The research interests of the Angiogenesis Lab are focused on cardiovascular biology, mainly on the study of molecular mechanisms governing physiological and pathological angiogenesis, and on drug discovery devoted to inhibit pathological angiogenesis.

Biochemical and functional relationship of molecular factors involved in angiogenesis are studied using molecular and cellular biology approaches and functional genomics in mice.

Moreover, for these studies is crucial the availability at Angiogenesis Lab of in vivo disease models, such as syngeneic and xenograft tumors, corneal and choroid neovascularization, hind limb ischemia.

In the last ten years, the research activities of Angiogenesis Lab have been granted by Horizon 2020, AIRC, Telethon, government agencies (MIUR, MISE, Campania Region) and from national and foreign companies (Bayer, Abbott, Thromb-X, Multimedica, BIOVIIIx).

The studies on drug discovery has allowed the opportunity to co-found an innovative start up, named AnBition, which activities are focused on developing new molecules and technologies for treating or diagnosing angiogenesis-related diseases.

In the picture, the contribution of Angiogenesis Lab into unveil the important role of VEGF-A/PlGF heterodimer in pathological angiogenesis.

• Prolyl 3-Hydroxylase 2 Is a Molecular Player of Angiogenesis. Pignata P, Apicella I, Cicatiello V, Puglisi C, Magliacane Trotta S, Sanges R, Tarallo V, De Falco S. Int J Mol Sci. 22:3896 (2021)
• VEGFR1 signaling in retinal angiogenesis and microinflammation. Uemura A, Fruttiger M, D’Amore PA, De Falco S, Joussen AM, Sennlaub F, Brunck LR, Johnson KT, Lambrou GN, Rittenhouse KD, Langmann T. Prog Retin Eye Res. Sep;84:100954 (2021)
• Oral Delivery of a Tetrameric Tripeptide Inhibitor of VEGFR1 Suppresses Pathological Choroid Neovascularization. Tarallo V, Iaccarino E, Cicatiello V, Sanna R, Ruvo M, De Falco S. Int J Mol Sci. 21:410 (2020)
• Placental growth factor regulates the generation of T_H17 cells to link angiogenesis with autoimmunity. Yoo SA, Kim M, Kang MC, Kong JS, Kim KM, Lee S, Hong BK, Jeong GH, Lee J, Shin MG, Kim YG, Apicella I, Cicatiello V, De Falco S, Yoon CH, Cho CS, Ryoo ZY, Lee SH, Kim WU. Nature Immunology 20:1348-1359 (2019)
• Full Functional Knockout of Placental Growth Factor by Knockin with an Inactive Variant Able to Heterodimerize with VEGF-A. Apicella I, Cicatiello V, Acampora D, Tarallo V, De Falco S. Cell Rep. 23:3635-3646 (2018)
• Alu RNA accumulation induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by modulating miR-566 and is associated with cancer progression. Di Ruocco F, Basso V, Rivoire M, Mehlen P, Ambati J, De Falco S, Tarallo V. Oncogene 37:627-637 (2018) 
• Hypoxia activates placental growth factor expression in lymphatic endothelial cells. Tudisco L, Orlandi A, Tarallo V, De Falco S. 8:32873-32883 (2017)
• Intravenous immune globulin suppresses angiogenesis in mice and humans. Yasuma R, Cicatiello V, Mizutani T, Tudisco L, Kim Y, Tarallo V, Bogdanovich S, Hirano Y, Kerur N, Li S, Yasuma T, Fowler BJ, Wright CB, Apicella I, Greco A, Brunetti A, Ambati BK, Helmers SB, Lundberg IE, Viklicky O, Leusen JH, Verbeek JS, Gelfand BD, Bastos-Carvalho A, De Falco S, Ambati J. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 1:15002 (2016)
• Human IgG1 antibodies suppress angiogenesis in a target-independent manner. Bogdanovich S, Kim Y, Mizutani T, Yasuma R, Tudisco L, Cicatiello V, Bastos-Carvalho A, Kerur N, Hirano Y, Baffi JZ, Tarallo V, Li S, Yasuma T, Arpitha P, Fowler BJ, Wright CB, Apicella I, Greco A, Brunetti A, Ruvo M, Sandomenico A, Nozaki M, Ijima R, Kaneko H, Ogura Y, Terasaki H, Ambati BK, Leusen JH, Langdon WY, Clark MR, Armour KL, Bruhns P, Verbeek JS, Gelfand BD, De Falco S, Ambati J. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 1:15001(2016)
• Powerful anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic activity of a new anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 peptide in colorectal cancer models. Cicatiello V, Apicella I, Tudisco L, Tarallo V, Formisano L, Sandomenico A, Kim Y, Bastos-Carvalho A, Orlandi A, Ambati J, Ruvo M, Bianco R, De Falco S. 6:10563-76 (2015)
• Antiangiogenesis therapy: an update after the first decade. De Falco S. Korean J Intern Med. 2014 1:1-11 (2014)
• Epigenetic control of hypoxia inducible factor-1α-dependent expression of placental growth factor in hypoxic conditions. Tudisco L, Della Ragione F, Tarallo V, Apicella I, D’Esposito M, Matarazzo MR, De Falco S. Epigenetics. 9:600-10 (2014)
• Inhibition of choroidal and corneal pathologic neovascularization by Plgf1-de gene transfer. Tarallo V, Bogdanovich S, Hirano Y, Tudisco L, Zentilin L, Giacca M, Ambati J, De Falco S. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 53:7989-96 (2012)
• The discovery of placenta growth factor and its biological activity. De Falco S. Exp Mol Med. 44:1-9 (2012)
• The biflavonoid amentoflavone inhibits neovascularization preventing the activity of proangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factors. Tarallo V, Lepore L, Marcellini M, Dal Piaz F, Tudisco L, Ponticelli S, Lund FW, Roepstorff P, Orlandi A, Pisano C, De Tommasi N, De Falco S. J Biol Chem. 286:19641-51 (2011)
• A placental growth factor variant unable to recognize vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-1 inhibits VEGF-dependent tumor angiogenesis via heterodimerization. Tarallo V, Vesci L, Capasso O, Esposito MT, Riccioni T, Pastore L, Orlandi A, Pisano C, De Falco S. Cancer Res. 70:1804-13 (2010)

Sandro De Falco joined the IGB as Research Scientist in 2001, in the group of Graziella Persico. In 2005 got the position of CNR-Senior Researcher and group leader of Angiogenesis Laboratory. In 2020 got the position of Research Director.

In 2000 got an EMBO short-term fellow at the Center for Transgene Research and Technology, KU Leuven, Belgium, in the group of Prof. Peter Carmeliet.

From 1994 to 2000 he was first Senior Scientist and successively Head of molecular and cellular biology laboratory at biotech Company Tecnogen S.C.p.A. (Piana di Monteverna, Caserta, Italy).

Previously he was post-doctoral fellow at Laboratoire de Biophysique, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France in the laboratory of prof. Claude Hélène, and at Department of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, University “Federico II”, Naples Italy.

He holds his PhD in Biochemical Sciences in 1990, and the degree in Biological Sciences in 1985, at University “Federico II” of Naples, Italy.