Carmen Formisano

Department of Pharmacy

University of Naples FedericoII

Italy

About Me

The scientific activity of Dr. FORMISANO has always been focused on the chemistry of natural substances. In particular she was interested in the chemistry of the diterpenes and sesquiterpenes of plant origin, typical of the Mediterranean basin. The interest shown by many researchers to secondary metabolites, as evidenced by an extensive bibliography, is justified by the complexity and polyfunctionalized of these molecules, which throws fascinating challenges for determining the structure and offers the opportunity to test innovative synthetic methods. In addition, the multiple biological activities that secondary metabolites have been shown to have, has made them attractive targets pharmaceutical industry.

Radosław Mlak

Assistant Professor

Department of Human Physiology

Medical University of Lublin

Poland

About Me

Radosław Mlak, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Physiology at Medical University in Lublin. A graduate of a Ph.D. program at the Medical University in Lublin. Doctor in the field of medical sciences. An active member of the Polish Physiological Society. Conducts research, write publications, invited to symposia and scientific conferences in order to give lectures on topics related to molecular markers and genetic predispositions of various diseases, with particular focus on malignant tumors. Head of several research tasks covering the issues of molecular and genetic research in cancer. Co-author of the academic textbook "Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutritient Deprivation." Laureate of numerous scholarships. Belongs to the editorial teams of many scientific journals of national and international scope.

Lixin Wan

Assistant Professor

Department of Cancer Biology

University of South Florida

United States

About Me

Lixin Wan is currently an Assistant Member in the Department of Molecular Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. He also holds a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences of the University of South Florida. Dr. Wan received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences prior to his postdoctoral training with Dr. Wenyi Wei at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School.

Isabella Orienti

Professor

Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology

University of Bologna

Italy

About Me

Isabella Orienti obtained her Degree in Pharmacy and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Bologna in 1984. She became Associate Professor in 1991 and Professor in 2005. She has been the head of the Laboratory of Drug Nanoencapsulation in the Dept. FaBit, the University of Bologna since 1991. Her research interests include nanoencapsulation of antitumor drugs, development of new nanocarrier systems to improve the therapeutic efficiency of tolerable alternative antitumor molecules. She is working in collaboration with many national and international research groups.

Antonella Arcella

Research Chief

Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology

IRCCS Neuromed

Italy

About Me

I have extensive experience in the molecular biology of brain tumors, for molecular diagnosis (analysis of MGMT gene methylation, LOH analysis of 1p and 10q chromosomes). The experience started at the Laboratory of Prof. Finocchiaro, ISTITUTO Besta Milano. (June 2001) I transferred these molecular biology techniques to the Neuropathology laboratory of the Neuromed Institute, where since 2003 I have been responsible for the molecular section, reporting this type of exam. In the Neuromed Neuropathology laboratory, I have developed models for the study of brain tumors: Model for in vitro study: preparation of glioblastoma cell cultures starting from the mechanical and enzymatic dissection of the patient's biopsy, preparation of glial stem cell cultures. Model for in-vitro study: stereotaxic implantation of glioblastoma cells in the caudate nucleus of nude CD1 mice for the in vivo study of new mechanisms and substances for the blocking of glioblastoma cell growth. In sum, I have extensive experience in molecular biology of brain tumors and in the development of in-vitro and in-vivo models. I am particularly interested in the molecular characterization of gliomas and the association with drug resistance as well as in the evaluation of adjuvant therapies. One important achievement has been the stereotaxic implantation of human glioblastoma cells into nude mice to study the mechanisms underlying the gliomagenesis, which led to the identification of the Praja2 as a good candidate for the blockade of glioblastoma growth.

Santoshi Muppala

Research Associate

Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences

Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic

United States

About Me

I finished my bachelor’s and master’s in Microbiology from Sri Venkateswara University, India. Later I completed a Ph.D. in Cancer Molecular Biology at the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 2014. I joined as a post-doctoral fellow at Cleveland Clinic in the Department of Molecular Cardiology where I am currently continuing as a staff scientist. I have long-standing interests in underlying molecular mechanisms leading to human diseases esp., Angiogenesis, Fibrosis, Atherosclerosis, and Cancer. With specific interests including the role of extracellular matrix proteins (especially thrombospondin-4); the molecular mechanisms of regulation of vascular genes; the mechanisms of accelerated angiogenesis; and the regulation of tumor growth. The focus is to study the role of thrombospondin-4 in the regulation of the above mentioned human diseases in response to growth factors like TGF-beta1.

Marco Ferrari

Assistant Professor

Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology

University of Insubria

Italy

About Me

Ferrari Marco, qualification of pharmacology in 2001 at the University of Pavia, Italy, in 2009 Ph.D. in Pharmacology (University of Insubria, Vares, Italy), in 2006-date Assistant Professor in Pharmacology (University of Insubria). Research interest includes pharmacogenetic study, with a particular interest in the role of polymorphisms in clinical outcomes. Immunopharmacology with particular regard to the molecular mechanisms and the clinical relevance of the neuroendocrine modulation of the immune response. Current research is focussing on the role of genetic factors in the regulation of drug response in diseases such as Parkinson disease, Schizophrenia, Metabolic disorders. Author or co-author of 42 original papers published on peer-reviewed scientific journals indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI-WoS, and of more than 100 communications and lectures mainly in international congresses and meetings. Main appointments include: component as teacher and expert of the Doctoral School in Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Medical Humanities of the University of Insubria; member of the Drug Commission as pharmacology advisor of the S. Anna Hospital, Como, Italy; member Commission Guidance of the University of Insubria; component of the Doctoral School Council in Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology; member of the Ethics Committees of the S. Anna Hospital, Como, Italy. Member of Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF), and WAGEM - World Association of Genomic Medicine.

Tarek Mohamed Kamal Motawi

Faculty of Pharmacy

Department of Biochemistry

Cairo University

Egypt

About Me

Dr. Tarek Mohamed Kamal Mohamed Metawie, Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University. Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1984; M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1979; B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, 1976. Professional experience: Instructor; 1976, Lecturer Assistant; 1980, Lecturer, 1984; Assistant Professor, 1989; Professor,1994; Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo:- 2008-2014.

Alessandro Poggi

Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit

IRCCS AOU San Martino IST National Institute for Cancer Research

Italy

About Me

Dr Alessandro Poggi has been working on cellular and tumor immunology for more than 30 years. He is author of 216 original articles published on indexed journals and he serves as a reviewer of several scientific journals. Starting from his first doctoral degree in Biological Sciences (1982), he worked on functional characteristics of leukocyte subsets. After his Post-Doctoral Fellow training at the Ludwig Cancer Institute in Lausanne, Switzerland (1985-1987), he has been appointed as Assistant Member at the IST (Immunopathology Unit) in Genoa studying natural killer cell development and function, molecular aspects of survival of subsets of leukocytes and the role of mesenchymal stromal and stem cells in tumor microenvironment. In 2000, he has taken his second doctoral degree in Medicine and Surgery. He has got specialization in General Pathology (1986) and Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2004). He has the scientific abilitation as full professor in general and Clinical Pathology as well as in Molecular Biology (2014). From July 2009, he is director of the Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit at the Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Genoa. At present, his main research interests are the tumor microenvironment (TME) and regulation of anti-tumor immune response. This focusing on the molecular mechanisms that can be involved in the relieve of immunosuppression mediated by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC). Very recently, he is setting up a section of digital pathology to study in colon rectal carcinoma MSC in TME and identify markers relevant to trigger the TME to become immunostimulant instead of immunosuppressive. Further, to this aim, he is studying the delivery with nanovectors of immune activating drugs to tumor in three dimensional culture systems.

Jae Y. Ro

Professor, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine

Director of Surgical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Methodist Hospital, Houston

United States

About Me

After completing my fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in the Department of Pathology; in 1985, I was named instructor in that department, and was promoted to assistant professor, associate professor, and professor over the following 7 years. I left MDACC in 1998 to become Chairman and Director of the Department of Pathology at the Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University, Seoul, Korea, but returned the next year, assuming my past duties as Co-director of the Fellowship Training Program and Chief of Pulmonary and Mediastinal Pathology at the MDACC. I retired from MDACC in October 2001 and returned to the Asan Medical Center as a Chairman and Director of the Department of Pathology until I joined Houston Methodist Hospital in March 2005. I have served on many professional organizations, including the Korean-American Society of Pathology (for which he was chairman from 1996 to 1998), Korean Society of Pathology (for which he was vice-president from 2004-2005), American Society of Clinical Pathologists, College of American Pathologists, International Academy of Pathology and United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. I have published over 740 papers in the highest quality peer-reviewed journals and presented more than 450 abstracts at national and international scientific meetings. He also published six textbooks and more than 25 book chapters and teaching manuals. I have served as a guest lecturer in the United States and abroad. My main research interests include studies on the pathogenesis of genitourinary and lung tumors including prevention and the identification of prognostic factors. For these purposes, molecular and tissue microarray techniques have been used. These studies are primarily translational research, as the findings are based on surgical specimens submitted to Houston Methodist Hospital.

Ana Isabel Rocha Faustino

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies

Portugal

Farid H. Omoumi

Research Assistant

The University of Oklahoma

United States

Tarek Salah-Eldin Aboushousha

Professor

Department of Surgical Pathology

Theodor Bilharz Research Institute

Egypt