From Muscle Physiology to Pathogenesis and Therapies of Neuromuscular Diseases

• Thursday
  11 September THU
  11 Sep
• Friday
  12 September FRI
  12 Sep
• Saturday
  13 September SAT
  13 Sep
• Sunday
  14 September SUN
  14 Sep
• List of
  Posters List of
  Posters List
  of
  Post

• Session reserved for attendees of the High Training Course in ADVANCED MYOLOGY UPDATE 2025
  9:30	Karyn Esser The muscle circadian clock mechanism as a manager of muscle health
  10:00	Giulio Cossu Advanced therapies for muscular dystrophies: state of the art
  10:30	Roberta Sartori Muscle wasting in cancer cachexia: what is the future of muscle-targeted interventions?
  11:00	Markus Rüegg New transcriptomics technologies applied to muscle research
  12:00	Light lunch
  15:00	Welcome and opening of the IIM meeting
  15:30	Lecture 1 Chair: Sestina Falcone Karyn Esser (University of Florida, Gainesville, USA) Circadian clocks, muscle and system health
  16:10	Session 1: Muscle plasticity and physical exercise Chairs: Dario Coletti, Giacomo Rubini José Fernández Martínez* (Padua, Italy) Investigating skeletal muscle–endothelial cell crosstalk in plasticity and disease Taoyue Yang* (Munich, Germany) Entrainment of skeletal muscle circadian clock by 2-hydroxybutyrate, a novel exerkine Alicia Mayeuf-Louchart (SFM; Lille, France) Control of muscle stem cells behavior by the circadian clock Angèle Merlet (SFM; Saint-Priest en Jarez, France) The Muscle Out of Breath? Limitations and Adaptations in chronic diseases
  17:20	Coffee break
  17:50	Session 2: Muscle stem cells and stem cell niche Chairs: Susanna Molinari, Alessio Reggio Eslam Mohammed (Leuven, Belgium) The role of genomic imprinting in skeletal muscle development Lorenzo Marramiero* (Trento, Italy) CD90 identifies distinct fractions of muscle stem cells with different modalities of activation and quiescence maintenance Mona Pedersen (Ås, Norway) Stimulation of muscle stem cells using side-streams from animal and plant production Thomas Laumonier (SFM; Geneva, Switzerland) Pharmacological AMPK activation promotes higher levels of Pax7 expression in human muscle stem cells
  19:00	Technical talk (by Prodotti Gianni) Carlo Colombo Innovative applications of NGS: spatial genomics/ transcriptomics and ultra-low input RNA-seq
  19:30	Dinner - Italian Aperitour and (only for participants registered for the Advanced Myology Update course) Roundtable Discussions with the Invited Speakers
  21:30	Scientific Speed Date NEW (by the Young IIM Committee) Reserved for under-35 participants

  *Young Investigator. Eligible for Best Talk awards.

• 9:00	Lecture 2 Chair: Alessandro Arcari (Young IIM Committee) Markus Rüegg (University of Basel, Switzerland) The rapamycin paradox in muscle aging: selective vulnerability of muscle fibers to pro-aging molecular signatures
  9:40	Session 3: Genetic and epigenetic regulation in muscle pathologies and aging Chairs: Bert Blaauw, Frida Karakashi Maxime Gelin* (Paris, France) Role of GDF5 on macrophage polarization in the maintenance of muscle mass and function and during aging Angela Moreno Anguita* (Leuven, Belgium) Identification of genes regulating human myoblast fusion by genome-wide CRISPR screening Sabrina Carbone* (Segrate, Italy) Combination therapy targeting HDAC8 and SIRT1 improves muscle integrity in a dmd zebrafish model Sestina Falcone (Paris, France) Identification of CaVβ1 isoforms required for neuromuscular junction formation and maintenance
  10:50	Coffee break
  11:20	Session 4: Experimental models for cardiac and muscle diseases Chairs: Marina Bouché, Ashley (Ju-Wei) Wang Rebecca Deodati* (Rome, Italy) Human myogenic progenitor and 3D bioprinting for VML recovery in swine model Jianhao Zhang* (Leuven, Belgium) Human immortalized myoblasts/induced pluripotent stem cell derived skeletal muscle model to investigate cystinosis myopathy Elena Guarnaccia* (Rome, Italy) In vitro study emulating muscle response to stimuli exploiting 3D tissue model Margalida Campaner Socias* (Leuven, Belgium) Generation of human stem cell-derived cardiac in vitro models to investigate the role of epicardial activation in adverse cardiac remodeling
  12:30	Technical talk (by BioTechne) Fabrizio Rinaldi Bio-Techne solutions to advance muscular dystrophy research
  12:45	Poster blitz 1 (ODD NUMBERS; selection)
  13:00	Lunch
  14:00-15:30	Poster Session 1 (ODD NUMBERS)
  16:00	Bus departure to Bevagna for guided tour and Medieval banquet

  *Young Investigator. Eligible for Best Talk awards.

• 9:00	Lecture 3 Chair: Daniela Palacios Giulio Cossu (University of Manchester, UK & San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy) Ex vivo gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  9:40	Session 5/a: Insights into Duchenne muscular dystrophy Chairs: Cesare Gargioli, Federica Esposito Beatrice Auletta* (Padua, Italy) Extracellular matrix guides human neuromuscular organoid morphogenesis Francesca Colli* (Bologna, Italy) Utrophin overexpression by precise base editing as a universal therapeutic strategy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy Lorenzo Giordani (Paris, France) Multimodal spatial profiling of muscle regeneration dynamics in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  10:35	Coffee break
  11:05	Session 5/b: Insights into Duchenne muscular dystrophy Chairs: Cesare Gargioli, Federica Esposito France Pietri-Rouxel (Paris, France) GDF5 therapeutic potential for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Debora Mostosi* (Milan, Italy) Immunoproteasome inhibition positively impacts the gut-muscle axis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Ilaria Zito (Parent Project aps) The evolving role of patient organizations in neuromuscular research: integrating the patient voice through registries and collaborative initiatives
  12:15	Poster blitz 2 (EVEN NUMBERS; selection)
  12:30	Lunch
  13:30-15:00	Poster Session 2 (EVEN NUMBERS)
  15:00	Lecture 4 Chair: Antonio Musarò Marika Pane (Università Cattolica, Rome, Italy) Spinal Muscular Atrophy: state of the art
  15:40	Coffee break
  16:10	Session 6: Muscle wasting and cachexia Chairs: Paola Costelli, Giacomo Bincoletto Sonia Calabrò* (Padua, Italy) Gut microbiota recolonization after weaning restores skeletal muscle but not peripheral nerve-related alterations present in germ-free mice Davide Acquarone* (Turin, Italy) A chaperone-tuned GSK3β inhibition protects against muscle wasting in cancer cachexia Martina Lupoli* (Rome, Italy) AntiSense Oligonucleotides (ASO) based treatment in ALS mouse models Alessandro Antonioli* (Novara, Italy) Double-edge sword of ketogenic diet: hepatic improvement at the expense of musculoskeletal health Gaëlle Revet (Paris, France) Cachexia displays a unique pattern of gait alterations indicating a neurodegenerative condition Francesco Paolo Zummo* (Palermo, Italy) Exercise preserves Purkinje cells integrity from paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration in a mouse model of cachexia
  18:00	IIM General meeting and elections of the IIM Scientific Committee
  20:00	Social Dinner - Awards and prizes
  22:00	Dance WHITE Party with Tony Ross Dee Jay (dress code: white clothes)

  *Young Investigator. Eligible for Best Talk awards.

• Departure

• Posters always on display during the meeting

  Discussions: ODD numbers – Friday, 12 September (14:00-15:30)
  EVEN numbers – Saturday, 13 September (13:30-15:00)

  P.1  Francesca Fontana** (Padua, Italy)
  Transcriptional and metabolic analyses of cardiac mononucleated cells in dystrophic mdx mice upon treatment with a specific monoamino oxidase B inhibitor
  
  P.2  Sara Chiappalupi (Perugia, Italy)
  Subcutaneous injection of microencapsulated Sertoli cells is more efficacious than Deflazacort treatment in mdxmice
  
  P.3  Paolo D'Angelo** (Rome, Italy)
  Spatiotemporal dynamics of polyamine metabolism in skeletal muscle: implications for muscle homeostasis
  
  P.4  Federica Esposito** (Milan, Italy)
  Preclinical evaluation of 3S-HMGB1 as a therapeutic strategy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  
  P.5  Frida Karakashi** (Milan, Italy)
  Preclinical evaluation of a small molecule inhibitor of WDR5 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD)
  
  P.6  Chiara Giovino** (Rome, Italy)
  Modulating IL-6 signal transduction to slow down fatty-fibrotic degeneration in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy mouse model
  
  P.7  Francesco Palmieri** (Florence, Italy)
  Smooth muscle cells from human vagina express functional TRP channels
  
  P.8  Luca Sali** (Créteil, France)
  Target adipogenic progenitors to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  
  P.9  Giacomo Bincoletto** (Padua, Italy)
  Tackling DNA damage and senescence to identify new therapeutic targets for SBMA
  
  P.10  Libero Vitiello (Padua, Italy)
  Validation of a new multi-target antioxidant treatment for the therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  
  P.11  Susanna Molinari (Modena, Italy)
  Polymeric nanoparticles as a favorable delivery system to enhance the anti-inflammatory action of N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endocannabinoid-like molecule
  
  P.13  Clara Sciorati (Milan, Italy)
  Impairment of skeletal muscle force and mitochondrial respiratory capacity precedes muscle mass loss in an aged murine model of diet-induced obesity
  
  P.14  Mathieu Horeau** (Padua, Italy)
  RNA-based combinatorial multi-target therapy for the treatment of duchenne muscular dystrophy
  
  P.15  Martina Paiella** (Perugia, Italy)
  The advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)/RAGE axis drives sarcobesity, which is restrained by Vaccinium macrocarpon extract
  
  P.16  Foteini Moschovaki-Filippidou (Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France)
  Exon skipping peptide-conjugated morpholinos downregulate dynamin 2 to rescue centronuclear myopathy
  
  P.17  Tommaso Raiteri** (Perugia, Italy)
  Trifolium pratense extract mitigates skeletal muscle atrophy: a nutraceutical approach for the prevention of sarcopenia
  
  P.18  Paula Aranda Martinez** (Padua, Italy)
  Identification of mTORC1-dependent muscle-specific factorsinvolved in NMJ maintenance
  
  P.19  Fabio Ferrini (Urbino, Italy)
  Hyaluronan enhances proliferation and myogenic differentiation of C2C12 Murine myoblasts under inflammatory stress
  
  P.20  Emanuele Berardi (Kortrijk, Belgium)
  A novel 3D skeletal muscle model to study cancer cachexia
  
  P.21  Chiara Malerba** (Siena, Italy)
  The effects of heat stress and exercise on skeletal muscle
  
  P.22  Emma Cappellato** (Turin, Italy)
  Characterization of novel cancer cachexia preclinical models implementing chemotherapy and surgery
  
  P.23  Silvia Casati** (Milan, Italy)
  Metabolic adverse effects induced by second generation antipsychotic drugs in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  
  P.24  Letizia Claudione** (Bari, Italy)
  Effects of chronic treatment with conjugated linoleic acid on antioxidant gene expression and oxidative stress in SOD1-G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  
  P.25  Angela Gambardella** (Naples, Italy)
  Exploring the role of the chemokine receptor CXCR2 in muscle stem cell heterogeneity
  
  P.26  Giada Fregnan** (Turin, Italy)
  Role of glucocorticoids in cancer cachexia: focus on lipocalin2 and iron homeostasis
  
  P.27  Laura Lociuro** (Segrate, Italy)
  SRT2104 improves muscle and cognitive outcomes and has the potential to enhance μDys gene therapy in DMD
  
  P.28  Giulia Gentili** (Perugia, Italy)
  RAGE-ablated skeletal muscles resist cancer-induced atrophy through Akt-GSK-3β-PGC-1α pathway and fast-to-slow myofiber transition
  
  P.29  Margherita Patrone** (Milan, Italy)
  HMGB1 internalization in skeletal muscle: a novel strategy to boost regeneration
  
  P.30  Hajar Meskine** (Novara, Italy)
  Synergistic negative effects of advanced glycation end products and tumor-conditioned medium on C2C12 myotubes and the protective activity of Vaccinium macrocarpon
  
  P.31  Chiara Ricciardi** (Siena, Italy)
  Targeted delivery of miR-486 to skeletal muscle: efficacy, tropism, and integrin dependency of MyoAAV2A vs AAV9
  
  P.32  Cristina Parisi** (Rome, Italy)
  Decoding muscle wasting: skeletal muscle characterization in a PDAC-induced cachexia model
  
  P.33  Bianca Cheli** (Rome, Italy)
  Early Pathogenic Mechanisms in LGMDR9: Insights from the FKRP P448L Mouse Model
  
  P.34  Giacomo Rubini** (Turin, Italy)
  Interleukin-4 prevents cancer-induced muscle wasting and promotes exercise-like metabolic adaptations
  
  P.35  Beatrice Corci** (Rome, Italy)
  3D printing of human-derived pericytes for the reconstruction of the anal sphincter in a porcine model
  
  P.36  Ashley (Ju-Wei) Wang** (Leuven, Belgium)
  Investigating the impact of the tumor secretome on in vitro human skeletal and cardiac muscle models of cancer-induced cachexia
  
  

  **Young Investigator. Eligible for Best Poster Blitz and Best Poster awards.