Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. Giovanni Monteleone

Head of Gastroenterology Unit at the Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome – Italy

Giovanni Monteleone received his medical degree from the University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro (Italy) and he completed his internship, residency, and a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the same University.

He joined the Faculty at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in 2003, becoming an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology and then a Full Professor of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Monteleone’s basic research is mostly focused on mechanisms involved in the control of mucosal immune homeostasis and inflammatory signals that sustain and amplify pathological processes in the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, he is interested in understanding how immune cells and non-immune cells cross-talk in the gastrointestinal mucosa and which molecules mediate such an interplay. So far, these studies have contributed to delineate novel pathways of intestinal mucosal damage and paved the way for the development of anti-inflammatory compounds, which are now ready to move into the clinic. He is also interested in the immune-inflammatory networks involved in the colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis.

He is author of more than 400 peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters, and serves as an editorial board member or a reviewer for several journals.

Prof. Dr. med. Christos C. Zouboulis

Professor of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology at the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg and Director of the Departments of Dermatology, Venereology, Allergology and Immunology, Dessau Medical Center, Germany.

He is also Professeur honoraire at the Medical Faculty, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France, Dr. h.c. of the National and Kapodistrias University of Athens, Greece, and Visiting Professor of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Medical University, China.

Prof. Zouboulis is President of the European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation e.V., the German Registry Adamantiades-Behçet Disease e.V., the Berlin Foundation of Dermatology and the Section Saxony-Anhalt of the Federation of German Allergologists; Honorary President of the European Society of Preventive, Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine (ESAAM), Executive Committee Member of the International Society on Behçet’s Disease, Board Member of the European Reference Network of Rare and Complex Skin Diseases, coordinator of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force on Acne, Rosacea and Hidradenitis Suppurativa and serves as Editor of the EADV News.

His major areas of research are the pathophysiology of the sebaceous gland and of the associated skin diseases (acne, hidradenitis suppurativa), skin aging and rare diseases. He has published fundamental contributions in these fields (h-index 109, IF >2660, citations >45000) and his research has been recognized through numerous scientific awards (among others European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Research Fellowship, Oskar Gans Major Prize of the German Dermatological Society, Nékám Award of the Hungarian Dermatological Society, Felix Wankel Animal Protection Research Prize, Gerson Unna Prize on Immunology, Skin Cancer Prize, “Beauty Care Prize” for Dermatological Research, “Germany land of ideas – 2009 place of excellence” for Skin Stem Cell Research, “Geroulanos Prize” for History of Medicine, Paul “Liérac Research Award” for Skin Aging Research, Springer Prize for Dermatology, Open Health Alliance Excellence Award, Honorary Membership of the Patients` Charity „Deutsche Interessengemeinschaft Akne inversa e.V.“) and honorary scientific society memberships (honorary member of the French, the Hungarian, the Italian, the Lithuanian, the Portuguese and the Maltese Dermatological Societies – Medal in Silver by the Wroclaw Medical University, Poland and the Medal of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology).

Prof. Mauro Picardo

Professor of Dermatology at the UNICAMILLUS University in Rome

For 25 years Director of the San Gallicano Dermatology Institute – Cutaneous Physiopathology and Metabolomic Centre, Roma (Italy).

In the San Gallicano Institute he implemented the following research topics:

Melanocyte biology and peroxidative – driven cell response. Physiological and deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin, mechanisms involved in regulation of cellular redox balance and impairment of antioxidant systems, mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of pigmentary disorders in particular vitiligo, intracellular signal transduction in melanocyte survival and differentiation, biological risk factors for cutaneous melanoma, inflammatory skin diseases, allergic skin diseases.
Molecular cellular and biochemical mechanisms of melanocyte, keratinocyte and fibroblast adaptive response to stressful external and endogeous stimuli.
Role of membrane lipid profile in signal transduction and differentiation.
Molecular, cellular and biochemical basis for inflammatory skin
Biochemical profile including lipidomics, keratinocytes and sebocytes during cellular process leading to acne.
Pharmacological activities of molecules interfering with lipid-dependent signaling affecting cell survival and differentiation.

Moreover he set up many collaborations with International Research Institutes finalized to the dissection of the above topics at molecular and biochemical levels.

Author and co-author of more than 380 publications in indexed scientific journals Author of 20 chapters in various multi author books.

Co-editor of Vitiligo book published in March 2010.and II edition 2020: Total Citation 24285

Responsible for various grants from Italian Ministry of Health, on:

vitiligo, mechanism of cutaneous photo damage, aging. “Sebum lipidomics:a new tool to correlate skin an systemic lipid metabolism ” (2013-2015).
“Gender differences and immuno- mediated diseases: pathogenic mechanisms innovative therapeutic strategies” (2009-2011)
Clinical and Experimental Pathway to Vitiligo Management (2017- 2020)

Active member of the USA project on the “Role of oxidative stress in intracellular adhesion between keratinocytes and melanocytes” in collaboration with NIH Cell Biology Laboratory and Department of Dermatology Yale School of Medicine (2004-2006)

Member of Italian Commission for Dietetic and Nutrition at the Minister of Health (2006- present)

Member of National Health Council (2007 2010)

Member of the Psocare National Commission supported by the Italian Agency on Drugs (AIFA)

Past President of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR)

Past President of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies (IFPCS)

Past President of the European Society of Pigment Cell Research (ESPCR)

Member of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV)

Member of the Italian Society of Dermatology and Venereology,(SIDEMAST)

Member of the Italian Association of Dermatologists (ADOI)

Coordinator of the Vitiligo European Task Force,

Associated Editor of Pigment Cell Research, member of editorial board for Pigment Cell Research journal,

Editorial board of Experimental dermatology

Editorial board of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology

Referee ad hoc for many dermatological journals such as Journal of Investigative Dermatology, British Journal of Dermatology, Journal of EADV, Experimental dermatology, and non dermatological journals such as FASEB J, BBA, J Chromatography, Biochem J, Plos One, Free radical in Biology and Medicine, Scientific Report, Nature Comm. etc

Prof. Lorenzo Di Bari

Head of the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry

Professor of Organic Chemistry

University of Pisa – Italy

Lorenzo Di Bari received his BSc and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Pisa and the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa). He spent several years abroad (Lausanne, CH, and Stockholm, SE), developing NMR tools for conformational analysis of organic compounds. Since 1992 he’s been first assistant, then associated and finally full professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Pisa, where he teaches Stereochemistry and Advanced Organic Chemistry. Since 2018 he’s head of the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa.

His research interests span all fields of stereochemistry, including organic, inorganic, macro and supramolecular compounds and materials, as well as the structure of biopolymers. His most recent activities focus on two main lines: chiral molecules for optoelectronic devices and nucleic acid therapeutics and their delivery. He’s an expert of Circular Dichroism, Circularly Polarized Luminescence and NMR.

Since 2000 he’s been member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Chirality, since 2009 he is in the International Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Chiroptical Spectroscopies and since 2018 of the “Chirality”(formerly ISCD) symposia. He has co-authored over 190 papers and review articles in international journals, and several book chapters. He’s delivered lectures in many international conferences, as well as in universities, research institutions and private companies worldwide and he has an extended network of collaborations. He chaired several domestic and international conferences on chirality and chiroptical spectroscopies. Most of his former group members are now developing their independent academic careers and some of them have already gained established positions.

Dr Anita Falezza

RPN Managing Director

Anita Falezza founded Regulatory Pharma Net s.r.l. in 1999. Anita has held various positions in the pharmaceutical industry since 1989. With 30 years’ experience in the market her activities are focused on the consulting and strategic coordination of Drug Development, Regulatory Affairs and Market Access projects across international markets, providing strategic advice for interacting with international and national regulatory authorities (e.g. EMA, FDA, BfArM, AIFA, etc.), maximising the use of the regulatory mechanisms using an interdisciplinary approach to obtain regulatory and market access goals.

Anita is also directly involved in Scientific Advices, Paediatric Investigation Plans, Orphan Drug Designations, Drug Development Plans, Centralised, Decentralised, and Mutual Recognition Procedures, Price and reimbursement procedures, pre-INDs, INDs, NDAs, BLAs being in continuous contact with the evaluating authorities.

She has remarkable experience in Innovative Products, Anticancer products, Biological and Biotechnological Products, and Advanced Therapies and regularly participates in due diligence and negotiations for licensing and acquisitions.

Anita is a member of Organisations of Professionals (e.g. DIA, TOPRA) as well as an active member of EUCOPE, and other local industry associations.

Dr. G. Susan Srivatsa

President, ElixinPharma

Dr. Susan Srivatsa is the President of ElixinPharma, a scientific consulting firm for novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Widely recognized as an international expert on the regulatory aspects of chemical and pharmaceutical development of oligonucleotides, Susan has guided the development of more than 60 therapeutic oligonucleotides from research through various stages of clinical development including product approval.

Prior to founding ElixinPharma, Susan served as Senior Director of Analytical Development and Quality Control at Isis (now Ionis) Pharmaceuticals (1993-1999) and was part of the leadership team to receive approval for the first oligonucleotide drug, Vitravene™ in the US and Europe. Susan also has broad experience in the development of small molecules, proteins and peptides having held positions of increasing responsibility at Procter and Gamble, Abbott, Allergan and Telios Pharmaceuticals.

Susan served on the PhRMA Expert Committee for the ICH Quality Guideline Q6A (1998) and serves on the Advisory Boards of the US Tides, EuroTides and AsiaTides conferences as well as the DIA/FDA Oligonucleotide therapeutics conference. She continues to publish articles in peer reviewed journals and has co-edited a book on the analysis of oligonucleotides (2011). Susan received a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the Universtity of California, Riverside (1987) followed by post-doctoral research in NMR spectroscopy of biological systems.

Prof. Tom MacDonald

Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London

Tom MacDonald is Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. Prof MacDonald has a long-term interest in the intestinal immune system in health and disease, with particular interest in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Tom MacDonald received a PhD in immunology from Glasgow and then did a post-doc at the Trudeau Institute in upstate New York. He was then appointed as an assistant professor at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. In the late 80’s he left Philadelphia and worked at Merck and Co for a year, before returning to Bart’s Medical College in London. He was appointed a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Bart’s (till 1994), and given a personal chair at the University of London in 1991. In 2000 he moved to Southampton medical school to head up the Division of Infection, Inflammation and Repair and then in 2005 he returned to Barts and the London, as Professor of Immunology and Dean for Research. He has over 400 publications, mostly on how inappropriate immune reactions cause disease in the human gut. His H-factor is 107 with over 40,000 citations. He was awarded FRCPath in 1995 and elected a fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences in 2002. In 2008 he received the Presidents Medal from the British Society of Gastroenterology. Achievements include identifying that T cells cause coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease; the role of TNF-alpha in IBD; with Nestle developing ModulenIBD to treat pediatric Crohn’s disease; and identifying the critical role of Smad7 in chronic inflammation in Crohn’s disease). He was a former associate editor of Gut and Gastroenterology. He has served on many grant awarding panels and advisory groups including the review panel of NC3R’s, Action Medical Research, was a past member of the Physiological Systems and Medicine panel at the UK Medical Research Council (2007-11), chaired the MRC non-clinical training panel (2012-2016), sat on the MRC training and careers panel (2012-2016), chairs the Mason Medical Foundation Awards panel (2016-present) and also chaired the Kings Health Partners Awards Panel (2015-20. He is currently a member of the oversight group of the MRC EMINENT initiative. He now works with industry to develop new therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.

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