Tracey Pirali obtained her degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2004. She then had research experiences in CNRS (Paris, visiting scientist) and at the School of Chemistry in Edinburgh (visiting professor). At present, she is a Full Professor in Medicinal Chemistry at UPO.

She has a strong experience in drug discovery, especially in the field of dermatology, rare diseases, and oncology. She has authored more than 60 papers in international journals. Recently, her work was covered by C&EN. She is a named inventor on five patents in the field of bioactive compounds and cosmeceuticals. 

She co-founded a Spin-off company (ChemIcare) committed to the development of calcium channel modulators in the field of rare diseases and its clinical candidate has received two orphan designations by the European Medicines Agency. 

In 2012 she was awarded the Farmindustria Prize by the Italian Chemical Society and in 2021 she was named one of the Italian Inspiring 50s. 

She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European School of Medicinal Chemistry (ESMEC).

She received her PhD, sponsored by Indena S.p.a. (Milano – Italy), in Science of Bioactive
Substances at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UPO). At present, she is Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UPO), where she is lecturer of the courses Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants and Biotechnology applied to medicinal plants. Her research interests include drug discovery in the field of natural compounds, with a focus on Cannabis sativa and bitter sesquiterpenic lactones from Umbelliferae family.

She is a member of the Organizing Committee of the Italian Phytochemistry Society and member of the Editorial Board of the scientific journal Plants and Fitoterapia. She co-funded a Spin-off company (PlantaChem) focused on the isolation of natural molecular probes.

Contact: federica.pollastro@uniupo.it

Asia Fernández Carvajal graduated in Biochemistry in 1992. She is the author of about 90 articles in international journals.
She is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 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

Dr. Charlotte Beaudart is a full-time lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, and is a member of the NARILIS Institute. She is responsible in particular for the Master degree in Biomedical Sciences specialised in clinical research.  

Dr. Charlotte Beaudart obtained her PhD in Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics in the University of Liège, Belgium in 2016. Over the past 11 years, her primary focus has revolved around the intricate aspects of aging, delving into areas such as sarcopenia, frailty, and intrinsic capacities. With over 170 scientific publications to her name and an H-index of 40, Charlotte Beaudart has made a name for herself in the field of research into ageing. Beyond those research acumen, Dr. Beaudart has cultivated expertise in various methodological domains including the realm of meta-synthesis, encompassing systematic reviews, network meta-analysis and individual participant data meta-analysis. Her mastery extends to Patient Reported Outcome Measures, where she focuses on the development, validation, and statistical analysis of psychometric properties.

Furthermore, Dr. Beaudart’s academic journey includes a 3-year postdoctoral stay at the Department of Health Services Research at Maastricht University. This experience has equipped her with expertise in patient preference studies and cost-effectiveness analyses.

Dr. Beaudart is also a member of the WHO Collaborating Center for Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Health and Aging, housed within the Division of Public Health, Epidemiology, and Health Economics at the University of Liège, Belgium. Furthermore, she serves as a board member of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Musculoskeletal Disease (ESCEO).

Letizia Fracchia received the title of PhD in Environmental Science at the Department of Science and Advanced Technologies (UPO). Currently, she is Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UPO) where she teaches General Microbiology, Applied Microbiology, and Microbiology in the Biopharmaceutical Field. 

Since the beginning of her academic career, she has authored 50 peer-reviewed publications and she is credited as an inventor on two patents related to antimicrobial and anti-biofilm compounds. Additionally, she actively collaborates with Italian and international companies, focusing on research themes like antimicrobial peptides and the utilization of rhamnolipids to mitigate biofilm formation on voice prostheses.

Her main interests include biosurfactant-based coatings for the inhibition of microbial adhesion and multi-species biofilms on materials for medical use, the lipoaspirate as an antimicrobial and bioactive scaffold in wound healing, microbial fermentations from renewable substrates for the production of bioactive molecules applicable in the biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields, and the study of the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of natural and synthetic compounds against drug-resistant bacteria and fungi.

Enrique Barrajón-Catalán obtained his degree in Biochemistry in 1999 and in Pharmacy in 2011. At present, he is Full Professor in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at Universidad Miguel Hernández (Spain) and participates in the Master on Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Master on Clinic Pharmacokinetics and Individual Posology and in the PhD Program on Sanitary Biotechnology of this university.

His research is focused in biological activity of natural compounds, with special interest on cosmetic, antimicrobial, antiobesity and anticancer activities. He has agreements of collaboration and contracts with companies for the evaluation of the efficacy, quality, safety and development of new bioactive compounds.

He is founder of Ilice Effitech S.L. a biotechnology Spin-off recently created and focused in the new developments for cosmetics industries.

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

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