INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER
Dr Nicol Voermans MD, PhD
Nicol Voermans is a neuromuscular neurologist working at the Radboudumc in Nijmegen with more than 15 years of clinical and research experience. Her main fields of research are 1) FSHD: genotype - phenotype coupling, trial readiness, optimal symptomatic treatment and trial fitness, and clinical trials; and 2) Congenital myopathies: genotype - phenotype coupling, trial readiness, optimal symptomatic treatment and trial fitness, and clinical trials. In 2021, She has launched the FSHD European Trial Network, bringing together all researchers and clinicians involved with FSHD in Europe. She organized two ENMC workshops on FSHD in 2022 focusing on genetic diagnosis, clinical outcome measures, biomarkers and imaging.
GUEST SPEAKER
Professor Giovanni Baranello, MD, PhD
Sponsored by Novartis
Giovanni Baranello is Professor of Paediatric Neuromuscular Disorders within the Developmental Neurosciences Teaching and Research Department, at the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London. Here he holds a joint clinical and research position since 2019 and serves as honorary consultant in Neuromuscular Diseases at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he is involved in the diagnosis and clinical management of children with different neuromuscular conditions.
Giovanni has been involved as principal investigator in numerous neuromuscular clinical trials, predominantly in the areas of Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His main area of research relates to translational research in neuromuscular conditions, development of outcome measures and biomarkers, natural history studies and long-term studies in patients receiving novel treatments. His research activity is also focused on developing treatments for rare congenital myopathies.
More recently, his research has been focused on investigating the role of SMN protein in brain development and function, both in clinic and preclinical models.
Giovanni completed his degree in Medicine, specialty in Child Neurology and Psychiatry, and PhD in Developmental Neurosciences from the Catholic University Medical School in Rome, Italy.
Publication list: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=x3U_PagAAAAJ&hl=en
