ESCI Newsletter

Welcome to Barcelona.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is a pleasure to invite you to the

58th Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Clinical Investigation, which will be held in the lively city of Barcelona, Spain, June 5-7, 2024

Both the whole Council of ESCI and the Local Organisers are committed to offering you a unique scientific event to stay at the forefront of the newest scientific discoveries, connect with peers, and contribute to the collective advancement of medical practice through science.

The Congress Programme, embraced under the theme "Connecting the Dots: The Power of Integrative Medicine", will feature eight different Symposiums running in parallel to provide a holistic and multidisciplinary overview of human health and disease. The symposium will cover: S1) the pathology and physiology of mitochondria; S2) cardiovascular diseases; S3) endocrinology and metabolism; S4) gut, liver, microbiota and lifestyle interventions; S5) gene, cell therapy, and oncology; S6) reproduction biology; S7) personalised and gender medicine; and, S8) ageing-associated disorders. On top of that, the event will feature keynote lectures from world-renowned scientists, providing our audience with unique insights and perspectives on their areas of expertise. The meeting will also host oral abstract presentations, e-poster sessions, multi-focus plenary sessions, pre-meeting courses for young researchers, a welcome ceremony, the Champions League, and multiple and diverse ESCI grants and attractive awards (visit our website).

The ESCI Annual Scientific Meeting aims to bring together outstanding and distinguished speakers from diverse disciplines to present and share their knowledge, outline the most recent advances in the scientific and clinical field, and address hot controversial topics.

We look forward to welcoming all worldwide delegates since the ASM serves as an incredible event to exchange ideas, network with your peers and foster collaboration opportunities. On top of that, young investigators will also have the chance to discuss, criticise, and learn while in contact with senior top scientists in different fields.

With its rich cultural heritage and cosmopolitan metropolis open to the sea and mountains, Barcelona provides an ideal backdrop for this intellectually stimulating event.

Gemma Vilahur

Chair ESCI - Annual Scientific Meeting Barcelona 2024

Dr. Esteller graduated in Medicine from the Universitat de Barcelona, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in molecular genetics. Dr. Esteller was a Postdoctoral Fellow and a Research Associate at Johns Hopkins where he studied DNA methylation and human cancer.

His work was decisive in establishing promoter hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes as a common hallmark of cancer.

From October 2001 to September 2008 Manel Esteller was the Leader of the CNIO Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory. Since October 2008 until May 2019, Dr Esteller was the Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC) in Barcelona. He is currently the Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Chairman of Genetics in the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, and an ICREA Research Professor.

His current research is devoted to the establishment of the epigenome maps in health and disease, and the development of new epigenetic drugs. Author of numerous and highly cited peer-reviewed manuscripts in biomedical sciences, he has received prestigious recognitions for his scientific achievements among them the World Health Summit Award, the Swiss Bridge Cancer Award and the EACR Cancer Researcher Award Lecture.

Mitchell D. Fiet MSc

Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Center

Mitchell Fiet (Den Haag, The Netherlands) studied Biomedical Sciences in Leiden and went abroad to Düsseldorf (Germany). During his studies he developed an interest in immunology and cellular responses, prompting him to start his PhD at the Cardiovascular Pathology department of the Amsterdam UMC. During the PhD tract he would determine the immunomodulatory properties of stem cells in myocardial infarction and have a look at various markers in heart diseases.

The PhD is currently in the final phase and scheduled to finish this year.

The Cardiovascular Pathology group focuses on different diseases and mechanisms, such as myocardial infarction and lymphocytic myocarditis (LM), but also burn wounds. Examples of markers of disease that Mitchell looked into are perivascular nerve fibres in myocardial infarction and the conserved protein clusterin in LM, both indicative of a manifesting disease: There is limited knowledge on whether the morphologically normal myocardium is affected in LM and clusterin indicates a form of stress in cardiomyocytes. Ongoing projects are investigating the interplay of myocarditis with various other diseases and the effects of infection on atherosclerotic plaques.

Dr Nurulamin Noor

Academic Clinical Lecturer in Gastroenterology

University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals

Dr. Nurulamin Noor is a Clinical Lecturer in Gastroenterology at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He also holds a post as an Honorary Postdoctoral Researcher in Clinical Trial Methodology at the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London. He has clinical and academic interests in clinical trials, with a specific interest in improving outcomes for patients with digestive diseases - and with a focus on innovative approaches to trial design, conduct and analysis.

Giampaolo Morciano, PhD, FESC

Dept. of Medical Sciences

Section of Experimental Medicine

Paolo Pinton's Lab

c/o CUBO Via Fossato di Mortara 70, 44121 Ferrara

Dott. G. Morciano holds two degrees in Biological Sciences (BS) and Biomolecular and Cellular Sciences (MS); in 2016 he achieved the PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Ferrara, focusing the research on the role of ATP synthase and the mitochondrial calcium channels in disease. He currently does basic and translational research at the Dept. of Medical Sciences, Section of Experimental Medicine in the same University. Most of his research is aimed at investigating molecular mechanisms underlying the processes of mitochondria-dependent cell death and heart maladaptation, which are crucial for cardioprotection; a small part on neurodegeneration and cancer. From 2021 he holds the role of Principal Investigator at the Cardiovascular Institute of Ferrara Hospital, heading a translational research project funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. Also, he supervises the scientific guidelines of the Mitochondrial Physiopathology laboratory at the Maria Cecilia Hospital (GVM Care&Research, Cotignola), a centre highly specialized in cardiac surgery. The scientific activity and the publications made opened new horizons to his career: he is an inventor of 3 patents concerning 3 different classes of cardioprotective molecules and he was awarded of the prestigious title FESC by the European Society of Cardiology having demonstrated the highest professional standards and commitment to reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Talking Neurodiversity across Portugal

INSERM and University of Bordeaux

“Talk Neuro to Me” (Fala-me Neuro in Portuguese) is a science outreach and communication project that engages in informal education of neuroscience in Portuguese. It aims to inspire and empower people of all ages to use that knowledge in their everyday lives. With a team of 17 enthusiastic neuroscientists and science communicators, we organize multiple initiatives to promote fair and inclusive access to neuroscience through local in-person sessions (organization and participation of 24 events so far) and the dissemination of digital content (>400 original publications). Our work has stimulated neuroscience literacy and abundant interaction — reaching more than 38,000 people (online) and 1,800 (in person) of different backgrounds and ages, including more than 900 children and adolescents — and has been transforming how neuroscience is perceived by Portuguese-speaking persons at both national and international levels in the past three years.

Mythabolism: a boardgame to demystify metabolis

Sara Martins, PhD candidate

Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biomedicine and Theranostics

Doctoral programme of Experimental Biology and Biomedicine

Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra.

"Mythabolism" aims to increase scientific and health literacy regarding metabolism, through creation of a boardgame to demystify metabolism. This project features a multidisciplinar academic team working together with partner associations and their audiences, in order to develop a quality and attractive game-based learning tool.

Champions 2023

The yearly Champions League Universities taking place during the opening and welcome of the Annual Scientific Meeting where teams of different countries and universities/hospitals compete in the Champions League Universities.

Dr. Valentín Fuster, General Director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and President of the “Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital”

The cardiologist Valentín Fuster currently combines roles as General Director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid and President of the “Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital” and Physician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Dr. Fuster is a world-renowned figure whose vision for health promotion has defined the roadmap to defeating the unsustainable pandemic of cardiovascular disease.

The innumerable positions Dr. Fuster has held during his career include President of the American Heart Association, President of the World Heart Federation, member of the Institute of Medicine of the US National Academy of Sciences, member of the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Advisory Council, and President of the American College of Cardiology Training Program.

After qualifying in medicine at the University of Barcelona, Valentín Fuster continued his studies in the USA. He was professor of Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Medical School, Minnesota and at the Medical School of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, and from 1991 to 1994 he was full professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. In 1994 he was named Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai, a post he has combined since 2012 with that of Physician-in-Chief.

Dr. Fuster has been named Doctor Honoris Causa by thirty-five universities, and his immense scientific contribution is reflected in an H factor of 218 (Google Scholar). His contributions to cardiovascular medicine have had an enormous impact on the treatment of patients with heart disease. His research into the origin of cardiovascular events, which has contributed to improved treatment of heart attack patients, was recognized in the award of the 1996 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. Among his many achievements, Dr. Fuster is the only cardiologist to have received the highest research awards from the four leading international cardiology organizations: the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, and the Interamerican Society of Cardiology.

In 2008, Dr Fuster received the the Kurt Polzer Prize from the European Academy of Science and Arts. In 2009 he was awarded the prestigious Arrigo Recordati international award for his scientific advances in cardiovascular imaging. In June 2011 he was awarded the Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation–Institut de France Grand Prix Scientifique, considered the most important in cardiology, for his translational research into atherothrombotic disease. His many other prizes include the American Heart Association Gold Heart Award, Lewis A. Conner Memorial, and James B. Eric Achievement Award; the American College of Cardiology Distinguished Teacher Award; the American and European Societies of Cardiology Gold Medal; and the highest award in Medicine from Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2012, Dr. Fuster was named by the American College of Cardiology as one of the two Living Legends in Cardiovascular Medicine and was also awarded the Research Achievement Award, the highest award given by the American Heart Association.

Dr. Fuster has also received the Ron Haddock International Impact Award from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association in recognition of his global leadership. Further recognition in Spain came in the form of the Severo Ochoa Prize for Biomedical Research and the Mapfre Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his work on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. According to the evaluation committee, Dr. Fuster's career stands as a model of the kind of research and innovation in which Spain needs to excel in order to compete in the global economy. In 2017 he received the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise. In 2020 the Royal Family of Thailand awarded Dr. Valentín Fuster the 29^th annual Prince Mahidol Prize in Medicine. This prestigious award from the Prince Mahidol Foundation recognizes Dr. Fuster's international leadership over the past 40 years through his innovative contributions to cardiovascular medicine, both in the research field and in clinical care, and more recently his tireless championing of health promotion throughout the world. Recently, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) awarded Dr. Fuster the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2022 Career Achievement Award. Recently, the American College of Cardiology instituted the Valentin Fuster Award in Science and Innovation for the next 15 years.

“Adipose tissue exhaustion, rather than obesity per se, leads toward the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: searching for the signals involved in the cross- talk WAT-liver”

The project aims to decipher new biomarkers and/or novel targets to identify visceral white adipose tissue exhaustion. This is a critical step in the etiology of the disease characterized by metabolic dysfunction, low grade chronic inflammation, and tissue fibrosis. The time-course approach will consist of a chronic exposition of male and female C57Bl/6JOlaHsd mice to an hypercaloric diet and the determination of depot specific differences in mass, potential tapering phenomenon, and the progression of liver steatosis. Prevention of visceral adipose tissue exhaustion is a strategic therapeutic approach as an early and preventive treatment of obesity, with the aim to delay NAFLD progression and obesity-associated pathologies.

Jorge Luis Alvarez

University of Barcelona

Nuno Mendonca

NOVA Medical School, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Title: Improving physical frailty in older adults: exploring the interaction between protein intake and physical activity

Topic: Physical Frailty

Short paragraph: Frailty is a clinical syndrome defined as an increased vulnerability or failure to return to homeostatic equilibrium after a stressor event that increases the risk of disability, dependency, care home admission, hospitalisation and death. Pre-frailty and frailty are estimated to be present in 42% and 11% of community-dwelling older adults respectively, and both increase with age. Expert groups have suggested that protein and physical activity have a synergistic protective effect on age-related loss of muscle strength and muscle mass, an important component of physical frailty. This combination would further sensitize muscle to insulin and the anabolic effects of aminoacids, optimally stimulating the rate of muscle protein synthesis. We aim to determine whether transitions between frailty states, especially frailty incidence vary by protein intake in older adults, and if there is a synergistic effect with physical activity.

Aging in focus: A Comprehensive view for enhancing heathspan

With great pleasure, we announce the 58th annual scientific meeting of the European Society for Clinical Investigation, which will be held in Genoa, Italy, on May 21-23, 2025.

In the wake on – and pushing on by – pandemic wave, the scientific community is experiencing new and exciting paradigm shifts. From the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and cell/gene therapies to the growing interest in how environmental changes affect human health the timeless words of Karl Popper still resonate loudly.

Gaining awareness on aging as unavoidable process isn’t a defeat but rather a catalyst for contemporary scientific research. While the medical field takes the lead in this endeavor, it’s increasingly intertwined with ever-broader areas of science.

These are the principles we aim to imprint and upon which we work to build an exciting scientific program. We are planning several parallel symposia covering different aspects of aging in human health and disease. Keynote lectures, abstract presentations and pre-meeting courses will compose a consolidated recipe for a successful ESCI meeting.

Not by chance, Liguria, with Genoa as its capital, has been certified by the European Community as the oldest region in Europe. Long time aware of this – and a paradigm of the abovementioned concepts – the local government and healthcare system had to rethink the economic activities, environmental management, connectivity and housing to maintain resident well-being.

Why do people live longer in Liguria? We invite you to discover it! Amazing landscapes, where the mountains meet the sea face to face, a thousand-year history and a cuisine waiting to be discovered. These are some of our secrets that provide an ideal backdrop for three days of science, networking, and, why not, a bit of fun!

Saves the dates! We look forward to welcoming you to Genoa!

Federico Carbone

Luca Liberale