RESEARCH NODE 1: Emerging and Re-Emerging Viruses - LED BY (Spoke): UNIPV

Research node 1 aims at creating a national network of outstanding researchers and institutions to better address the major biological and medical issues imposed by future emerging or re-emerging viruses. We have organized this node in four Work-Packages (WP1.1-1.4) comprising specific tasks and enriched by open-calls for those major topics that are addressed in the WPs but which require additional skills and know-how. These calls will address basic and clinical aspects relevant to those families of viruses with extended host and tissue tropism.

Institutions involved: UNITO - UNISI - UNICA - UNIPD - UNISAP - UNIMI - UNINA - UNIBO - UNIBA - UNISR - HUNIMED - OPBG - ISMETT - ISCDC - IRMFN - ISS - CNR - AIZS

RESEARCH NODE 1 WORK-PACKAGE STRUCTURE:

• WP1.1 - New Diagnostic technologies (approaches) and monitoring of respiratory virus infections
• WP1.2 - Virus-Host interactions and virus Immunoediting
• WP1.3 - Monitoring the emergence of new viruses at the human-animal interface
• WP1.4 - Clinical manifestations of emerging and re-emerging viruses, and assessment of vaccines and treatments efficacy

RESEARCH NODE 1 SCIENTIFIC GOVERNANCE:

Prof. Fausto Baldanti - Research Node 1 Leader
Dipartimento di Scienze Clinico-Chirurgiche, Diagnostiche e Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Pavia (UNIPV) - fausto.baldanti@unipv.it



Professor Baldanti is a Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the Department of Clinical Surgical, Diagnostic, and Pediatric Sciences of the University of Pavia (since 01/02/2023). He serves as the Director of the Department of Diagnostic Services and Imaging at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, Pavia (since 09/2022) and is the Director of the Complex Structure of Microbiology and Virology at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, Pavia (since 01/09/2022).
Since May 2, 2017, he has been the Director of the Specialization School in Microbiology and Virology at the University of Pavia, open to both medical and non-medical graduates. In 2004, he obtained the Specialization in Microbiology and Virology with a score of 70/70 with honors from the University of Padua. In 1995, he achieved the Specialization in Infectious Diseases with a score of 50/50 with honors from the University of Pavia.
Professor Baldanti is a co-author of over 500 papers published in international scientific journals indexed in Medline, the majority of which as the first, last, or corresponding author (Scopus). He has also contributed to 4 chapters, 3 in English-language texts and 1 in an Italian-language text. His H-index is 66 (Scopus), with a total of 18,418 citations (Scopus).








Prof. Sergio Abrignani - Research Node 1 Co-Leader
Università degli Studi di Milano (UNIMI) - sergio.abrignani@unimi.it



Sergio Abrignani is a MD, PhD with extensive experience in immunological research on vaccines, infectious diseases and cancer. He is Scientific Director of the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM) "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi" in Milan and full professor of Immunology and Immunopathology at the University of Milan.
In 2004, he received the Gold Medal to the Merit of the Public Health from the President of the Italian Republic for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus receptor. In 2011 he was awarded an "Advanced Grant" of the European Research Council (ERC). He is member of the "Consiglio Superiore di Sanità" of the Ministry of Health and he sits in the Board of Directors of some investment funds and biotechnology companies.
In the past 5 years, he has founded two successful start-ups for new cancer immunotherapies. His research activity has focused on immunology and on the interactions between viruses and human cells.
He has published more than 160 scientific papers with an h-index of 64 (Scopus), more than 14000 citations, and has about 30 granted international patents.

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