAs, WB
Imaging: Confocal Microscopy, TEM, SEM, Fluorescent
Time Lapse Microscopy, Two-Photon Microscopy
Computational modeling and analysis: Matlab,
Abaqus, ANSYS Fluent, Comsol Multiphysics