Armando Genazzani obtained his degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1992. He then moved to Oxford, to the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH, Zurich; where he held an EMBO long-term fellowship) and to Cambridge, where he was appointed to a lectureship up to retirement age and was also named an Official Fellow and graduate tutor of Clare Hall. He returned to Italy in 2003 and is now a Full Professor of Pharmacology and Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Univerità del Piemonte Orientale. He also coordinates a Masters degree in Regulatory Affairs and Market Access in the same University.

He has authored over 180 papers in international journals and is a named inventor on four patents. He has also received the David Phillips Fellowship for research in marine biology and the Marine Biology Station of Plymouth in 1997 and the Galeno Prize for Young Scientists in 2008.

Contact: armando.genazzani@uniupo.it

Tracey Pirali obtained her degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2004. She then had research experiences in CNRS (Paris, visiting scientist) and Edinburgh (visiting professor). At present she is an Associate Professor in Medicinal Chemistry.

She has authored more than 40 papers in international journals. Recently, her work was covered by C&EN. She is a named inventor on five patents in the field.

She recently co-founded a Spin-off company committed to the development of calcium channel modulators. In 2012 she was awarded the Farmindustria Prize by the Italian Chemical Society. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European School of Medicinal Chemistry (ESMEC).

Contact: tracey.pirali@uniupo.it

Asia Fernández Carvajal graduated in Biochemistry in 1992. She is the author of about 80 articles in international journals. She is currently Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Director of the Master’s Degree in Biotechnology and Bioengineering and coordinator of the IDiBE PhD programme. 

Prof. Asia Fernández has a proven track record in the development of new compounds for use as drugs or cosmetics. She is an expert in efficacy, safety and toxicity testing of compounds whose main target is ion channels and, in particular, TRP channels involved in different sensory modalities, from nociception to pain signaling.

Professor Asia Fernández is the inventor of more than ten patents for new analgesics and cosmeceuticals. She is the founder of Antalgenics SL, a biotech spin-off company focused on the development of new molecules for the topical treatment of skin pathologies by modulating the neurosensory system. She is a shareholder and scientific advisor of the company Prospera Biotech, which has managed to launch more than 6 products related to skin care on the market.

Contact: asia.fernandez@umh.es

Antonio Ferrer-Montiel obtained his degree in Chemistry in 1989. At present he is a Full Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department and participates in the Master on Biotechnology and Bioengineering and in the PhD Program on Molecular and Cellular Biology of the IBMC. He is an expert on ion channels and, particularly, on TRP channels.

He has authored about 125 papers in international journals and is a named inventor on 29 patents of new compounds analgesics and cosmetics. The investigations carried out in the last 15 years for cosmetic companies has resulted in the marketing of 15 products. He has contracts and agreements of collaboration with companies for the evaluation of the efficacy, quality, safety and development of cosmetics (Labiofam, Diverdrugs, SL, BCN Peptides, Lipotec, S.A, GP Pharm SA, ASAC Pharma SA).

He is scientific advisor of several enterprises: Lipotec, BCN Peptides, GP Pharm, BioArray SL, Prima-Derm and Angelini.  He is Executive President and Founder of Prospera Biotech SL, Antalgenics SL, Fastbase Solutions SL. He has been Founder Member and Chief Scientific Officer of Diverdrugs until it was sold to Lubrizol corporation.

Contact: aferrer@umh.es

Jean-Pierre Gillet obtained his degree in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology in 2000 from the University of Namur. Following a PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology, he moved to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH (MD, USA) and worked as a postdoctoral fellow and a staff scientist at the Laboratory of Cell Biology under Dr. Michael M. Gottesman.

He returned to Belgium in 2013 to launch the Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology at the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Namur. He has authored over 40 papers including book chapters in international journals and textbooks, and is a named inventor on two patents. He has received the Adrien Bauchau Fund for young researcher in 2005 and the NCI Director’s 2010 Intramural Career Development Innovation Award.

He is now Full Professor in Non-Clinical Drug Development and the Director of the Biomedical Sciences Department in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Namur. His research group focuses on the study of the mechanisms underlying cancer development and maintenance. He is a Non-Clinical Expert for the FAMHP-EMA since 2015.

Contact: jean-pierre.gillet@unamur.be

Marielle Boonen graduated in 2002 from the University of Namur in Belgium with a degree in Human Biology. Her PhD thesis (UNamur) and post-doctoral researches at Washington University in St.Louis (Missouri, USA) were conducted in the field of lysosome biology, with a focus on subcellular sorting mechanisms to the lysosomes and on the pathological consequences of their dysfunction.

In 2018, she started her own research group at the University of Namur. Different models are used to study lysosomal functions and lysosome-associated diseases, with a special focus on subcellular trafficking-related questions. The Boonen group is part of the Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS, Belgium).

Marielle Boonen is the Program director of the Biomedical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree at UNamur. She teaches biochemistry, molecular and cell biology topics in the medicine and biomedical sciences curriculums (bachelor degrees and master degree in preclinical research). She is also a jury member of F.R.I.A. (Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture) involved in funding research.

Contact: marielle.boonen@unamur.be

Joachim Fluhr is an attendant and lecturer at the in Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. He is involved in clinical teaching of dermatology, allergology and immunology of the MD program of Charité. Furthermore, he teaches skin physiology and immunology courses.

He has longstanding experience in epidermal barrier and associated function implicated in a variety of dermatological conditions and cosmetic sciences. His current research activities focus on understanding the regulatory role of the mast cells in epidermal barrier function as well as sensitive skin. Therefore, he will contribute to EMOTION with his strong expertise in skin conditions and clinical settings. He has an extensive collaboration network with cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies. He is author of more than 160 publications (h-index 54).

Contact: joachim.fluhr@charite.de