Speakers

I earned my PhD in Biology in 1992 with a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, followed by a postdoctoral stay in the United Kingdom supported by a fellowship from the European Science Foundation. Upon returning to Spain with further support from the Ministry of Education, I was awarded a prestigious “Miguel Servet” contract for the incorporation of researchers into the Spanish National Health System. I subsequently joined the I3SNS stabilization program and later obtained a “Nicolás Monardes” contract from the Andalusian Health Department.

I am currently Head of the research group New Therapies in Cancer at the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research of Córdoba (IMIBIC). My research focuses on nitric oxide biology, nitrosative stress, and protein S-nitrosylation in diverse pathologies, with particular emphasis on cancer.

I have authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and served as principal investigator on more than 15 competitively funded public research projects. I am also co-inventor of six patents and over the past decade, I have supervised more than 10 doctoral theses and 20 master’s theses, contributing actively to the training of the next generation of researchers.

Dr. Motterlini is Director of Research (DR1) at INSERM U955 in Créteil, France, a position he has held since 2012. He trained as a biochemist at the University of Milan and the San Raffaele Institute in Italy (1986–1991) and completed postdoctoral training at the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco and the University of California San Diego (1992–1995). From 1995 to 2008, was Head of the Vascular Biology Unit at the Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, and later served as Senior Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology (2008–2011). His research focuses on the regulation, activity, and biological significance of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a ubiquitous defensiveprotein that degrades heme to carbon monoxide (CO) and biliverdin. He has made seminal contributions to understanding the vasodilatory, anti-ischemic, and anti-inflammatory properties of CO, and pioneered the discovery of CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs), an innovative class of compounds that deliver controlled amounts of CO to tissues. CO-RMs have demonstrated promising therapeutic effects in experimental models of vascular dysfunction, ischemic injury, inflammation, and metabolic disorders. More recently, his laboratory developed a new class of hybrid compounds, termed HYCOs, which induce HO-1 expression while simultaneously releasing CO, maximizing the protective effects of this enzymatic system. Dr. Motterlini has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, holds multiple patents, and co-founded the biopharmaceutical company HemoCORM Ltd. He currently serves as Member of the Editorial Board of Pharmacological Research (since 2015), Antioxidants (since 2020) and Redox Biology (2024). He has been recentlyelected a Member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.

AMEDEA BAROZZI SEABRA, PhD

Associate Professor | Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Brazil

Researcher ID: G-4247-2012 | ORCID: 0000-0003-0591-0380

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Dr. Amedea Barozzi Seabra is a leading expert in the fields of Chemistry and Materials Science, specializing in the development of nanomaterials and biomaterials for the controlled release of nitric oxide (NO) and other gasotransmitters. She currently serves as an Associate Professor IV at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC). Recognized for her global scientific impact, she has been consistently ranked among the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier (2021–2024). Her work bridges fundamental research with innovative applications in nanomedicine and sustainable agriculture.

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Post-Doctoral Fellow (Nitric Oxide Donors and Vasodilation): Concordia University, Canada (2008–2010).

Post-Doctoral Fellow (Nitric Oxide-Releasing Hydrogels): State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil (2006–2008).

PhD in Chemistry (Biomaterials): State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil (2002–2006).

MSc in Chemistry (S-Nitrosoglutathione Photochemistry): State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil (1999–2001).

BSc in Chemistry: University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil (1995–1998).

SCIENTIFIC IMPACT & CONTRIBUTIONS

Dr. Seabra has authored over 225 articles in peer-reviewed journals with a selective editorial policy, focusing on the interface of nanotechnology and gaseous signaling.

Key Selected Publications

Santana et al., ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2024): Biogenic copper oxide nanoparticles with enhanced human cell compatibility (IF 9.5).

Seabra et al., New Phytologist (2022): Comprehensive review of nitric oxide-releasing nanomaterials in agriculture (IF 9.4).

Tortella et al., Journal of Hazardous Materials (2020): Toxicity of nanomaterials in model organisms (IF 13.6).

Book Editor: "Nitric Oxide Donors: Novel Biomedical Applications and Perspectives," published by Elsevier (2017).

Technological Innovation & Patents

Patents: 25 patents applied for and 8 patents granted.

RESEARCH FUNDING & COORDINATION (RECENT)

FAPESP/SPRINT (2025–Present): "Engineering Hypoxia-Responsive Nanoplatforms for Targeted Gasotransmitter Delivery: A Brazil-UK Partnership" (PI) .

CAPES/COFECUB (2023–Present): "Selenium and zinc oxide nanoparticles allied to nitric oxide for biomedical applications" (PI).

FAPESP Regular Grant (2024–Present): "Nanoparticles allied to gasotransmitters for biomedical and agricultural applications" (PI).

NWO/FAPESP Thematic Project (2022–Present): "Nitric oxide releasing hydrogels and vascular prosthesis for cardiovascular applications" (Co-PI .

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION NETWORK

Dr. Seabra maintains an extensive global network for scientific exchange:

United Kingdom: University of Southampton and University of Oxford (Cardiovascular and antimicrobial research) .

France: Université de Nancy and Université Paris-Saclay (Blood compatibility and nanomedicine).

Spain: Universidad de Seville (Liver cancer therapy research) .

Netherlands: Leiden University / Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

Chile: Universidad de la Frontera (Agricultural nanotechnology and water crisis).

AWARDS & HONORS

World Top 2% Scientist: Recognition for career-long and single-year impact (2021, 2023, 2024).

Mercosul Science and Technology Award: 1st Place in the Senior Researcher category (2017).

CNPq Advisory Committee: Appointed member for innovative extension and technological development.

With a Chemical Engineering background (Instituto Superior Técnico, 1997), I pursued my PhD thesis in the fields of Cell Death and Oncobiology at CNRS, France (2002), under the supervision of Dr Kroemer.

Then, I carried out 3 postdocs in distinct areas: (i) Microbiology (2003), (ii) Biotechnology (2004 - 2006), and (iii) Neurobiology (2007 - 2011). In 2007, as a senior postdoctoral researcher at iBET, I started my own research line, focusing on apoptosis modulation in the Central Nervous System, targeting CO- induced preconditioning and neuroprotection. From 2012 to 2019, I worked as a principal investigator at CEDOC, Nova Medical School, UNL. Since 2019, I am a member of the UCIBIO Research Unit and an Assistant Professor at Nova School of Science and Technology, UNL.

I began my career in carbon monoxide (CO) biology and neurobiology by demonstrating, for the first time, the anti-apoptotic role of CO in neurons. My team also pioneered the discovery that CO modulates cellular metabolism in astrocytes, neurons, and microglia, promoting a shift from glycolytic to oxidative metabolism. Today, our group is well established within the international CO research community, with recognized contributions to understanding the role of CO in cell death regulation, metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial function, ROS signaling, preconditioning, neuronal differentiation, and neuroinflammation. After 18 years in the field of CO biology, I believe the time has come to rethink the prevailing paradigm surrounding carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). I am now exploring

its potential biological and cytoprotective functions, aiming to redefine its role beyond a mere unwanted byproduct of CO exposure.

Christopher Switzer is a chemical biologist whose work focuses on redox processes and Reactive Sulfur Species in evolution, health, and disease. After completing his biochemistry and inorganic chemistry training at UCLA with Profs Fukuto and Ignarro, he carried out postdoctoral research at the NIH National Cancer Institute with Dr David Wink, working on NO signalling and breast cancer. Later at King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London, Dr Switzer investigated the role of nitric oxide on DNA methylation in cancer. In 2023, he joined the University of Leicester, where his lab integrates chemistry and cell biology to uncover how reactive nitrogen and sulfur chemistry shapes microbial physiology, cancer biology, and fundamental mechanisms of cellular regulation.