IIT and Partners

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Patrick Couvreur who is leading the group of “Nanomedicines for the treatment of severe diseases”. Prof. Couvreur is the recipient of numerous prizes and prestigious grants in the field of nanomedicine and drug delivery. He is also member of the French Academy of Science. MINDED fellows at this secondment will be trained on the construction and characterization of drug nanocarriers based on polymers or lipids; organic synthesis of stimulus-sensitive polymers; chemical characterization of bio-conjugates and polymers.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Dan Peer who is leading the “Laboratory of Precision Nanomedicine”. Prof. Peer is the recipient of an ERC Consolidator 2015, is a member of The Israel Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Chair of the Tel Aviv University Cancer Biology Research Center and recipient of the Nanos award. MINDED fellows at this secondment will be trained on the construction and characterization of lipid nanocarriers for RNA encapsulation and delivery, with particular emphasis on brain-related disease

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Seyed M. Moghimi who is Chair of Pharmaceutics at the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health. Prof. Moghimi has a long and documented experience in the field of drug delivery and nanoparticles. MINDED fellows at this secondment will be trained on analysing the interaction between nanomedicines and the immune system, looking in particular at materials compatibility and activation of the complement system.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Dr. Gerhard Gompper who is the Head of the Institute of Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics. Prof. Gompper’s lab develops theoretical and computational research in the field of microfluidics; amphiphiles; colloids; hydrodynamics Simulation; membranes; polymers; blood flow and micro-swimmers. MINDED fellows at this secondment will be trained on developing computational tools for predicting the vascular and extravascular transport of polymeric nanoconstructs.

The advisor for this secondment will be Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD. Dr. Gambhir, chair of the Radiology Department and world renown for his research activities in nanomedicine and molecular imaging. The combination of state-of-the-art equipment for pre-clinical and clinical imaging with the most advanced NIH Molecular Imaging Fellowship program in the US makes this secondment ideal for multi-modal imaging of brain-related diseases.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Frank Winkler who is a professor of experimental neuro-oncology and an attending physician in the Department of Neuro-oncology at the University of Heidelberg. Prof. Winkler is a world expert in intravital microscopy techniques applied to brain diseases and to the study of the blood brain barrier.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Rui L. Reis, who is leading the 3B’s Research Group at the University of Minho. MINDED fellow at this secondment will be trained on the development of novel biodegradable and/or biomimetic biomaterials (hydrogels, scaffolds, membranes, nano/microparticles) based on natural polymers for applications in tissue engineering, organ-on-a-chip and disease modeling. Minded fellow will be also trained on human stem cell manipulation and differentiation as well as in nano/micro dynamic systems (organ-on-a-chip and/or bioreactors) for the controlled delivery of drugs/ bioactive agents and disease modeling

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Antonello Malammaci who is professor of Molecular Biology and Head of the Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Development. Mallamaci’s lab develops research on the molecular control of cortico-cerebral astrogenesis and neuronal morphogenesis, and on the identification of innovative methods for RNA-therapy of neurodevelopmental haploinsufficiencies.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Dr. Hans van Bokhoven head of the Molecular Neurogenetics Unit at the Department of Human Genetics. The Molecular Neurogenetics Unit investigates the molecular underpinnings of development and functioning of the nervous system and its building blocks, the neurons and other cell types. Prof. van Bokhoven is a world reference in this field.

The advisor for this secondment will be Dr. Birgit Girshick, who is the Corporate Senior Vice President of Charles River Labs. Charles River Laboratories, Inc. is a corporation specialized in a variety of pre-clinical and clinical laboratory services for the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries. The Finland site focuses on neurology and psychiatry disorders, and has facilities for providing non-GLP in vivo and in vitro studies for efficacy and mechanism of action of compounds and devices.

The advisor for this secondment will be Dr. Leonhard Schilbach who leads the Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience. The Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry is a world-renown institution where basic and clinical research are conducted to gain new insights into the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric diseases and to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods as well as prevention programs.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralized agency of the European Union (EU), located in London. It began operating in 1995 developed by pharmaceutical companies for use in the. The European Medicines Agency, is at the core of the European Union’s medicine and health system, and aims to protect human and animal health. The Agency is responsible for coordinating the European Medicines Regulatory Network in the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines: to ensure that the system works effectively, the Agency works closely with its partners and stakeholders, and is a proactive member of important networks in Europe and beyond. The Agency is interested in the emerging field of nanotechnology-based medicines, published a number of relevant scientific guidelines; and is active member of the International Pharmaceutical Regulators Forum and has a strong interest in collaborating with Academia and Research Institutions.

The advisors for this secondment will be Prof. Christopher Tucci, Chair of CSI at EPFL, and Dr. Lorenzo Massa, at EPFL. Prof. Tucci has a long and documented expertise in entrepreneurship and corporate venture capital, business model innovation, technology strategy and policy, internet strategy of entrants and incumbents, and corporate governance and innovation. Dr Lorenzo Massa is an expert in strategy and innovation. He is actively involved in research, consulting and teaching on business model design and innovation. MINDED trainees will acquire specific skills in the areas technology management and science entrepreneurship.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Simone Ferriani who founded, implemented and is currently managing UniBO-Launchpad platform. This is an “accelerator program” for innovative projects created by students and young researchers. The program aims at supporting the development of entrepreneurial ideas through training. Within this secondment, MINDED trainee will develop strong practical, technical and experimental skills and competences for entering the market with a new product and dealing with complex institutional settings.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Dr. Andrea Serino SNSF Professor at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Head of Neuroscience at MindMaze and Invited Professor at the Center for Neuroprosthetics of the EPFL. His main research topic is understanding the neural and cognitive basis of body and self experience in space. To this aim he has used multiple experimental techniques, both in healthy volunteers and in brain damaged patients, including psychophysics, non-invasive brain stimulation, fMRI, EEG and neural network modelling. Currently, he is working on how to apply such knowledge to develop virtual reality applications for rehabilitation after neuronal damage. Prof. Serino received in 2006 the De Renzi Prize from the Italian society of Neuropsychology and in 2016 the Leenaards Prize for translational research.

The advisor for this secondment will be Prof. Dr. Andrea Serino SNSF Professor at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Head of Neuroscience at MindMaze and Invited Professor at the Center for Neuroprosthetics of the EPFL. His main research topic is understanding the neural and cognitive basis of body and self experience in space. To this aim he has used multiple experimental techniques, both in healthy volunteers and in brain damaged patients, including psychophysics, non-invasive brain stimulation, fMRI, EEG and neural network modelling. Currently, he is working on how to apply such knowledge to develop virtual reality applications for rehabilitation after neuronal damage. Prof. Serino received in 2006 the De Renzi Prize from the Italian society of Neuropsychology and in 2016 the Leenaards Prize for translational research.