Giulio Cossu

Giulio Cossu is Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Manchester and Head of Unit at San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan. He was previously Professor at UCL, Director of the Division of Regenerative Medicine at San Raffaele, Professor of Histology at the University of Milan and Rome.
Cossu is recognized for his contributions to skeletal muscle development and his pioneering work in regenerative medicine using stem cells to treat muscular dystrophy. He is the author of > 250 publications, many on high profile journals (H-index 76) and obtained funding from ERC, EC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, MDA, Telethon etc. Many of his students are now professors in major European Universities such UCL, KU Leuven, Newcastle, Milan, Rome, Trinity College, etc. He is fellow of the Medical Academy, Accademia dei Lincei, European Academy of Science, member of the Advisory Board of the Basel Institute of Biomedicine.

Karyn Esser

Dr. Esser is Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida. Dr. Esser’s lab has been at the forefront in the study of circadian rhythms, circadian clocks and skeletal muscle health. In 2002, her lab made a serendipitous discovery that genes controlling the body’s “biological clock” also were part the response of muscle to high force contractions. This discovery significantly modified the trajectory of her research to focus on understanding circadian clock biology in skeletal muscle. Over this time Dr Esser’s group has demonstrated that the muscle circadian clock is necessary for maintaining healthy muscle metabolism and muscle strength. In addition, her research has uncovered the importance of the muscle clock on systemic health including contributions to sleep and systemic signatures of inflammation. Currently her lab has a diverse research portfolio that includes both preclinical and clinical projects on the following. 1) the role of circadian clocks as a critical transcriptional hub in both the sensing and responding to exercise: 2) how the muscle clock changes with age and strategies to improve muscle clock function to support muscle and system health: and 3) the Studies of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA) project pursuing muscle molecular markers linked to functional decline in older people.

Marika Pane

• Marika Pane MD and PhD in Pediatric neurology.
• 2000: Degree in Medicine at the University of Rome.
• 2004 board in Child Neurology and Psychiatry.
• 2008: PHD in Neuroscience of child.
• 2006-2015 Consultant at the Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Catholic University of Rome Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome.
• 2015- ongoing : Head of Centro Clinico Nemo in Policlinico Gemelli Rome.
• 2020: Professor Associate in Pediatric neurology and Psychiatry.
• Author more than 180 papers in international journal.
• Reviewer for Neuromuscular disorders, Experimental and Molecular Pathology e Neurological Sciences, Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Neurology.
• Advisory Board for Biogen, Roche, Novartis.

Markus Rüegg

Markus Rüegg is a Professor of Neurobiology at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel. His laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle function in both health and disease. Through the analysis and manipulation of specific signaling pathways, his research explores their impact on muscle performance and aging, including the maintenance of the nerve-muscle connection. In addition, his team investigates the mechanisms involved in the pathology of LAMA2 congenital muscular dystrophy, and they are actively working on developing a potential gene therapy for this devastating disease. To support this work, Markus Rüegg co-founded SEAL Therapeutics Ltd with two colleagues and currently serves as its CEO.