Director

Prof Giacomo P. Comi is Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Milan. He currently holds the positions of Deputy Director of the Centro Dino Ferrari, University of Milan, responsible dell’UOS of Pediatric Neurology at the UOC of Neurology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca ‘Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, head of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, UOC Neurology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca ‘Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico University of Milan.

He obtained the Degree in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan, magna cum laude and in 1989 the Specialization board in Neurology. Since 1995/96, he teaches Neuropaediatrics at the Specialization School in Neurology of the University of Milan and then also in neurology and diagnostic biotechnology at the Medical Biotechnology degree course. In 2002 he was nominated Associate Professor in Neurology. In 2002 he was named Vice-Director of the “Dino Ferrari Center for the Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative disorders” of the University of Milan. In 2014 he qualified for the role of Full Professor of Neurology.

About the scientific activity, in 1985 he worked on the field of mitochondrial encephalomyopathies at the Institute of Clinical Neurology. From 1987 to 1989 he had a visiting fellow at the Neuroimaging Section of National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, U.S.A. From 1989 he returned to the Laboratory of Biochemistry of the Institute of Clinical Neurology and collaborated to research projects onto the pathogenesis of neuromuscular disorders, with particular reference to the muscular dystrophies, metabolic myopathies, mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The scientific results of Prof. Comi basic and clinical research have been published in high citation rating peer reviewed journals.

Prof. Vincenzo Silani is the director of the Department of Neurology-Stoke Unit and of the Laboratory of Neuroscience since 2002 and is Professor of Neurology. After having graduated in Medicine, he completed the Residency program in both Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Milan Medical School cum laude. He spent a long formative period in the U.S. , at first at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, then at Columbia University in New York gaining also the ECFMG-USA examination. Being an expert of in vitro human neural cell models, he widely engaged in staminology, transplantology and, more lately, genetics related to neurodegerative disorders. He founded a group (SLAGEN) for the genetic study of ALS/FTD and coordinated different research groups becoming also Co-Chairman of the ALS and Frontotemporal dementia Subspeciality Scientific Panel (SSPs) of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN).

Professor Elio Scarpini

Training

– 1982-83: National Council Research Center for Muscle  Physiopathology, Institute of General Pathology, University of Padua, Italy, with prof. A. Margreth

– 1986: Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, with dr. R.P. Lisak

– 1987-90: Stage at the Dept. of Neurology, Univ. of Pennsylvania, with dr. D. Pleasure

-1988-90: Stage at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Boston, MA, with dr. A.H. Ross

Positions and Employments

–           1980: Assistant Neurologist, “Bassini” Hospital, Milan, Italy

–           1980-89: Assistant Neurologist, Policlinico Maggiore Hospital, Milan, Italy

–           1989-2006: Associated Neurologist, Policlinico Maggiore Hospital, Milan, Italy

–           2007: Associate Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Milan

–           At present, Chief of the Center for Neurodegenerative and Demyelinating Disorders, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Policlinico, Milan, Italy

 Membership in Scientific Societies

Italian Neurological Society (SIN)

European Neurologiocal Society (ENS)

– 2006-2012: member of the ’”Executive Committee” of the ENS

– 2005: Founder member of the Association for the study of dementia of the SIN (SINDEM)

– 2005-now: member of the SINDEM. From 2009 to 2010: secretary of the SINDEM

Editorial board – International journals

–          Journal of Neurology

–          Therapy

Associate Editor

–          Journal of Alzheimer’s disease

–          Journal of the Neurological Sciences

Articles in international scientific peer reviewed journals: 296

Chapters in international volumes: 9

 H-index (ISI web of knowledge): 34

Dr. Stefania Corti is Associate Professor of Neurology of the University of Milan. She is currently a Neurologist at the Foundation IRCCS “Ca’ Granda” Maggiore Hospital and the Principal Investigator of the Neural Stem Cell Laboratory, DEPT Neuroscience Section, University of Milan.

For many years she has dedicated her research and clinical activities to the study of novel molecular and cellular therapies with stem cells in the field of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases, in particular motor neuron diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress type 1 (SMARD1). In 1997, she took her M.D. Degree with honours in Medicine and Surgery and she has a board-certification with honours in Neurology since 2003. She obtained her PhD in Molecular and Translational Medicine in 2006. She was “Assistant Professor” between 2006 and 2015 and in 2015, she became Associate Professor of Neurology.

She is member of the Society for Neuroscience, International Society for Stem Cell Research, Italian Association of Myology. She is a component of Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) SMA Europe and Families of SMA Italy and she is member of the SAB IRCCS Foundation “Ca’ Granda” Maggiore Hospital and editor of Scientific Reports.

The scientific results of Dr. Corti’s basic and clinical research have been published in journals of international importance.