Elissavet Kardami, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Elissavet Kardami’s research program addressed potential factors and mechanisms mediating damage of heart muscle cells, with a view to  improve outcomes of disease. Her team studied fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) isoforms in cardiac pathology and other scenarios. They have demonstrated that the 18 kDa isoform protects against ischaemic and chemotoxic (cancer drug) injury, at the cellular and organism level, while the larger isoform antagonizes the protective effects.

The laboratory identified several entities of the cardioprotective mechanism: mitochondria; FGF-2 tyrosine kinase receptor FGFR1; the channel protein connexin 43 (Cx43).

The  team has developed reagents for neutralizing the deleterious effects of the larger FGF2 isoforms in the heart, as potential therapy.

Currently Dr. Kardami is continuing her collaboration with Dr. Peter Cattini on the broad subject of hormonal regulation of various pathologies.

Dr. Kardami was born in Corinth, Greece, completed undergraduate studies at the University of Athens, and her PhD at King’s College, London, UK. She pursued post-doctoral studies at the Institute Pasteur, Paris, France (cell biology and biochemistry of muscle proteins) and at Berkeley, University of California, where she worked on the cell biology of skeletal muscle and isolated a muscle-derived growth factor which she later identified as basic fibroblast growth factor, now termed FGF-2.

She started her independent career as a faculty member at UM, and a staff scientist at St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre in 1987. She retired from her full professor position at UM on January 1st 2025, and she is currently a Senior Scholar, to transition to Professor Emerita. She was a lab director (muscle cell biochemistry) at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Research Centre (1987-2024).

She has trained nine PhD, five MSc, four BSc Med, and many summer students.
Her research has received funding from several agencies over the years, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 1988-2020.

Dr. Kardami's team is internationally known for work on growth factors in the heart, has given over 90 invited presentations world-wide, has published over 110 peer-reviewed papers, and 11 book chapters to date.

In addition to all things FGF-2 and science in general, she has developed a strong interest in cultivating and preserving critical thinking in herself, her students, and all those who will listen. She is always available to students, personnel and Faculty to meet, discuss and learn.

Education

• PhD (biophysics), King’s College, London, UK (1980)
• Bachelor of science (honours, biology), School of Physics and Mathematics, University of Athens, Greece (1975)

Awards

• YMCA Woman of Distinction Award (2009)