Ersilia Mirabelli, Ph.D.
Biography
Dr. Ersilia Mirabelli serves at Liberty University as Assistant Professor of Biology. Dr. Mirabelli earned her M.S. in Biology at the University of Calabria, and with the support of the European Union program for education and training, she was privileged to perform cancer biology research at now Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia (PA), formerly TJU.
Dr. Mirabelli went on to complete a multidisciplinary Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in neuroimmunology at Rutgers University, where she investigated molecular and cellular mechanisms of pain processing in-vitro and in animal models of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury at the Spine Center of New Jersey at Rutgers Health Neurological Institute of New Jersey.
Throughout her life’s journey, leaving her home in Crotone, Italy to traveling to the U.S. with the future unknown, experiencing the nuances, challenges, and joys of learning a new culture, getting married, and starting a family to name a few, she has kept the promises of God close to her heart. Her unconditional love and trust for Him and His will are the bedrock upon which her calling to be an educator at LU stands on today.
Courses Taught
- Microbiology Lab (BIOL 303)
- Immunology Lab (BIOL 420)
- Neurobiology (BIOL 435)
- Neuroanatomy and Neurology (BIOL 610)
- Human Physiology Lab (BIOM 515)
- Principles of Physiology II (MSCI 522)
Publications
- Mirabelli E, Elkabes S. Neuropathic Pain in Multiple Sclerosis and Its Animal Models: Focus on Mechanisms, Knowledge Gaps and Future Directions. Front Neurol. 2021 Dec 16;12:793745. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.793745. PMID: 34975739; PMCID: PMC8716468.
- Mirabelli E, Ni L, Li L, Acioglu C, Heary RF, Elkabes S. Pathological pain processing in mouse models of multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury: contribution of plasma membrane calcium ATPase 2 (PMCA2). J Neuroinflammation. 2019 Nov 8;16(1):207. doi: 10.1186/s12974-019-1585-2. PMID: 31703709; PMCID: PMC6839084.
- Pallottie A, Ratnayake A, Ni L, Acioglu C, Li L, Mirabelli E, Heary RF, Elkabes S. A toll-like receptor 9 antagonist restores below-level glial glutamate transporter expression in the dorsal horn following spinal cord injury. Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 7;8(1):8723. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26915-2. PMID: 29880832; PMCID: PMC5992189.
- Acioglu C, Mirabelli E, Baykal AT, Ni L, Ratnayake A, Heary RF, Elkabes S. Toll like receptor 9 antagonism modulates spinal cord neuronal function and survival: Direct versus astrocyte-mediated mechanisms. Brain Behav Immun. 2016 Aug;56:310-24. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.03.027. Epub 2016 Apr 1. PMID: 27044334.
- Sun X, Jiao X, Pestell TG, Fan C, Qin S, Mirabelli E, Ren H, Pestell RG. MicroRNAs and cancer stem cells: the sword and the shield. Oncogene. 2014 Oct 16;33(42):4967-77. doi: 10.1038/onc.2013.492. Epub 2013 Nov 18. PMID: 24240682.