DIRECTOR - since 1995
Academic Degree: Doctor in Biology
Major positions and appointments
Vice-President of the Romanian Academy (1996 - 2005)
President of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology
President of the Section of Biological Sciences - Romanian Academy
Vice-President of the European Life Scientist Organization
Visiting Professor:
Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, USA;
McGill University, School of Medicine, Montreal, Canada;
Columbia University, New York, USA;
University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
Member of scientific societies
American Society for Cell Biology;
European Cell Biology Organization;
European Life Scientist Organization (Vice-President);
Romanian Society for Cell Biology (President).
Major research interest
The cardiovascular system in health and disease. Cellular and molecular biology and pathology of the cardiovascular system, with special emphasis on atherosclerosis and diabetes. This includes studies on structural-functional correlation of microcirculation and large blood vessels, cell biology and pathology of endothelial cells, lung cells, cellular and molecular alterations in atherogenesis and diabetes.
Main Achievements
Publications
350 scientific papers published in international peer review journals
55 chapters in international handbooks and monographs
Co-editor at two monographs published by Plenum Press, one monograph by The Publishing House of the Romanian Academy and one monograph in Romanian.
ISI Citation of papers: 6415; Hirsh Index: 39
Novel contributions (in collaboration)
Discovery of transendothelial channels and their role in the exchange of macromolecules across endothelial cell (EC).
First identification of biochemically and structurally differentiated microdomains on the luminal and abluminal plasmalemma of endothelial cells.
Plasmalemmal vesicle membrane: distinct chemical composition and receptors that carry out fluid phase, adsorbtive or receptor-mediated transcytosis.
First report on the existence of albumin and histamine receptors in EC.
Discovery of intimal deposition of modified and reassembled lipoproteins as the first event occurring in the arterial wall and heart valves at the inception of atherosclerosis.
Structural, biochemical and functional characterization of modified lipoproteins isolated from the arterial intima of hypercholesterolemic animal models.
Transcytosed lipoproteins amass within the subendothelium as modified and reassembled lipoproteins
Pathobiochemistry of combined diabetes and atherosclerosis studied on an original animal model, hyperlipemic-hyperglycemic hamster.
Detection of the effect of high glucose on endothelium and of glycated proteins on lipoproteins that may account for accelerated atherosclerosis in diabetes.
Teaching experience in Cell Biology
19 years at Yale University, Medical School, USA: Cell Biology Course (Visiting Professor)
5 years at the University of Bucharest and “Ovidius University“, Constanta, Romania
A scientific side project
Co-founder of the Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology together with Professor Nicolae Simionescu.
Selected publications
Simionescu M., Popov D., Sima A.
Endothelial transcytosis in health and disease, Cell Tissue Res., 335, 27-40, 2009.
Simionescu Maya. Implications of early structural-functional changes in the endothelium for vascular. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 27:266-274, 2007
Simionescu M.
Effect of hyperlipemia-hyperglycemia on the vascular endothelium, In: “Vascular endothelium source and target for inflammatory mediators”, NATO ASI Series, J.D. Catravas, A.D. Callow, U.S. Ryan, Simionescu M. (eds.) p. 87-99, 2001.
Simionescu M., Sima A., Popov D.
The vascular endothelium in diabetes-induced accelerated atherosclerosis.
In: Vascular endothelium. Physiology, Pathology and Therapeutic Opportunities, vol. 3, New Horizon Series, G. V. R. Born, C. J. Schwarz, (eds.), Schattauer Stuttgart, New York, 329-344, 1997.
Simionescu M., Popov D., Sima A.,
Hasu M., Costache G., Faitar S., Vulpanovici A., Stancu C., Stern D., Simionescu N. Pathobiochemistry of combined diabetes and atherosclerosis studied on a novel animal model. The hyperlipemic-hyperglicemic hamster. Am. J. Pathol., 148, 997-1014, 1996.
Simionescu M., Simionescu N. Pro-atherosclerotic events: Pathobiochemical changes occurring in the arterial wall before monocyte migration. FASEB J, 7, 1359-1366, 1993.
Simionescu M., Simionescu N. Modulations and dysfunctions in the artery intima at the inception of hypercholesterolemic atherogenesis. In: New Horizons in Coronary Heart Disease. G. V. Born. C. Schwartz (eds.), Current Science Ltd., London, 11.1-11.14, 1993.
Simionescu M. Endothelial cell response to normal and abnormal stimuli. Modulation, Dysfunction, Injury, Adaptation, Repair, Death. In: Endothelial Cell Dysfunctions. Simionescu N., Simionescu M. (eds.), Plenum Press, New York, 3-10, 1992.
Simionescu M., Simionescu N. Receptor mediated transcytosis of albumin: identification of albumin binding proteins in the plasma membrane of capillary endothelium. In: Microcirculation - an update. M. Tsuchiya et al. (eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1, 67-82, 1987.
Simionescu M., Simionescu N. The ultrastructure of the microvascular wall. Functional correlations. In: Handbook of Physiology. Section 2. The Cardiovascular System, vol. IV, Chapter 3. E. M. Renkin, C. C. Michel (eds.), American Physiological Society, Washington DC, 41-101, 1984
Awards and Honors
Louis and Arthur Lucian International Award for Research in Circulatory Diseases, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (sheared with Prof. N. Simionescu), 1978
Medal of the Institute of Clinical Electron Microscopy, Bologna, Italy, 1987
Ludwig Schaefer Distinguished Professor, Columbia University, USA, 1990-1991
Borum Professor of Cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, 1990
Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy, 1990
Member of the Romanian Academy, 1991
Vice-President of the Romanian Academy, 1998
Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Romania, 1998
Sanofi Thrombosis Prize for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis Research, 1998
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