ANA DOMINGOS

University of Oxford

 

Title of the Speech: 
Sympathetic neuroimmunity in obesity

Ana I. Domingos is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. Her laboratory discovered the sympathetic neuro-adipose axis mediating leptin's lipolytic effects, providing the first visualization of adipose sympathetic neurons essential for fat mass reduction via norepinephrine signaling. Her team identified Sympathetic neuron-Associated Macrophages (SAMs), contributing to obesity by metabolizing norepinephrine, findings that inspired the development of sympathofacilitators—a novel class of peripheral anti-obesity drugs free from central nervous system side effects. Domingos’ research focuses on the pharmacological regulation of autonomic functions to combat obesity safely, pioneering the emerging field of Neuroimmunometabolism. Her group has extensively reviewed this field (Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuron) and organized dedicated conferences, including the Keystone Symposium (2022). Domingos serves as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism and holds editorial roles at Cell Metabolism and eLife. Her numerous accolades include the EMBO Installation Award, Human Frontiers Science Program Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute–Wellcome International Scholar Award, ERC-Consolidator Award, Pfizer Aspire Obesity Award, Carl Ludwig Lectureship, BBSRC Grant, and NIH Opportunity Pool Award, among others. She has been invited to speak at over 70 international conferences.

ALEXANDER A. STEINER

University of Sao Paulo

 

Title of the Speech: 
Immunoregulation by sympathetic nerves: can neutrophils be selectively targeted?

Alexandre Steiner obtained his PhD in Physiology at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and did his postdoctoral training in Neuroimmunology at Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center (USA). He is now an Associate Professor of Immunology at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Sao Paulo. His research is focused on the multilateral interactions between the immune system and physiological systems in life-threatening infections.

ERICA K. SLOAN

Monash University

 

Title of the Speech: 
Cancer neuroscience: the autonomic nervous system regulates cancer progression and treatment response

Professor Erica Sloan leads the Cancer Neural Immune Laboratory at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Her work characterises molecular and cellular neural-cancer interactions. She will describe preclinical and clinical findings that provide insight into how the autonomic nervous system interacts with solid cancers, and describe how this knowledge is guiding development of novel therapeutic strategies to stop cancer.

PIETRO CORTELLI

University of Bologna

 

Title of the Speech: 
Sleep and the Autonomic Nervous System: Clinical Insights and Pathophysiology

Pietro Cortelli is a Neurologist with a particular interest in autonomic nervous system assessment particularly in relation to neurodegenerative disorders and with a particular focus on synucleinopathies (Parkinson’s Disease, Pure Autonomic Failure, Multiple System Atrophy, Dementia with Lewy bodies) and in genetic diseases with autonomic failure (ADLD) In addition, his long-term research interests have focused on:
• The role of the autonomic nervous system in health and disease
• Genetic and phenotypic characterization of prion diseases (Fatal Familial Insomnia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Gerstmann-Straussler- Scheinker) Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Familial Hemiplegic migraine.
• Genetic and phenotypic characterization of “adult onset autosomal dominant leukodystrophy” (ADLD)
• Evaluation of autonomic circadian rhythms in relation to wake-sleep cycle in neurodegenerative disorders (namely Multiple System Atrophy, prion diseases and sleep disorders)
• Autonomic, clinical and neurophysiological aspects of mitochondrial diseases and primary headache. The research has received funding from various competitive (University of Bologna, MIUR, Department of Health) and charitable sources (TELETHON, MIUR, Ministry of Health, EU).