Guido Fumagalli

Guido graduated in Medicine in Rome in 1974 and since 1979 worked in the Neuropathology department of the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) under the guidance of Dr A.G. Engel, with whom he studied the pathogenetic mechanisms of myasthenia gravis. He participated in studies that made it possible to turn a fatal disease into a condition compatible with a normal life. In 1986, he became Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Milan, where he directed a research group working on the study of the trophic interactions that occur at the level of synapses and nerve cells. Since 1994, he has been Full professor of Pharmacology at the University of Verona, where he set up an important laboratory of neuroscience and neuropharmacology, significantly contributing to the progress of knowledge about synaptic trophic signals and meninges as a site of neural stem cells. He was delegate of the Rector for Research and for International Relations of the University and, in consideration of his organizational skills, in 2003 he was appointed Dean of the new Faculty of Sport Sciences. During this experience, he established contacts with associations of spinal cord-injured patients, who still today support research on meninges, stem cells, and new cell therapies for the treatment of spinal cord and brain lesions. Over the years, he was awarded several prizes and numerous competitive grants from important Italian and European, public and private, agencies – including the International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia. Guido is the author of over 150 papers in international journals with an H-index of 30. He organized numerous Italian and international congresses. He is a member of various Italian and foreign scientific associations and has been a member of commissions for the evaluation of projects and tenured positions in Italy, Europe, USA, and Australia. Guido is a group leader capable of motivating the members of the teams he coordinates, promoting collaboration. His willingness to listen to others and his aptitude for being proactive and technologically innovative have earned him widespread esteem and trust both in the academic and in the industrial world.