Reporter cell lines Genome-edited and lentiviral reporter systems make cell cycle, lineage state, and functional activity visible during experiments instead of only at endpoint. Research
Research area · Stem cells and reporters
Instrumented cells
Instrumented cells build the inside-out measurement layer for SPL: engineered hiPSCs, genetic reporters, lineage and cell-cycle sensors, and 2D/3D differentiation systems that make morphogenesis, cell state, and function measurable over time.
Our
Unique vision
This theme builds human stem-cell systems that report their own biology while experiments unfold. Engineered hiPSC lines, fluorescent cell-state sensors, cardiac and developmental differentiation protocols, and live imaging make it possible to follow how cells choose fates, organize tissues, and respond to perturbation in 2D and 3D contexts.
Platforms and capabilities
Cells built to report state
Reporter cell lines Genome-edited and lentiviral reporter systems make cell cycle, lineage state, and functional activity visible during experiments instead of only at endpoint. 
Cardiac and developmental models Human cardiac and early-developmental systems let the lab watch structure, function, and cell state emerge together under controlled conditions. 
Live phenotyping workflows Longitudinal imaging connects perturbations to cell behavior over time, allowing the lab to ask how engineered cells build, repair, or reorganize tissue-like systems. Related publications
Articles and preprints in this area
Including collaborations; listed newest to oldest.
Engineering Toolkits for High-Throughput and High-Content Phenotyping Melissa Pezzotti, Francesco S. Pasqualini Biophysics Reviews · 2026 · DOI 10.1063/5.0341991 CALIPERS: Cell cycle-aware live imaging for phenotyping experiments and regeneration studies Moises Di Sante, Melissa Pezzotti, Julius Zimmermann, Alessandro Enrico, Joran Deschamps, Elisa Balmas, Silvia Becca, Eloisa Torchia, Giulia Ballio, Samantha Solito, Martina Sarchi, Alessandro Reali, Alessandro Bertero, Florian Jug, Francesco S. Pasqualini Nature Communications · 2026 · DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-76144-9 Bioimage analysis for multiplexed FUCCI acquisitions powered by deep learning J. Zimmermann, M. Pezzotti, E. Torchia, A. Enrico, M. Di Sante, F.S. Pasqualini NPJ Imaging · 2026 · DOI 10.1038/s44303-026-00159-6 A vertically integrated system for tracking and assessing cell-cycle-aware phenotypes under confinement Melissa Pezzotti, Eloisa Torchia, Julius Zimmermann, Sara Rigolli, Alessandro Enrico, Moises Di Sante, Francesco S. Pasqualini APL Bioengineering · 2026 · DOI 10.1063/5.0306480 Translational cardiac stem cell therapy: advancing from first-generation to next-generation cell types Cambria E, Pasqualini FS, Wolint P, Gunter J, Steiger J, Bopp A, Hoerstrup SP, Emmert MY npj Regenerative Medicine · 2017 · DOI 10.1038/s41536-017-0024-1 Coupling primary and stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in an in vitro model of cardiac cell therapy Aratyn-Schaus Y, Pasqualini FS, Yuan H, McCain ML, Ye GJ, Sheehy SP, Campbell PH, Parker KK Journal of Cell Biology · 2016 · DOI 10.1083/jcb.201508026 Structural phenotyping of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes Francesco Silvio Pasqualini, Sean Paul Sheehy, Ashutosh Agarwal, Yvonne Aratyn-Schaus, Kevin Kit Parker Stem Cell Reports · 2015 · DOI 10.1016/j.stemcr.2015.01.020 Modeling the mitochondrial cardiomyopathy of Barth syndrome with induced pluripotent stem cell and heart-on-chip technologies Wang G, McCain ML, Yang L, He A, Pasqualini FS, Agarwal A, Yuan H, Jiang D, Zhang D, Zangi L, Geva J, Roberts AE, Ma Q, Ding J, Chen J, Wang DZ, Li K, Wang J, Wanders RJ, Kulik W, Vaz FM, Laflamme MA, Murry CE, Chien KR, Kelley RI, Church GM, Parker KK, Pu WT Nature Medicine · 2014 · DOI 10.1038/nm.3545 Quality metrics for stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes Sheehy SP, Pasqualini F, Grosberg A, Park SJ, Aratyn-Schaus Y, Parker KK Stem Cell Reports · 2014 · DOI 10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.01.015
Tools and resources
Useful links
Addgene pLV-EF1A-FUCCIplex Direct plasmid page for the EF1A FUCCIplex lentiviral construct. Addgene pLV-CMV-FUCCIplex Direct plasmid page for the CMV FUCCIplex lentiviral construct. Addgene pLV-cTnT-FUCCIplex Direct plasmid page for cardiac-lineage FUCCIplex expression. Addgene R26-CAG-BST-FUCCIplex Direct plasmid page for the Rosa26/CAG FUCCIplex knock-in construct.