Gene therapy is a medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells.
Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, anemia, kidney dysfunction, and infections may occur. Complications may include hypercalcemia and amyloidosis.
Pio of Pietrelcina, widely known as Padre Pio, was an Italian Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, celebrated on 23 September.
The Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, sometimes referred to as Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church, is a Catholic shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo, Province of Foggia, Italy, owned by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Its surface area is 6,000 square meters. Built in devotion to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, it can accommodate 6,500 people seated at worship, with standing room for 30,000 people outside. The Genoan architect Renzo Piano designed the church. It is located in front of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a large Italian hospital and research center, founded by Padre Pio.
San Giovanni Rotondo is the name of a town and comune in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia, in southern Italy.
UC San Diego Health is the academic health system of the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California. It is the only academic health system serving San Diego and has one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in the region. In operation since 1966, it comprises UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest as well as Jacobs Medical Center, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, and Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion, all located in La Jolla. It also includes several outpatient sites located throughout San Diego County. The health system works closely with the university's School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy to provide training to medical and pharmacy students and advanced clinical care to patients.
The Policlinico of Milan also known as Ospedale Maggiore di Milano or Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, is the public district general hospital in Milan, It is one of the oldest hospitals in Italy, founded by Duke Francesco Sforza in 1456. Today it is a modern hospital with 900 beds, with wards for adults, pregnant women and children. During the first COVID-19 breakout in March 2020, 300 of those beds were readapted for COVID-19 patients.
A biobank is a type of biorepository that stores biological samples for use in research. Biobanks have become an important resource in medical research, supporting many types of contemporary research like genomics and personalized medicine.
A biorepository is a facility that collects, catalogs, and stores samples of biological material for laboratory research. Biorepositories collect and manage specimens from animals, plants, and other living organisms. Biorepositories store many different types of specimens, including samples of blood, urine, tissue, cells, DNA, RNA, and proteins. If the samples are from people, they may be stored with medical information along with written consent to use the samples in laboratory studies.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), one of the hemoglobinopathies, is a group of blood disorders typically inherited. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Problems in sickle cell disease typically begin around 5 to 6 months of age. A number of health problems may develop, such as attacks of pain, anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, and stroke. Long-term pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years.
George Quentin Daley is the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. He was formerly the Robert A. Stranahan Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's Hospital, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Associate Director of Children's Stem Cell Program, a member of the Executive Committee of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. He is a past president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (2007–2008).
EuroBioBank is an organization which manages a network of biobanks in Europe. It provides human DNA, cell, and tissue samples to the scientific community for research on rare diseases.
The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is a cancer treatment, research and education institution with six locations in the St. Louis area. Siteman is the only cancer center in Missouri and within 240 miles of St. Louis to be designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Siteman is also the only area member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit alliance of 32 cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of cancer care.
Riccardo Ruotolo was the titular bishop of Castulo and auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
The Coriell Institute for Medical Research is an independent, non-profit biomedical research center dedicated to the study of the human genome. Coriell features programs in biobanking, personalized medicine, cell biology, cytogenetics, genotyping, and induced pluripotent stem cell science. Located in downtown Camden, New Jersey, the Institute has partnered with several prominent state and national health leaders, including Cooper University Hospital, the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, the United States Air Force, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Helen Elisabeth Heslop is a physician-scientist from New Zealand whose clinical interests are in hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Heslop’s research focuses on immunotherapy to treat viral infections, post transplant and hematologic malignancies. She is a professor in the Department of Medicine and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and the director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital. She is also the Dan L. Duncan Chair and the associate director of clinical research at the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center.
Policlinico San Matteo, known as Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, founded in 1449, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in Italy. It is located in the city of Pavia, about 35 km south of Milan. The hospital has over 3,300 physicians, as well as more than 1,000 beds. In 2016, the hospital handles 36,500 admissions, 13.7% of those are from outside Pavia, 99,000 admissions to the emergency department and 2.1 million outpatient services.
Giuseppe Merla is an Italian scientist who is a Full Professor of Molecular Biology at University of Naples Federico II and medical geneticist at Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. He is the Managing Director of Fondazione Telethon-Genomic and Genetics Disorders Biobank, a member of EuroBioBank at the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital. Merla and his team led the discovery of a new rare genetic syndrome intellectual development disorder with cardiac arrhythmia and the gene responsible for it. Merla is also known for his extensive research on Kabuki Syndrome. He has been declared as the Ambassador of Kabuki syndrome and received the 2019 Ambassador Day award at the Royal Villa of Monza.
AmadeoLab is an Italian research institute based in Milan, Italy. The lab is a public hospital, currently representing the headquarters of the IRCCS National Cancer Institute (INT). and of the Neurological Institute "Carlo Besta". The building is made up of seven floors which contain all the medical, administrative and research departments. The Institute performs tests to prevent and diagnose potential oncological illnesses, and provides appropriate medical care and assistance for their treatment.
