Laura Cercenelli is a Research Assistant at the School of Medicine, Experimental Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine Department of the University of Bologna (since December 2006). She graduated cum laude in Biomedical Engineering in 2003 at the Polytechnic of Milano. In 2004 she received a Master Degree in “Informatic technologies for the analysis and processing of biomedical images” from University of Camerino and I.N.R.C.A. (Istituto Nazionale Riposo e Cura Anziani). In 2006 she received PhD in “Electromagnetism and Bioengineering” from Marche Polytechnic University. She has 10-years of experience in the field of implantable sensors and devices for cardiac function monitoring. In the last three years, she has gained experience in the field of ophthalmology working closely with the Operative Unit of Ophthalmology of S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, particularly on eye tracking systems used to characterize the oculomotor behavior in subjects with normal vision, as well as in patients with ophthalmologic diseases (e.g. strabismus, glaucoma). Since 2005, she has taken part in national research programs: Focused Fundamental Research (RFO) Project, University of Bologna; National Research Project (PRIN2005); NIMURRA project (ASI Call for a ideas “Biotechnology for Human Space Exploration” 2010); experimental research projects involving in vivo testing on animals. She is author/co-author of over 50 papers and abstracts published on peer-reviewed international journals and on proceedings of international congresses. She is co-inventor of 2 European and 9 Italian patents, and of 5 USA and 3 European patent applications.
• Eye tracking systems to study the oculomotor behavior (particularly saccadic movements and fusional vergence response) in healthy subjects and in pathologies like glaucoma and strabismus. • Implantable sensors for monitoring cardio-pulmonary mechanics. • Cardiac monitoring by non-invasive wearable systems. • Sensorized prosthetic heart valves. • Technologies for simulation in medical education. • Robotic systems for interventional cardiac procedures.