Luisa Mestroni, MD
Locations
Practice Locations
UCHealth Heart Failure Program - Anschutz
720-848-5300
UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (UCH)
720-848-0000
UCHealth Heart & Vascular Center - Anschutz
720-848-5300
Provider Expertise
Clinical Interest for Patients
I am Professor of Medicine/Cardiology, Director of the International Familial Cardiomyopathy Registry and Co-Director of the Molecular Genetics Program of the Cardiovascular Institute. My clinical expertise is in inherited cardiomyopathies, including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies, familial cardiomyopathies (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction, familial restrictive cardiomyopathy), muscular dystrophies with cardiac involvement, and other genetic disease affecting the heart muscle. In my Inherited Cardiomyopathy Management Clinic, I provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment of inherited cardiomyopathies, working in close collaboration with other experienced clinicians, genetic counselors, cardiovascular nurses, and study coordinators to provide a state-of-the-art team-based approach: these include the Adult Genetics Clinic, Electrophysiology Clinic, Advanced Heart Failure Clinic, HCM Clinic, Neuromuscular Clinic, Advanced Imaging, Sarcoidosis Clinic at National Jewish Hospital, and the Colorado Children's Hospital. I offer the opportunity of enrollment in National and International research programs, including novel clinical trials, and the International Familial Cardiomyopathy Registry (NIH founded, IRB 99-177, founded in 1999) to continue identifying the genes behind inherited disease, and discover novel therapies.
Care Philosophy
I strive to provide the best care for my patients. I believe in treating the person as a whole, taking every aspect of a patient’s body and health into consideration during diagnosis and treatment.
Specialties
- Medical Genetics and Genomics
- General Cardiology ( 1989 )
- Cardiology ( 1989 )
Conditions & Treatments
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Heart and Circulation
Cardiomyopathy, Heart Diseases, Heart Failure, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Interests & Activities
Personal Interests
In my spare time, I enjoy skiing, hiking, reading and spending time with my family.
Volunteer Activities
I volunteer as physician in sports activities of high school students.
Education & Training
Medical Schools
MD, University of Trieste, School of Medicine, Italy (1979)
Undergraduate Schools
BS, University of Trieste, School of Medicine, Italy (1979)
Internships
University of Trieste, School of Medicine, Italy (1980)
Residency Program
University of Trieste, School of Medicine, Italy (1980)
Fellowships
University of Trieste, School of Medicine, Italy (1984)
Professional Memberships
American College of Cardiology, Fellow
American College of Physician, Fellow
American Heart Association (AHA), Fellow
American Society of Human Genetics, Member
European Society of cardiology, Fellow
European Society of Human Genetics, Member
Research & Grants
Grants
Molecular Genetics, Pathogenesis and Protein-Replacement Therapy in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (2014)
Developing Smart 3D Scaffolds based on Conductive Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes for Cardiac Tissue Engineering — NanoBeat (2018)
Cardiomyocyte phenotype and mechanotransduction in Filamin C gene variants causing arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (2020)
Gene discovery in heart failure (2020)
Nanotechnology for reconstructing damaged heart: engineering cardiac patches to repair cardiac function. (2021)
Research Interests for Patients
My research is dedicated to the study of genetics of heart muscle diseases, called cardiomyopathies. Since 1991, we have collected clinical information and DNA of over 2000 subjects from families with cardiomyopathies, initially in Italy and subsequently in the USA. Data and materials are collected in the International Familial Registry which has been supported by various grants of the NIH, AHA, UN, MDA. Through our researches on the molecular genetics of cardiomyopathies and analysis on genotype-phenotype correlations, several genes and pathways causing heart disease have been investigated in my laboratory, from cytoskeletal and sarcomeric genes, to ion channels. We are interested in the genes causing dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, left ventricular noncompaction and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Our ongoing research has shown that specific genes may have a different prognosis and may suggest different management strategies. Functional studies of mutant cardiomyopathy genes are also performed to evaluate the consequences of the defective proteins on cellular models. We are currently exploring applications of nanotechnology, biophysics and bioengineering to the study of heart function and cardiomyopathies.
information for referring providers
Referral Contact Phone
(720) 848-5300
Clinical Interests for Referring Providers
My many clinical interests include Clinical Cardiology, Heart Failure, and Inherited Cardiomyopathies (DCM, HCM, ARVC, LVNC, rare cardiomyopathies).
Research Interest for Referring Providers
My research is dedicated to the study of genetics of heart muscle diseases, called cardiomyopathies. Since 1991, we have collected clinical information and DNA of over 2000 subjects from families with cardiomyopathies, initially in Italy and subsequently in the USA. Data and materials are collected in the International Familial Registry which has been supported by various grants of the NIH, AHA, UN, MDA. Through our researches on the molecular genetics of cardiomyopathies and analysis on genotype-phenotype correlations, several genes and pathways causing heart disease have been investigated in my laboratory, from cytoskeletal and sarcomeric genes, to ion channels. We are interested in the genes causing dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, left ventricular noncompaction and hypertrophic cardiomyopaty. Among the most important accomplishments are the discovery of dilated cardiomyopathy genes, such as lamin A/C (LMNA) associated with variable muscular involvement, FLNC, SCN5A and the recent discovery of the titin gene (TTN), the largest gene of the human genome, as a cause of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. We are also interested in genotype-phenotype association studies, which are critical to transfer bench-to-bedside knowledge. Our ongoing research has shown that specific genes may have a different prognosis and may suggest different management strategies. Functional studies of mutant cardiomyopathy genes are also performed to evaluate the consequences of the defective proteins on cellular models, and to pave the way to drug discovery. Concerning novel therapies, we have ongoing trials for inherited cardiomyopathies. We are currently exploring applications of nanotechnology and bioengineering to the study of heart function and cardiomyopathies.
