Bridging health and economic development through public-private partnerships

The public and private sectors have joined forces to develop and deliver health care solutions that both improve patients’ lives and also have a measurable economic impact. This innovative partnership model includes the participation of governments, universities, research institutes, medical centers, industry, and patients themselves—all playing an active role in addressing a common goal.

The Italian government pioneered this concept in 2006 with the creation of the Ri.MED Foundation, together with its cofounders—the Regione Sicilia, the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), the University of Pittsburgh, and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). Based on an Italy-U.S. scientific cooperation agreement, Ri.MED was established as a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting biomedical research and development, with its application to biotechnology, and having a particular focus in Sicily and the south of Italy.

The integration of Ri.MED with the Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT) has enabled the Ri.MED-affiliated scientists to further the development of a diversified pipeline of preclinical products based on innovative approaches such as regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and the application of quantitative systems pharmacology to drug discovery.

The 10th Ri.MED Symposium will exemplify international collaborative programs that demonstrate synergistic and integrated contributions from preclinical research through clinical application and regional economic development.

Programme

09:00 am - Welcome and Introduction
Camillo Ricordi, MD - President, Ri.MED Foundation
Bruno Gridelli, MD - Vice President, Ri.MED Foundation
Alessandro Padova, PhD, CEO, Ri.MED Foundation
Arthur S. Levine, MD, Scientific Director, Ri.MED Foundation

09:30 am - Cardiac Regeneration: Advanced Diagnostic Tools & Novel Tissue Engineering Approaches
Salvatore Pasta, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist
Cesare Scardulla, MD
Antonio D’Amore, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist

10:30 am - Biomaterials and Micro-Bioreactors
William R. Wagner, PhD
Riccardo Gottardi, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist

11:30 am - Transitioning a Redox-Derived Endogenous Signaling Mediator to a New Drug Class - Nitro-Fatty Acids
Bruce Freeman, PhD
Marco Fazzari, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist

12:15 pm - Frontiers in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Mariangela Pampalone - Ri.MED Supported Scientist
Anna Casu, MD
Giacomo Lanzoni, PhD

02:15 pm - Open Challenges for Vaccine Development
Bruno Douradinha, MD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist
Alessandra Mularoni, MD

03:30 pm - New Therapeutic Targets for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Pierangelo Cifelli, MD, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist
Roberto DiMaio, PhD - Ri.MED Supported Scientist
Andrea Caricasole, PhD

04:30 pm - Case History on OCALIVA (Obeticholic Acid), an FXR Receptor Agonist as a New Therapy for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) and Related Liver Diseases
Roberto Pellicciari, PhD

Keywords

Ri.MED Foundation, Translational research, Italy, Vaccine Development, Therapeutic Targets, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Liver Diseases, Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, New Drug Class, Biomaterials, Micro-Bioreactors, Cardiac Regeneration, Advanced Diagnostic Tools