Annalisa Buffo is currently serving as an Associate Professor and leading the Physiopathology of Neural Stem Cells group at the Department of Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi of the University of Turin, Italy. Her academic journey began with a successful pursuit of a PhD in Neurological Sciences from the University of Turin in 1998. Her research during this period focused on investigating intrinsic determinants of central axon plasticity and regeneration, using the murine cerebellum as a model system. As a PostDoc Dr. Buffo trained under the supervision of Prof. Piergiorgio Strata at the University of Turin, focusing on the interplay between neurons and glial cells in the regulation of axon outgrowth. In 2001, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Turin. During 2004 and 2005, she also embarked on research collaborations as a visiting researcher at the LMU and LMU in Munich, Germany. During her time in Munich, she worked with Dr. Magdalena Goetz and provided the first demonstration that reactive glial cells can be engaged in neurogenesis in vivo through the overexpression of neurogenic determinants. This breakthrough expanded her research interests to delve into the biology of neural stem cells and explore their potential therapeutic applications. Upon returning from Munich, Dr. Buffo established her independent research group in Turin. Her research encompasses two primary areas: (i) investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of glial heterogeneity and physiopathology, and (ii) developing therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases through cell replacement and circuit reconstruction.
In 2017 she become Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Turin. Her expertise also led to the establishment of S&P Brain, a spin-off company offering preclinical services in neuroscience. Additionally, Dr. Buffo serves as the Deputy Director of the Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, a prominent research center in Turin that focuses on investigating the fundamental biological mechanisms of nervous system function.
Annalisa Buffo is currently serving as an Associate Professor and leading the Physiopathology of Neural Stem Cells group at the Department of Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi of the University of Turin, Italy. Her academic journey began with a successful pursuit of a PhD in Neurological Sciences from the University of Turin in 1998. Her research during this period focused on investigating intrinsic determinants of central axon plasticity and regeneration, using the murine cerebellum as a model system. As a PostDoc Dr. Buffo trained under the supervision of Prof. Piergiorgio Strata at the University of Turin, focusing on the interplay between neurons and glial cells in the regulation of axon outgrowth. In 2001, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Turin. During 2004 and 2005, she also embarked on research collaborations as a visiting researcher at the LMU and LMU in Munich, Germany. During her time in Munich, she worked with Dr. Magdalena Goetz and provided the first demonstration that reactive glial cells can be engaged in neurogenesis in vivo through the overexpression of neurogenic determinants. This breakthrough expanded her research interests to delve into the biology of neural stem cells and explore their potential therapeutic applications. Upon returning from Munich, Dr. Buffo established her independent research group in Turin. Her research encompasses two primary areas: (i) investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of glial heterogeneity and physiopathology, and (ii) developing therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases through cell replacement and circuit reconstruction.
In 2017 she become Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Turin. Her expertise also led to the establishment of S&P Brain, a spin-off company offering preclinical services in neuroscience. Additionally, Dr. Buffo serves as the Deputy Director of the Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, a prominent research center in Turin that focuses on investigating the fundamental biological mechanisms of nervous system function.
Michela Deleidi graduated from Vita-Salute University, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. She completed her residency in neurology followed by a research fellowship at the Neuroregeneration Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. During this time, she focused on pluripotent stem cell technology for Parkinson's disease (PD) modeling and regenerative medicine applications. She was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and moved to Germany to complete her PhD studies at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Tübingen. By combining cellular reprogramming with genome editing, her work led to one of the first stem cell-based models of Parkinson's disease, clearly demonstrating a mechanistic link to lysosomal storage diseases. Since 2016, Michela Deleidi has been a Helmholtz Young Investigator at the DZNE and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Tübingen. In January 2023, she moved to France where she currently heads the "Mechanisms and Therapy of Genetic Brain Diseases" team at the Imagine Institute. The research vision of her group is to study how discrete genetic factors contribute to neurological disorders, with a particular interest in the mechanistic links between rare inherited diseases and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Her team is currently pursuing the following lines of research: 1) mechanistic links between rare monogenic diseases (mitochondrial and lysosomal storage disorders) and complex age-related brain disorders (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease); 2) links between seemingly unrelated diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, infections, and Parkinson's disease. Her team is developing models using induced pluripotent stem cells and long-term organoid cultures combined with single-cell analysis.
Michela Deleidi graduated from Vita-Salute University, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. She completed her residency in neurology followed by a research fellowship at the Neuroregeneration Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. During this time, she focused on pluripotent stem cell technology for Parkinson's disease (PD) modeling and regenerative medicine applications. She was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and moved to Germany to complete her PhD studies at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Tübingen. By combining cellular reprogramming with genome editing, her work led to one of the first stem cell-based models of Parkinson's disease, clearly demonstrating a mechanistic link to lysosomal storage diseases. Since 2016, Michela Deleidi has been a Helmholtz Young Investigator at the DZNE and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Tübingen. In January 2023, she moved to France where she currently heads the "Mechanisms and Therapy of Genetic Brain Diseases" team at the Imagine Institute. The research vision of her group is to study how discrete genetic factors contribute to neurological disorders, with a particular interest in the mechanistic links between rare inherited diseases and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Her team is currently pursuing the following lines of research: 1) mechanistic links between rare monogenic diseases (mitochondrial and lysosomal storage disorders) and complex age-related brain disorders (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease); 2) links between seemingly unrelated diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, infections, and Parkinson's disease. Her team is developing models using induced pluripotent stem cells and long-term organoid cultures combined with single-cell analysis.
Professor Eilís Dowd received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh, after which she completed post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, McGill University and Cardiff University. She now holds a Full Professorship at the University of Galway where one of her primary interests is in the potential of biomaterials to enhance brain repair. This research was the subject of the Parkinson’s documentary “Feats of Modest Valour” which won the AAAS “Scientist Award” at the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York. Her contributions have been recognized through leadership positions including the Presidencies of both NECTAR (the Network for European CNS Transplantation and Restoration) and Neuroscience Ireland (Ireland’s official neuroscience society). She has also served on the Governing Councils of both the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), and holds editorial roles with the British Journal of Pharmacology, the European Journal of Neuroscience and Neuronal Signaling.
Professor Eilís Dowd received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh, after which she completed post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, McGill University and Cardiff University. She now holds a Full Professorship at the University of Galway where one of her primary interests is in the potential of biomaterials to enhance brain repair. This research was the subject of the Parkinson’s documentary “Feats of Modest Valour” which won the AAAS “Scientist Award” at the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York. Her contributions have been recognized through leadership positions including the Presidencies of both NECTAR (the Network for European CNS Transplantation and Restoration) and Neuroscience Ireland (Ireland’s official neuroscience society). She has also served on the Governing Councils of both the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), and holds editorial roles with the British Journal of Pharmacology, the European Journal of Neuroscience and Neuronal Signaling.
Alexandra Durr teaches neurogenetics at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She has a MD and a PhD in medical genetics applied to neurology, team leader at the Paris Brain Institute (Basic to translational neurogenetics). Alexandra Durr’s team focus on two groups of neurogenetic diseases, spinocerebellar degenerations (spastic paraplegias and cerebellar ataxias) and Huntington Disease. These rare conditions share clinical, genetic and functional characteristics, such as late onset, motor neuron dysfunction and are heterogeneous both in molecular and clinical aspects. Biomarker research in premanifest phases of the diseases and therapeutic approaches targeting the causal genes or genetic modifiers are the goal of her research.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8921-7104
Email: alexandra.durr@icm-institute.org
Alexandra Durr teaches neurogenetics at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She has a MD and a PhD in medical genetics applied to neurology, team leader at the Paris Brain Institute (Basic to translational neurogenetics). Alexandra Durr’s team focus on two groups of neurogenetic diseases, spinocerebellar degenerations (spastic paraplegias and cerebellar ataxias) and Huntington Disease. These rare conditions share clinical, genetic and functional characteristics, such as late onset, motor neuron dysfunction and are heterogeneous both in molecular and clinical aspects. Biomarker research in premanifest phases of the diseases and therapeutic approaches targeting the causal genes or genetic modifiers are the goal of her research.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8921-7104
Email: alexandra.durr@icm-institute.org
Michael Heneka (MH) studied medicine in Tübingen, Lausanne and London from 1990-1996. He obtained his medical degree at the Institute of Pharmacology for which he received the 1998 Attempto Award of the University of Tübingen. He started his clinical residency in Neurology at the Dept. of Neurology of the Univ. of Tübingen in 1996 and joined the Dept. of Neurology at the University of Bonn in 1999. After his clinical board examination (2002) and habilitation (2003) he took the chair as professor for Molecular Neurology at the University of Münster in 2004. In 2008 he was appointed professor for Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Bonn heading the DFG Clinical Research Unit 177. MH has a >25 yrs of track record in studying neurodegenerative disease at the experimental, preclinical and clinical level. While the main focus of his work is related to dementia and AD, he has also been working on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and PD. At the clinical level he has established a neurodegenerative outpatient unit at the University of Münster and thereafter at the University of Bonn from 2008-2016. The latter has been the basis for the foundation of the Dept. of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry in 2016, which he was heading until his move to the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) in January 2022. MH’s preclinical work and establishment of in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegenerative disease at the University of Bonn has been the part of the University’s application for the newly founded German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (DZNE), where he was leading the Neuroinflammation Research Group since its establishment in 2010 until 2022. He has served as board member of the network of competence of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Science (BMBF) “Degenerative Dementia“, as an executive board member of the task force “Dementia“ of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and as an expert panel member of the German national expert group for medical guidelines („S3 guideline for dementia”). Besides this, he has been a Steering Committee Member of the Cluster of Excellence “Immunosensation”, funded by the German Research Council (DFG). Next to his role as an Associate Editor of Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy and editorial board member of various neuroscience journals, MH serves as scientific advisory board member of the Paris Brain Institute and the Dementia Research Institute UK. He is the organizer of the biannual meeting “Venusberg Meeting on Neuroinflammation” since 2009 as well as co-organizer of various international meetings and symposia. He has been organizing various neuroscience summer schools at the international level focusing on early career support for graduate students. The publication record of MH includes corner authorships in internationally recognized journals including Nature, Cell, Nature Immunology and Lancet Neurology. Some of his career and findings have been covered by Allison Abbot in “The Brain Inflammed” (Nature Vol. 556 p426-428). To date he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been identified as highly-cited researcher by Clarivate since 2018. Next to contributions to various public outreach events (Cluster Science Days, DFG program on Demographic Change a.o.), MH has tutored over 20 medical thesis students and over 10 PhD students. MH has been awarded with the Christa Lorenz Award for ALS Research in 2011 and received the Hans und Ilse Breuer Award for Alzheimer Research in 2013.
Michael Heneka (MH) studied medicine in Tübingen, Lausanne and London from 1990-1996. He obtained his medical degree at the Institute of Pharmacology for which he received the 1998 Attempto Award of the University of Tübingen. He started his clinical residency in Neurology at the Dept. of Neurology of the Univ. of Tübingen in 1996 and joined the Dept. of Neurology at the University of Bonn in 1999. After his clinical board examination (2002) and habilitation (2003) he took the chair as professor for Molecular Neurology at the University of Münster in 2004. In 2008 he was appointed professor for Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Bonn heading the DFG Clinical Research Unit 177. MH has a >25 yrs of track record in studying neurodegenerative disease at the experimental, preclinical and clinical level. While the main focus of his work is related to dementia and AD, he has also been working on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and PD. At the clinical level he has established a neurodegenerative outpatient unit at the University of Münster and thereafter at the University of Bonn from 2008-2016. The latter has been the basis for the foundation of the Dept. of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry in 2016, which he was heading until his move to the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) in January 2022. MH’s preclinical work and establishment of in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegenerative disease at the University of Bonn has been the part of the University’s application for the newly founded German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (DZNE), where he was leading the Neuroinflammation Research Group since its establishment in 2010 until 2022. He has served as board member of the network of competence of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Science (BMBF) “Degenerative Dementia“, as an executive board member of the task force “Dementia“ of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and as an expert panel member of the German national expert group for medical guidelines („S3 guideline for dementia”). Besides this, he has been a Steering Committee Member of the Cluster of Excellence “Immunosensation”, funded by the German Research Council (DFG). Next to his role as an Associate Editor of Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy and editorial board member of various neuroscience journals, MH serves as scientific advisory board member of the Paris Brain Institute and the Dementia Research Institute UK. He is the organizer of the biannual meeting “Venusberg Meeting on Neuroinflammation” since 2009 as well as co-organizer of various international meetings and symposia. He has been organizing various neuroscience summer schools at the international level focusing on early career support for graduate students. The publication record of MH includes corner authorships in internationally recognized journals including Nature, Cell, Nature Immunology and Lancet Neurology. Some of his career and findings have been covered by Allison Abbot in “The Brain Inflammed” (Nature Vol. 556 p426-428). To date he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been identified as highly-cited researcher by Clarivate since 2018. Next to contributions to various public outreach events (Cluster Science Days, DFG program on Demographic Change a.o.), MH has tutored over 20 medical thesis students and over 10 PhD students. MH has been awarded with the Christa Lorenz Award for ALS Research in 2011 and received the Hans und Ilse Breuer Award for Alzheimer Research in 2013.
Dr Madeline Lancaster is a Group Leader in the Cell Biology Division of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. Madeline joined the LMB in 2015, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) in Vienna, where she developed brain organoids.
Research in the Lancaster lab focuses on human brain development using stem cells to generate brain organoids that allow modelling of human brain development in vitro. The laboratory studies the most fundamental differences between human brain development and that of other mammalian species. The lab also studies cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability.
Madeline was awarded the 3Rs Prize by the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in 2015 for her development of brain organoids, and was chosen as an EMBO Young Investigator in 2019. She was awarded the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Dr Susan Lim Award for Outstanding Young Investigator and a Vallee Scholarship in 2021. Madeline was honoured as the Laureate for Life Sciences in the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in the UK and was elected an EMBO member in 2022.
Dr Madeline Lancaster is a Group Leader in the Cell Biology Division of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. Madeline joined the LMB in 2015, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) in Vienna, where she developed brain organoids.
Research in the Lancaster lab focuses on human brain development using stem cells to generate brain organoids that allow modelling of human brain development in vitro. The laboratory studies the most fundamental differences between human brain development and that of other mammalian species. The lab also studies cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability.
Madeline was awarded the 3Rs Prize by the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in 2015 for her development of brain organoids, and was chosen as an EMBO Young Investigator in 2019. She was awarded the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Dr Susan Lim Award for Outstanding Young Investigator and a Vallee Scholarship in 2021. Madeline was honoured as the Laureate for Life Sciences in the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in the UK and was elected an EMBO member in 2022.
Gianvito Martino (Bergamo, 1962) received his Medical Degree in 1987 from the Univ. of Pavia (Italy) and completed his residency in Neurology in 1991.
In 1990, he was a Visiting Scientist at the Dept. of Neurology of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and, from 1991 to 1992, he held the position of Research Associate at the Dept. of Neurology of the Univ. of Chicago (Chicago, IL, USA).
From 1992 to 2008, he worked first as Senior Scientist and then as Director of the Neuroimmunology Unit of the San Raffaele Scientific Inst. in Milan (Italy) where he acted as Director of the Neuroscience Division.
He is Scientific Director of San Raffaele Hospital and full professor of Experimental Biology and Vice Rector for Research and Third Mission at the San Raffaele Vita-Salute Univ. in Milan.
He was appointed Honorary Professor at Queen Mary Univ. of London from 2009 to 2017. He has been the Scientific Secretary (1998-2003) and the President (2009-2012) of the Italian Neuroimmunology Society (AINI). He is the founder and the Scientific Coordinator of the European School of Neuroimmunology (ESNI) and of the Global Schools of Neuroimmunology (GSNI). Within the International Society for Neuroimmunology (ISNI), he served as advisory board member (2002-2010), Vice President (2010-2012) and President (2012-2014).
He has been a member of the scientific committee and reviewing panel of ECTRIMS, FISM, MSIF, INSERM; UK MS Society, Wellcome Trust's Peer Review College. From 2017 to 2019 he has been the President of the scientific council of the Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB).
From 2015 he serves as Panel Member of the European Research Council (ERC) and from 2020 of the NEURON-ERANET.
He has co-authored more than 250 original articles and book chapters. His scientific interests range from the elucidation of the pathogenic mechanisms of immune-mediated central nervous system disorders to the development of gene and stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of these disorders.
Gianvito Martino (Bergamo, 1962) received his Medical Degree in 1987 from the Univ. of Pavia (Italy) and completed his residency in Neurology in 1991.
In 1990, he was a Visiting Scientist at the Dept. of Neurology of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and, from 1991 to 1992, he held the position of Research Associate at the Dept. of Neurology of the Univ. of Chicago (Chicago, IL, USA).
From 1992 to 2008, he worked first as Senior Scientist and then as Director of the Neuroimmunology Unit of the San Raffaele Scientific Inst. in Milan (Italy) where he acted as Director of the Neuroscience Division.
He is Scientific Director of San Raffaele Hospital and full professor of Experimental Biology and Vice Rector for Research and Third Mission at the San Raffaele Vita-Salute Univ. in Milan.
He was appointed Honorary Professor at Queen Mary Univ. of London from 2009 to 2017. He has been the Scientific Secretary (1998-2003) and the President (2009-2012) of the Italian Neuroimmunology Society (AINI). He is the founder and the Scientific Coordinator of the European School of Neuroimmunology (ESNI) and of the Global Schools of Neuroimmunology (GSNI). Within the International Society for Neuroimmunology (ISNI), he served as advisory board member (2002-2010), Vice President (2010-2012) and President (2012-2014).
He has been a member of the scientific committee and reviewing panel of ECTRIMS, FISM, MSIF, INSERM; UK MS Society, Wellcome Trust's Peer Review College. From 2017 to 2019 he has been the President of the scientific council of the Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB).
From 2015 he serves as Panel Member of the European Research Council (ERC) and from 2020 of the NEURON-ERANET.
He has co-authored more than 250 original articles and book chapters. His scientific interests range from the elucidation of the pathogenic mechanisms of immune-mediated central nervous system disorders to the development of gene and stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of these disorders.
Dr Rebecca Matsas’ research interests focus on nervous system development and regeneration. She is elected EMBO member, President of the Hellenic Society for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine and active member of national and international professional organizations. She has served as General Director of HPI. She has received numerous awards and has been decorated Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite for promoting franco-hellenic scientific co-operation. She has studied neural stem cell biology and has identified key molecular mechanisms coordinating cell cycle exit and differentiation. She has developed therapeutic cell transplantation in pre-clinical animal models of brain and spinal cord injury or disease, with important functional recovery. Her garnered knowledge has laid the groundwork for transition from mouse models to a human setting to address specific biological questions that are clinically relevant. She has been using induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to model human brain development-in-a-dish and neurodegenerative disease-in-a-dish, aiming to investigate mechanisms of neurodegeneration, identify new disease targets and evaluate the effectiveness of novel disease-modifying therapies. She has received numerous research grants and has published extensively in esteemed journals, such as PNAS, Nature Commun, NPJ Parkinsons Dis, eLife, Cel lMol Life Sci. She hosted the 32nd NECTAR conference in Athens in October 2022.
Dr Rebecca Matsas’ research interests focus on nervous system development and regeneration. She is elected EMBO member, President of the Hellenic Society for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine and active member of national and international professional organizations. She has served as General Director of HPI. She has received numerous awards and has been decorated Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite for promoting franco-hellenic scientific co-operation. She has studied neural stem cell biology and has identified key molecular mechanisms coordinating cell cycle exit and differentiation. She has developed therapeutic cell transplantation in pre-clinical animal models of brain and spinal cord injury or disease, with important functional recovery. Her garnered knowledge has laid the groundwork for transition from mouse models to a human setting to address specific biological questions that are clinically relevant. She has been using induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to model human brain development-in-a-dish and neurodegenerative disease-in-a-dish, aiming to investigate mechanisms of neurodegeneration, identify new disease targets and evaluate the effectiveness of novel disease-modifying therapies. She has received numerous research grants and has published extensively in esteemed journals, such as PNAS, Nature Commun, NPJ Parkinsons Dis, eLife, Cel lMol Life Sci. She hosted the 32nd NECTAR conference in Athens in October 2022.
Christelle Monville obtained a PhD in Neurobiology at the French University of Créteil in 2000. She is currently professor at Evry’s University and team leader at the Istem lab (France). Since ten years, the objectives of her group (Istem, www.istem.eu) are (1) to develop pre-clinical studies required for the development of human pluripotent stem cells cellular therapy for the treatment of a number of monogenic retinal diseases and (2) disease modeling and drug discovery using patient-specific human induced Pluripotent Stem (hiPS). Replacement of defective retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by new RPE cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) provides a novel rational approach for treating forms of blindness that affect the RPE. First attempts in clinical trials demonstrated safety for the delivery of such cells as a suspension. Transplanting a functional monolayer of RPE cells is the next challenge to effectively cure patients. We successfully developed, under clinically compatible conditions, a tissue-engineered product (TEP) consisting of RPE cells derived from hESCs disposed on a biocompatible substrate: the human amniotic membrane. A clinical trial on patients suffering from certain forms of Retinitis Pigmentosa (NCT03963154) has started in 2019, including 7 patients treated so far. The future will be to provide more complex tissue and upscale the production of retinal cells.
Christelle Monville obtained a PhD in Neurobiology at the French University of Créteil in 2000. She is currently professor at Evry’s University and team leader at the Istem lab (France). Since ten years, the objectives of her group (Istem, www.istem.eu) are (1) to develop pre-clinical studies required for the development of human pluripotent stem cells cellular therapy for the treatment of a number of monogenic retinal diseases and (2) disease modeling and drug discovery using patient-specific human induced Pluripotent Stem (hiPS). Replacement of defective retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by new RPE cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) provides a novel rational approach for treating forms of blindness that affect the RPE. First attempts in clinical trials demonstrated safety for the delivery of such cells as a suspension. Transplanting a functional monolayer of RPE cells is the next challenge to effectively cure patients. We successfully developed, under clinically compatible conditions, a tissue-engineered product (TEP) consisting of RPE cells derived from hESCs disposed on a biocompatible substrate: the human amniotic membrane. A clinical trial on patients suffering from certain forms of Retinitis Pigmentosa (NCT03963154) has started in 2019, including 7 patients treated so far. The future will be to provide more complex tissue and upscale the production of retinal cells.
Laurent Nguyen is Research director at the FRS-FNRS (Belgian national fund), Director of the GIGA-Stem Cells Unit and Head of the Laboratory for molecular regulation of neurogenesis, University of Liège (http://www.giga.uliege.be). After completing a PhD in neurobiology at the University of Liège under the direction of Prof. Gustave Moonen (1999-2003), Laurent Nguyen received an EMBO LTF and completed a postdoctoral stage in the laboratory of François Guillemot at the National Institute for Medical Research in London (2003-2006). With his group, Laurent is studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control the development of the cerebral cortex with emphasis on the regulation of neurogenesis and neuronal migration in health and disease.
Laurent Nguyen is Research director at the FRS-FNRS (Belgian national fund), Director of the GIGA-Stem Cells Unit and Head of the Laboratory for molecular regulation of neurogenesis, University of Liège (http://www.giga.uliege.be). After completing a PhD in neurobiology at the University of Liège under the direction of Prof. Gustave Moonen (1999-2003), Laurent Nguyen received an EMBO LTF and completed a postdoctoral stage in the laboratory of François Guillemot at the National Institute for Medical Research in London (2003-2006). With his group, Laurent is studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control the development of the cerebral cortex with emphasis on the regulation of neurogenesis and neuronal migration in health and disease.
Alexandra Nicaise completed her PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Connecticut Health Center in 2013, researching induced pluripotent stem cell models of multiple sclerosis. Her PhD work was awarded the Edward Henderson Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Biomedical Science. Following her doctoral studies she became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she received a fellowship from the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. She is now continuing her postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair. She is currently working on understanding senescence in multiple sclerosis using human-based model systems.
Alexandra Nicaise completed her PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Connecticut Health Center in 2013, researching induced pluripotent stem cell models of multiple sclerosis. Her PhD work was awarded the Edward Henderson Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Biomedical Science. Following her doctoral studies she became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she received a fellowship from the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. She is now continuing her postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair. She is currently working on understanding senescence in multiple sclerosis using human-based model systems.
Dr. Malin Parmar is a professor in cellular neuroscience at Lund University in Sweden, a Distinguished Professor of the Swedish Research Council and a New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Investigator. Together with her lab she has made significant discoveries on how human fibroblasts can be converted into neurons, how glial cells can be reprogrammed into neurons in vivo, and how functional dopamine neurons can be generated from human embryonic stem cells. Her research has a strong translational focus and she leads the European trial STEM-PD, a first in human trial using stem cell-derived dopamine neurons to treat Parkinson’s Disease. She is a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Science and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Dr. Malin Parmar is a professor in cellular neuroscience at Lund University in Sweden, a Distinguished Professor of the Swedish Research Council and a New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Investigator. Together with her lab she has made significant discoveries on how human fibroblasts can be converted into neurons, how glial cells can be reprogrammed into neurons in vivo, and how functional dopamine neurons can be generated from human embryonic stem cells. Her research has a strong translational focus and she leads the European trial STEM-PD, a first in human trial using stem cell-derived dopamine neurons to treat Parkinson’s Disease. She is a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Science and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Gesine Paul is a Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Neurology at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, Sweden.
She trained at the Charité in Berlin, UMDS in London and at started her research career at St Andrews University, Scotland. For several years she trained as neurologist at the Charité in Berlin before moving to Sweden. Attracted by Lund as a worldwide pioneering center for neurotransplantation, she joined the lab of Prof. Patrik Brundin in 2001 supported by an EU Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship.
Since 2011 she leads a preclinical research group “Translational Neurology” at Lund University, Sweden with the aim to elucidate mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and identify novel targets for neuroprotection with a focus on blood-brain barrier pathology.
Gesine Paul is a clinical investigator in several frontline clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease addressing neurorestorative effect of growth factors (PDGF-BB, CDNF) and cell transplantation (fetal and stem-cell derived). She is the Principal Investigator of the newly started STEM-PD trial in Sweden, a multicentre, single arm, first in human trial, investigating the safety, tolerability and feasibility of intraputamenal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic cells for Parkinson’s disease.
Gesine Paul is a Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Neurology at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, Sweden.
She trained at the Charité in Berlin, UMDS in London and at started her research career at St Andrews University, Scotland. For several years she trained as neurologist at the Charité in Berlin before moving to Sweden. Attracted by Lund as a worldwide pioneering center for neurotransplantation, she joined the lab of Prof. Patrik Brundin in 2001 supported by an EU Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship.
Since 2011 she leads a preclinical research group “Translational Neurology” at Lund University, Sweden with the aim to elucidate mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and identify novel targets for neuroprotection with a focus on blood-brain barrier pathology.
Gesine Paul is a clinical investigator in several frontline clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease addressing neurorestorative effect of growth factors (PDGF-BB, CDNF) and cell transplantation (fetal and stem-cell derived). She is the Principal Investigator of the newly started STEM-PD trial in Sweden, a multicentre, single arm, first in human trial, investigating the safety, tolerability and feasibility of intraputamenal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic cells for Parkinson’s disease.
Steve carried out his PhD studies in zebrafish developmental biology at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London (1998-2002). As a postdoc and latterly a Beit Memorial Fellow he explored mechanisms of embryonic stem cell differentiation and neural stem cell self-renewal at the Universities of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge in the laboratory of Prof Austin Smith FRS.
He established his own independent laboratory at the UCL Cancer Institute in 2010, where he expanded his interests into transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in human neural stem cells and glioblastoma. In 2013 he relocated to the University of Edinburgh and is based at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine. He held the prestigious Cancer Research UK Senior Fellow from 2014-2020, and was made full Professor of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology in 2017 and Associate Director of Science for the CRUK Scotland Centre in 2022.
Steve has published widely in the areas of stem cell biology, cancer biology, reprogramming, genome editing and mammalian synthetic biology. His research interests focus on transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, and how these are deregulated in cancer. He is also leading several projects exploring small molecule and gene therapy approaches to target newly uncovered pathways.
Steve carried out his PhD studies in zebrafish developmental biology at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London (1998-2002). As a postdoc and latterly a Beit Memorial Fellow he explored mechanisms of embryonic stem cell differentiation and neural stem cell self-renewal at the Universities of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge in the laboratory of Prof Austin Smith FRS.
He established his own independent laboratory at the UCL Cancer Institute in 2010, where he expanded his interests into transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in human neural stem cells and glioblastoma. In 2013 he relocated to the University of Edinburgh and is based at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine. He held the prestigious Cancer Research UK Senior Fellow from 2014-2020, and was made full Professor of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology in 2017 and Associate Director of Science for the CRUK Scotland Centre in 2022.
Steve has published widely in the areas of stem cell biology, cancer biology, reprogramming, genome editing and mammalian synthetic biology. His research interests focus on transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, and how these are deregulated in cancer. He is also leading several projects exploring small molecule and gene therapy approaches to target newly uncovered pathways.
Mikael Simons is a Professor for Molecular Neurobiology at the TU Munich, and Head of Clinical Research & Clinical Trial Unit Munich at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Munich (DZNE/Munich). He is board-certified clinical neurologist with specialized expertise in neuroimmunological and neurodegenerative diseases. The main research focus is on glial biology and neuroinflammation in health and disease. His ab works on the mechanisms of CNS regeneration with the overall aim to come up with new strategies of how to promote repair of the damaged CNS in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Mikael Simons is a Professor for Molecular Neurobiology at the TU Munich, and Head of Clinical Research & Clinical Trial Unit Munich at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Munich (DZNE/Munich). He is board-certified clinical neurologist with specialized expertise in neuroimmunological and neurodegenerative diseases. The main research focus is on glial biology and neuroinflammation in health and disease. His ab works on the mechanisms of CNS regeneration with the overall aim to come up with new strategies of how to promote repair of the damaged CNS in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Malú Gámez Tansey, Ph.D. is the Norman and Susan Fixel Chair in Neuroscience and Neurology and Director of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Florida. Her lab focuses on the role of inflammation and immune system responses in brain health and neurodegenerative disease with a long-term goal of developing better therapies to prevent and/or delay these diseases.
Dr. Tansey obtained her B.S/M.S in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Cell Regulation from UT Southwestern followed by post-doctoral work in neuroscience at Washington University. As head of Chemical Genetics at Xencor, she co-invented novel soluble TNF inhibitors that have now advanced to clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Tansey is a fierce advocate for women and other under-represented groups in STEM and has earned several mentoring awards from students and faculty for her efforts in this area.
Malú Gámez Tansey, Ph.D. is the Norman and Susan Fixel Chair in Neuroscience and Neurology and Director of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Florida. Her lab focuses on the role of inflammation and immune system responses in brain health and neurodegenerative disease with a long-term goal of developing better therapies to prevent and/or delay these diseases.
Dr. Tansey obtained her B.S/M.S in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Cell Regulation from UT Southwestern followed by post-doctoral work in neuroscience at Washington University. As head of Chemical Genetics at Xencor, she co-invented novel soluble TNF inhibitors that have now advanced to clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Tansey is a fierce advocate for women and other under-represented groups in STEM and has earned several mentoring awards from students and faculty for her efforts in this area.
Angelo Luigi Vescovi, is an associate professors of Cell Biology at the University of Milan Bicocca and the Director of Research for the Hospital IRCCS CSS and Institute for Human Genetics G. Mendel in Rome. He is the President of the Italian Committee on Bioethics of the Prime Minister of Italy. He worked at the University of Calgary from 1991 to 1993 with Prof. Samuel Weiss, participating in the initial discovery of brain stem cells in the adult brain. He spent the last three decades to investigate the regulation of cell fate, proliferation, differentiation and plasticity in neural stem cells and is translating neural stem cell biology into innovative therapies for brain disorders. He introduced the concept of systemic delivery of neural stem cell for the therapy of multiple sclerosis, has shown the existence of cancer stem cells in malignant human gliomas and proposed a novel, potential biotherapy for human malignant tumors. He was the principal investigator for the first phase I clinical trial for ALS and in MS with intracerebral implantation of brain stem cells and for the use of pro-differentiation therapy in glioblastomas. Vescovi was a scientific consultant for the Pontifical Academy for Sciences of the State of Vatican and for the Select Committee on Stem Cells of the House of Lords (England) and for the European Commission. He has given over 100 invited international lectures and was an invited speaker at the World Economic Forum and European Economic Forum. He published over 190 articles in leading scientific journals.
Angelo Luigi Vescovi, is an associate professors of Cell Biology at the University of Milan Bicocca and the Director of Research for the Hospital IRCCS CSS and Institute for Human Genetics G. Mendel in Rome. He is the President of the Italian Committee on Bioethics of the Prime Minister of Italy. He worked at the University of Calgary from 1991 to 1993 with Prof. Samuel Weiss, participating in the initial discovery of brain stem cells in the adult brain. He spent the last three decades to investigate the regulation of cell fate, proliferation, differentiation and plasticity in neural stem cells and is translating neural stem cell biology into innovative therapies for brain disorders. He introduced the concept of systemic delivery of neural stem cell for the therapy of multiple sclerosis, has shown the existence of cancer stem cells in malignant human gliomas and proposed a novel, potential biotherapy for human malignant tumors. He was the principal investigator for the first phase I clinical trial for ALS and in MS with intracerebral implantation of brain stem cells and for the use of pro-differentiation therapy in glioblastomas. Vescovi was a scientific consultant for the Pontifical Academy for Sciences of the State of Vatican and for the Select Committee on Stem Cells of the House of Lords (England) and for the European Commission. He has given over 100 invited international lectures and was an invited speaker at the World Economic Forum and European Economic Forum. He published over 190 articles in leading scientific journals.
Susanne Wegmann has an engineering degree in Biotechnology from the TU Berlin, followed by a PhD in Biophysics from the ETH Zurich during which she started working on protein structural and biophysical aspects of the human Tau protein and its pathological aggregates. From 2012-2018 Susanne worked as a postdoctoral fellow, and later instructor in Neurology, at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (with Bradley T Hyman) in Boston to study the mechanisms of cell toxicity and spreading of Tau in tauopathy mouse models and Alzheimer's disease human brains. Since 2018 Susanne is an independent group leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative diseases (DZNE) in Berlin, where she studies multiple aspects of Tau protein (patho)biology. Her research aims at understanding the biological role of Tau and its assembly forms in the context of neuronal stress response and disease, and employs protein biochemical and biophysical, cellular, and brain model system to grasp the complexity or the problem.
Susanne Wegmann has an engineering degree in Biotechnology from the TU Berlin, followed by a PhD in Biophysics from the ETH Zurich during which she started working on protein structural and biophysical aspects of the human Tau protein and its pathological aggregates. From 2012-2018 Susanne worked as a postdoctoral fellow, and later instructor in Neurology, at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (with Bradley T Hyman) in Boston to study the mechanisms of cell toxicity and spreading of Tau in tauopathy mouse models and Alzheimer's disease human brains. Since 2018 Susanne is an independent group leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative diseases (DZNE) in Berlin, where she studies multiple aspects of Tau protein (patho)biology. Her research aims at understanding the biological role of Tau and its assembly forms in the context of neuronal stress response and disease, and employs protein biochemical and biophysical, cellular, and brain model system to grasp the complexity or the problem.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2012, I am a patient representative on research project steering groups, lay reviewer of grant applications, member of the Edinburgh Research Interest Group, and patient advocate in the EuroGCT project. I have co-authored posters at the World Parkinson Congress 2016, 2019 and 2023, and with Ken Bowler and Bill Wright, published our paper Adventures with Parkinson’s in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine 2017 https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/rme-2017-0030.
I am currently working with Joy Milne on the impact of exercise on my Parkinson’s symptoms as measured by Parkinson’s odour stratification.
As a (late-onset) academic I researched the physical environment’s impact on workplace creativity, proposing a visuo-spatial grammar of creative spaces (PhD 2013).
Originally a sculpture student, my portfolio career has included design and manufacture of specialist glasswork (clients included Freddy Mercury and Paul McCartney), an arts centre for amateur painters, a creativity consultancy for corporate clients (including Motorola, Siemens Electronics, NCR), and designing fabriam, a highly successful thinking space in NE England.
I have authored and co-authored peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and conference presentations, and am Principal Editor of BITE: Recipes for remarkable research (2014), and co-editor of its successor EqualBITE: Recipes for Gender Equality in Higher Education (2017) for the University of Edinburgh.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2012, I am a patient representative on research project steering groups, lay reviewer of grant applications, member of the Edinburgh Research Interest Group, and patient advocate in the EuroGCT project. I have co-authored posters at the World Parkinson Congress 2016, 2019 and 2023, and with Ken Bowler and Bill Wright, published our paper Adventures with Parkinson’s in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine 2017 https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/rme-2017-0030.
I am currently working with Joy Milne on the impact of exercise on my Parkinson’s symptoms as measured by Parkinson’s odour stratification.
As a (late-onset) academic I researched the physical environment’s impact on workplace creativity, proposing a visuo-spatial grammar of creative spaces (PhD 2013).
Originally a sculpture student, my portfolio career has included design and manufacture of specialist glasswork (clients included Freddy Mercury and Paul McCartney), an arts centre for amateur painters, a creativity consultancy for corporate clients (including Motorola, Siemens Electronics, NCR), and designing fabriam, a highly successful thinking space in NE England.
I have authored and co-authored peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and conference presentations, and am Principal Editor of BITE: Recipes for remarkable research (2014), and co-editor of its successor EqualBITE: Recipes for Gender Equality in Higher Education (2017) for the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Yu-Wai-Man is an academic neuro-ophthalmologist with a major research interest in mitochondrial genetics and inherited eye diseases. He holds a tenured Faculty position as Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit. In addition to his academic roles, he has joint clinical appointments at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London as an Honorary Consultant Neuro-Ophthalmologist.
Professor Yu-Wai-Man is the Director of the Cambridge Clinical Vision Laboratory (CCVL) that was set up as a cross-cutting facility to support advanced therapeutics on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. In parallel, he has established a strong collaborative link with the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre to fast track the development of effective therapies for inherited optic neuropathies, including novel gene therapy approaches. With funding from the NIHR and the MRC, he has built a national referral network for the investigation and management of patients with mitochondrial eye diseases. His research group is capitalising on this unique resource to explore disease biomarkers and the clinical applicability of high-resolution structural and functional imaging (eye and brain).
Professor Yu-Wai-Man is an academic neuro-ophthalmologist with a major research interest in mitochondrial genetics and inherited eye diseases. He holds a tenured Faculty position as Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit. In addition to his academic roles, he has joint clinical appointments at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London as an Honorary Consultant Neuro-Ophthalmologist.
Professor Yu-Wai-Man is the Director of the Cambridge Clinical Vision Laboratory (CCVL) that was set up as a cross-cutting facility to support advanced therapeutics on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. In parallel, he has established a strong collaborative link with the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre to fast track the development of effective therapies for inherited optic neuropathies, including novel gene therapy approaches. With funding from the NIHR and the MRC, he has built a national referral network for the investigation and management of patients with mitochondrial eye diseases. His research group is capitalising on this unique resource to explore disease biomarkers and the clinical applicability of high-resolution structural and functional imaging (eye and brain).