Bernardo Maria Ester Professore AssociatoMedicineMed/38

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

March 2010: PhD dissertation, University of Leiden, The Netherlands, Thesis: “Human mesenchymal stem cells: biological characterization and clinical application” under the supervision of Prof. W.E. Fibbe.

October 30, 2005: Residency in Pediatrics, University of Pavia, Thesis: “Study of the    chondrogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from different tissue sources”; final grade 50/50 with honours.

April 2001: Licensed to practice Medicine and Surgery.

July 20, 2000: Medical Degree in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pavia, Thesis:  “Immunological Reconstitution after placental stem cell transplantation”; final grade110/110 with honours

DIDACTIC ACTIVITY

Since July 1st, 2020: Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Vita-salute San Raffaele University Medical School, Milan

Since September 2015 to June 2020: Temporary assignment of Professorship (Professore a Contratto) in Paediatrics, International Medical Doctor Program, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano.

Member of the Faculty Board of the Residency in Pediatrics (Collegio Docenti, Scuola di Specialità in Pediatria), Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano.

Deputy Director (for clinical activity) of the Curriculum “Cell and Gene Therapy”, PhD Program in Molecular Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and Member of the Executive Committee (Comitato Direttivo) of the PhD Program in Molecular Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano.

She has acted as Thesis Opponent in 2 PhD defenses of the PhD Program of Translational and Molecular Medicine (DIMET), Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca.

She has acted as PhD thesis assessor (N. 4 thesis) for the PhD Program “Medicina dello sviluppo e scienze della Programmazione Sanitaria”, University of Padova, Italy.

She has supervised one Resident Fellow in Pediatrics preparing the Thesis Residency in Pediatrics, Medical School, Vita-Salute University; co-supervised one student preparing the Thesis for Medical School, Vita-Salute University and one student for the Masters Degree in Molecular and Cellular Medical BiotechnologyCdLM in BMMC, Vita-Salute University. She has acted as examiner for two thesis for the Masters Degree in Molecular and Cellular Medical BiotechnologyCdLM in BMMC, Vita-Salute University.

She is the supervisor as tutor of 4 Resident fellows in Pediatrics, Vita-Salute University.

Since 2015 to present she gives lessons for the resident fellows in Pediatrics, Vita-Salute University.

Since 2017 to present she gives lessons at the PhD Program of Translational and Molecular Medicine (DIMET), Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca

February 2014: certification as Associate Professor (Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale) in Paediatrics.

CLINICAL ACTIVITY

Since October 2016 to present: Person Responsible for the Pediatric Transplant Unit (RUF: Responsabile Unità Funzionale), Pediatric Immunohematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

Since December 2014 to present: Pediatric Allogeneic Transplant Coordinator (Coordinatore Area Trapianto Allogenico Pediatrico), Pediatric Immunohematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

Since November 2014 to present: Permanent Staff Paediatrician, Pediatric Immunohematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

Since July 2020 to present: Principal Investigator of the protocol ‘A phase I/II study evaluating safety and efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells genetically modified with IDUA lentiviral vector encoding for the human a-L-iduronidase gene for the treatment of patients affected by Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I, Hurler variant’ ongoing at Pediatric Immunohematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan (date of approval: May  10, 2018) .

Since May 2018 to June 2020: Co-Principal Investigator of the protocol ‘A phase I/II study evaluating safety and efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells genetically modified with IDUA lentiviral vector encoding for the human a-L-iduronidase gene for the treatment of patients affected by Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I, Hurler variant’ ongoing at Pediatric Immunohematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

May 2010 - November 2014: Permanent Staff Paediatrician, Department of Hematology and Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome.

April 2009 - May 2010: Permanent Staff Paediatrician, Department of Paediatric Oncohematology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia

April 2007 - July 2009: Staff Paediatrician, Department of Paediatric Oncohematology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia

November 2005 - March 2007: Fellowship - Department of Paediatric Oncohematology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia.

SCIENTIFIC & RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Since November 2017 to present: Clinical Coordinator, Pediatric Clinical Research Unit, San Raffaele Telethon-Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

Since November 2014 to present: Project Leader, SR-TIGET, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan.

Since June 2017 to June 2021: Councilor of the Board of the European Hematology Association (EHA).

Since June 2017 to June 2021: Member of the Research Committee of the EHA.  

Since June 2017 to June 2021: Member of the Grant and Fellowship Committee of the EHA.

2019-2020: Director of the Clinical Research Training in Hematology (CRTH) of the EHA.

Since April 2020 to present: Co-Chair of the Scientific Working Group in Pediatric Hematology of the EHA.

May 2010 - November 2014: Head of the Research Unit “Cellular Therapy” of the Laboratories of the Department of Hematology and Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome.

Since 2014 to present: abstract reviewer for the annual meeting of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT).

Since 2017 to 2019: member of the Working Group “Cellular and Molecular Biology” of the Italian Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (AIEOP).

Since 2016 to present: Associate Editor of the Journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, section Pediatric Hematology and Hematological Malignancies.

2011-2014: Member of the Editorial Review Board of the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Since January 2020: Member of the Data Safety Monitoring Board for the Phase I/II clinical trial of ex-vivo hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy in Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA conducted at the University of Manchester, UK

June 2004 - June 2005: fellowship at the Department of Experimental Haematology Leiden University Medical Centre, under the supervision of Prof. W.E. Fibbe, focusing on research projects in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation utilizing mesenchymal stromal cells as therapeutic support in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Investigator in several national and international clinical trials in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in pediatric patients.

Investigator in clinical trials in ex-vivo hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy in pediatric patients affected by ADA-SCID, WAS, MLD, Beta-Thalassemia

Reviewer for the Journals: Blood, Blood Advances, Haematologica, Hemasphere, PlosOne, Cytotherapy, Cancer Research, Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Journal of Translational Medicine, Stem Cell and Development, Stem Cell Reports

Co-author of >100 peer-reviewed articles published in international journals and of 3 book chapters. Quantitative parameters of scientific production in internationaI journals: h index (Scopus) = 36; total citations (Scopus) = >8000 (8207).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Research projects and grants

Fondazione Telethon, SR-Tiget Core Grant (2016-2021). Principal Investigator of the project E6 “Use of mesenchimal stromal cells to optimize transplantation outcome of gene edited hematopoietic stem cells”.

Recipient of an investigator grant (IG9062) from Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) in 2009, entitled “Role of human mesenchymal stem cells in tumor angiogenesis”.

Recipient of a grant from Ministero della Salute, Bando Giovani Ricercatori 2008 entitled “Mesenchymal stem cells and cancer: toward safer cell-based therapeutic application”.

Collaborator in national and international research project, including a European Union 6th Framework Program project (Allostem 2004-2008:“The development of immunotherapeutic strategies to treat hematological and neoplastic diseases on the basis of optimised allogeneic stem cell transplantation”). Currently collaborating to the HO2020 project “RETHRIM” (#643580 entitled: “Regeneration Through Immune Modulation”)

 

 

Membership of Scientific Societies

European Hematology Association (EHA)

European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)

European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT)

Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM)

 

Invited lectures 2017-2020

46th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 30 August- 2 Sept 2020. Virtual.

1st Midterm Focus Meeting on Non-Malignant Diseases of the EBMT. 8-10 July 2020. Virtual.

23rd Annual Meeting of American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT). 13-15 May 2020. Boston, US. Virtual.

24th Annual Meeting of European Hematology Association (EHA); Scientific Working Group on Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 13-16 June 2019. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

EBMT Inborn Errors Working Party Conference. 28-30 September 2019. London, UK

EBMT Inborn Errors Working Party Conference. 28-30 September 2018. Leiden, NL

11th PDWP, IDWP, IEWP and Pediatric Nurse Group Meeting – Verona, 7th-8th June 2018

44th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 24-27 March 2017. Frankfurt, Germany

36th National Pediatric Meeting "Dercevi dnevi", Ljubljana, June 1st, 2018

EHA-SWG Scientific Meeting on Shaping the Future of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Therapy. 23-25 November 2017. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

EBMT Inborn Errors Working Party Conference. 3-5 November 2017. Newcastle, UK

Advanced Therapies in Healthcare Conference. 27-29 October 2017. Doha, Qatar

2017 MPS Symposium. 10-11 July 2017. Philadelphia, USA

Therapeutic Tolerance Workshop. 27-30 June 2017. Newcastle, UK

Transplantation in Inherited Metabolic Disease Course. Recordati Foundation. 8-10 June 2017. Lille, France

II Evento Nazionale sulle Mucopolisaccaridosi. 8-9 May 2017. Milano, Italy

43th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 26-29 March 2017. Marseille, France