Vittorio Colizzi

Vittorio was born in Rome the 7 February 1949.

He is married with 5 children. VC held the medical degree at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” with full honor. VC is specialist in Clinical of Infectious Diseases (University of Rome) and in Hygiene and Public Health (University of Pisa), and PhD in Immunology (Brunnel University, England). His doctorate and post-doc experience have been carried out at the Clinical Research Centre in Harrow (England). He has been Assistant in Microbiology, and Associate professor in Immunology at the University of Pisa. Since 2000 to now, VC is Full Professor of Immunology and Director of the UNESCO Chair in Biotechnology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. VC has been also President (2007-2010) of the Board of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” in Rome, Italy, and Scientific Director (2009-2011) of the International Reference Centre for AIDS “Chantal Biya” in Yaoundè, Cameroon, and President of the academic spin-off Technology Development for Africa 2005-2011). He is consultants for several agencies of the United Nations (UNESCO, UNDP, OMS) and is scientific coordinator of several European and international Projects. Actually VC is President of the University spin-off Afroinnova (Cameroonian SA). VC published over 230 scientific publications on peer-review journals (Nature, Journal of Immunology, Infection and Immunity, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Clinical Experimental Immunology, A, IDS, AIDS and Human Retrovirus Journal, etc.) in the sector of Microbial Immunology and Infectious Diseases, with special focus on AIDS and Tuberculosis. On 2012, VC has founded the research & development company MirNat.

Rosella Cicconi

Pier Giorgio Natali

Pier Giorgio Natali, born in Italy in 1941, received his MD degree from “La Sapienza” University in Rome and diplomas from ECFMG, the Board of American Medical Laboratory Immunology, and from the Scripps Clinic Res Fnd S.Diego, USA, in Immunopathology. Joining the “Regina Elena” National Cancer Institute in Rome, he shaped his career in translational oncology, contributing to insights into tumor progression and the development of solid tumors, immunodiagnosis, and immunotherapeutic strategies. As Scientific Director of this Institute, he also strongly supported territorial prevention initiatives later adopted and awarded internationally. He has been a visiting professor at Columbia University, President of the Italian Cancer Society, and presently Secretary General of the Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer Control (MTCC: www.mtcc-prevention.net), a leading Association in Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis, since 2015. Since 2000, Emeritus of the Collegium Ramazzini (www.collegiumramazzini.org). Author of over  400 studies, H-index 79 ( 92,5% influential citation World/National Ranking 15989/589, has received the Honorary Degree in Immunopathology from the University of Pecs, Hungary. He sits on the Advisory Board of the “Cancer Today Magazine” (AACR, USA), addressing public awareness, advocacy, and cancer survivor issues. He is presently engaged in research exploring the preventive ability of natural micronutrients toward chronic degenerative diseases and environmental carcinogens.

Marta Giovanetti

My research focuses on investigating the patterns of gene flow in pathogen populations, with an emphasis on phylogenetics and phylogeography as tools to reconstruct and understand the determinants of viral outbreaks and translate this information into public policy recommendations. Specifically, my research centers on recent arboviral outbreaks in Latin America (such as Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Yellow Fever viruses) and, more recently, SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil, Italy, and South Africa. This work combines genetic, spatial, and ecological data to gain insights into the epidemiology and ecology of viruses in natural populations. I am particularly interested in developing and applying techniques that integrate viral genetic data with traditional clinical and demographic information. After completing my Ph.D. in the molecular evolution of RNA viruses at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, and conducting fieldwork in Sierra Leone on the Ebola virus, I began a postdoctoral position at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I investigated the evolution of arthropod-borne viruses. Currently, I am an Associate Professor (Microbiology) in the Department of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Development and One Health at Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Italy. In this role, I lead the Microbiology course and conduct research on microbiome and virome composition. My work actively incorporates One Health principles, particularly in genomic surveillance of emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens in Latin America, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). My research seeks to understand the drivers behind the introduction of these pathogens into new regions, including Italy and Europe, with a focus on how climate change, land use, and animal-human interactions amplify disease transmission. Leveraging recent advances in nanopore sequencing (e.g., Giovanetti et al., Cell Reports 2020; Giovanetti et al., Nature Microbiology 2022), our team has generated over 100,000 complete viral genomes from diverse regions in Brazil and Latin America. Additionally, as part of CLIMADE (https://climade.health/), a global consortium we helped establish, our focus is on developing knowledge, surveillance tools, and interventions to mitigate the impact of climate-amplified diseases and epidemics under the One Health framework. My research combines real-time genome generation through nanopore sequencing with large-scale genetic data analysis to uncover the origins and transmission dynamics of viral pathogens across human, animal, and environmental interfaces, addressing critical public health challenges and underscoring the interconnectedness of health systems.

Marco De Feo

Dr. Marco de Feo is a dental surgeon and researcher with consolidated clinical, academic, and scientific experience acquired in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America. He obtained his degree in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics in Italy and have progressively developed solid expertise in oral surgery, oral andmaxillofacial pathology, and tumors of the oro-facial district. Actually, is permanent professor of Oral Pathology at the Faculty of Medicine, Teaching Hospital “Good Samaritan”, N’Djamena, Chad, Centra Africa.

Laure Deutou

Koutaya Dezoumbe

Ivana Matic

Ivana was born in Belgrade on 9th of September 1982.

She is a cell and molecular biologist specialized in immunology. She graduated in 2006 at the University of Belgrade in Molecular biology and physiology, and got her PhD in 2010 in Cellular and molecular biology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. Her areas of research expertise include regulation of inflammatory response to infections and neuropharmacology. In 2011, Ivana moved from the academia to industry to work on design and preclinical and clinical development of natural extracts and dietary supplements with anti-aging properties. She began working in patent law in 2013, while preparing a patent application for anti-age plant extracts and has been actively engaged in intellectual property in biotechnology since. In 2018 she completed a two-year course in European Patent Law at Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies of University of Strasbourg. Ivana has been a member of the MirNat team since 2016, when she joined the Company as the Intellectual Property Protection Consultant. Currently, she is working at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Denise Campagna

Denise Campagna was born on May 20, 1994, in Rome, Italy. She graduated in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from La Sapienza University of Rome, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Advances in Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Legal Medicine, and Public Health Sciences. From 2019 to 2023, she conducted research at the IDI-IRCCS of Rome, investigating the molecular mechanisms of non-melanoma skin cancers and developing eco-friendly lignin nanoparticles with photoprotective properties, as well as skin-equivalent approaches for different applications. Since 2024, she has collaborated with the National Research Council (CNR), focusing on the study of plant-derived extracts and essential oils from Sub-Saharan Africa to address nosocomial infections and antimicrobial resistance. She also carried out a research mission in Ndjamena, Chad, at the CHU-BS, where she trained Chadian PhD students in the valorization of endemic plants and molecular diagnostics, provided instruction on scientific methods and laboratory organization, participated in technical meetings, and supported data analysis from screenings and sample management.

Andrea Galgani

Andrea was born in Rome on 12 February 1966.

His high education has been at the University of Rome La Sapienza where he obtained the Degree of Biological Sciences and the PhD degree on Endocrinology and Metabolism. In 1998 he obtained the specialization degree on HCCP and Safety Management. Since 2000, AG is involved activity in genetics in diabetes and other metabolic disorders both at the University of Rome La Sapienza and at the Paediatric Vatican Hospital Bambino Gesù (Rome). In 2003 AG was a visiting scientist at the Roche Molecular System of Alameda, California. Actually, AG is technical personnel at the Animal House Department of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. AG has published more than 15 papers on international journals.