Since the latter half of the 20th Century, basic research in the life sciences has advanced at a breathtaking pace, resulting in major discoveries that have led to extraordinary innovations and economic growth, as well as fundamental benefits to society. Exceptional breakthrough discoveries in molecular and cellular life sciences have enabled this growth. Genomics, through improved analytical protocols, is one of those research areas that has delivered transformative outcomes across many applied contexts. Similarly, another field driving innovation is AI-supported imaging. Human eyes are no longer the most appropriate devices for data selection and verification, and pushing the frontiers is no longer possible without machine learning and AI-aided technologies. But to address big questions and to challenge life scientists at any career stage to make the impossible possible, integrated approaches promise to advance our knowledge and deliver translational outcomes.
Integration across scales (molecules, cells, organisms, ecosystems) leads directly to the concept of predictive biology: integrating available data to understand how biology works in the biosphere, allowing the prediction of ‘typical’ behavior. Research support from HFSP embraces these developments by fostering cross-cutting, international collaborations that address frontier topics and the success of HFSP lies in its ability to encourage researchers from different fields to work together, crossing boundaries and scales to develop a common language on investigator and community-generated research ideas.
Hosted in collaboration with Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy, this symposium will present the current state of knowledge and applications that are used in life science research and that will drive the innovation economy of the future.
VENUE: Sala Marconi at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Rome
DATE: Tuesday, 21 April 2026
SCHEDULE: 09:00 -16:00 CET
REGISTRATION: Mandatory. Please Register Here.
FREE ATTENDANCE!
SPEAKERS
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Maria Ina Arnone, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| Fabio Benfenati, IIT, Italy & HFSPO Council of Scientists Member representing Italy
| Diego di Bernardo, University of Naples Federico II & TIGEM, Naples, Italy
| Raffaella Di Micco, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, Milan, Italy
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| Konstantinos Lefkimmiatis, University of Pavia & Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy | Michela Matteoli, Humanitas University & Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy | Pietro Pietrini, IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca, Italy & HFSPO Board of Trustees Member representing Italy | Richa Rikhy, IISER Pune, India & HFSPO Council of Scientists Member representing India |
PROGRAM
09.00: Opening and Welcome
Andrea Lenzi, President Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy
Gianluigi Consoli, Director General for Internationalization and Communication, Ministry of University and Research (MUR), Italy
Pavel Kabat, Secretary General HFSPO
09.30: Keynote lecture
Are we really free? Novel insights from behavioral Neuroscience
by Pietro Pietrini, IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca, Italy
10.15: COFFEE BREAK
10:45 - 12:15: Oral Session I
Moderator: Marcella Devoto, CNR, Italy
Using light to counteract central nervous system diseases: towards a light-powered brain
Fabio Benfenati, Istituto Italiano Di Technologia, Neuroscience & Smart Materials, Italy
Engineering Gene Circuits for Gene Therapy of rare genetic disorder
Diego di Bernardo, University of Naples Federico II and TIGEM, Naples, Italy
Mechanistic insights to advance hematopoietic stem cell-based gene therapies
Raffaella Di Micco, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, Milan, Italy
12:15: LUNCH
14.00 - 16:00: Oral Session II
Moderator: Fabio Benfenati, Istituto Italiano Di Technologia, Neuroscience & Smart Materials, Italy; and HFSPO Council of Scientists Member representing Italy
Plasma membrane and organelle remodeling in morphogenesis in embryogenesis
Richa Rikhy, IISER Pune, India and HFSPO Council of Scientists Member representing India
From exploring inter-organelle communication to transformation
Konstantinos Lefkimmiatis, University of Pavia and Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
A Scientific Journey from Synapse Biology to Neuro-Immune Interactions
Michela Matteoli, Humanitas University and Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
Uncovering the mechanisms of decentralized vision in sea urchins: from a no-brain to an all -brain view
Maria Ina Arnone, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
16.00: Closing remarks
Pavel Kabat, Secretary General HFSPO
16.15: RECEPTION