M. Carolina Florian received her PhD in 2008 from the University of Milan (Italy) where she trained in neuroendocrinology investigating mechanisms of neuroblastoma migration and invasion. Afterwards, she moved to the University of Ulm (Germany) for her postdoctoral training (2009-2015) on hematopoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell biology. During the postdoc, she also trained as visiting scientist (2011-2012) at the Experimental Hematology Department of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Cincinnati, USA).

In 2016, Dr. Florian was awarded an Emmy Noether grant (DFG) to lead her independent research group on Epigenetics of Stem Cell Aging at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Ulm (Germany). In 2018, she was appointed by the Program for the Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC) and the Program of Regenerative Medicine at IDIBELL (Barcelona, Spain) as group leader. In 2023, she became ICREA Research Professor (ICREA).

Dr. Florian’s research in the past years strongly challenged the concept that aging is an irreversible process. Since 2016, in her team they investigate the role of epigenetics and of the stem cell microenvironment in driving aging of somatic stem cells. Dr. Florian’s lab focuses on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms of somatic stem cell aging, supporting the development of new therapeutic strategies to preserve the regenerative capacity of stem cells over time and to limit or prevent the development of age-related disorders and extend lifespan.