Meet our experts

As a chemist and immunologist, Prof. Ernst Th. Rietschel has dedicated his scientific life to translating the results of basic research into clinical application. From 1990 to 2006 he was Director at the Research Centre Borstel (Leibniz Lung Centre) and from 2007 to 2011 President of the Leibniz Association, which comprises more than 90 institutes. Prof. Ernst Rietschel was the founding director of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) in 2013. Today, he is a member of numerous domestic and foreign scientific and industrial (regulatory) committees.

Prof. Rietschel has supported the scientific research of CLP for over 20 years. For his work he was awarded a number of honors including the "Ordre pour le Merite" from the Republic of France, the First Class Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Japanese order of the Rising Sun (Golden Rays) with Neck Ribbon.

Patrizia D’Amelio conducts research on aging-related diseases, focusing on immune dysregulation, bone metabolism, and mechanisms of aging. As head of the Laboratory on Aging and Bone Metabolism (LABME) and the Geriatrics Unit at CHUV, she has pioneered studies on T cell hyperactivation in osteoporosis, the gut microbiota’s role in bone health, and mechanisms of aging. Clinically, she develops dietary interventions aimed at enhancing mitochondrial function to promote longevity and healthy aging.

Nicola Vannini's lab aims to identify the underpinning metabolic mechanisms inducing T cell defects during aging. His lab is focussed on identifying the metabolic pathways regulating hematopoietic stem and immune cells function. The goal is to develop targeted metabolic therapies capable of preserving hematopoietic stem and immune cell functions in the context of aging and chemotherapeutic treatments.

The core of the Vannini's lab research stems from the belief that metabolic dysfunction acquired during aging represents an important barrier on the bench-to-bedside clinical success.

Julijana Ivanisevic is a Metabolomics group (MEP) leader and Senior Lecturer (MER I) at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at UNIL. As a biologist trained in chemistry and evolving in the field of metabolomics for the past ten years, the most prominent aspect of her work constitutes the translation of mass spectrometry (MS) data into the biochemically and physiologically relevant information. The main interest of MEP team is to advance the knowledge on sex differences, across human polar metabolome and lipidome, in health and with the onset and progression of metabolic alterations with age.

Dr. Justin Carrard is Sport and Exercise Physician working as a postdoctoral researcher and principal lecturer at the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Switzerland. His research mainly focuses on the metabolic determinants of healthy ageing and active living. Dr. Carrard is passionate about the power of exercise to age healthier, treat chronic diseases and injuries, by focusing on Exercise & Lipid Metabolism, Healthy Ageing, Overtraining & MSK Ultrasound.

Dr S. Folli taught during eight years at the Institute of Sports Sciences and Physical Education (ISSEP) at the University of Lausanne. He has also been involved in continuing trainings and has given numerous conferences in this field. He still teaches at the Health and Sport Center (CASS) of the University and of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne and at the Federal Sports School (EFSM) in Macolin. In addition, since 1996, Dr S. Folli has been a delegate for the Swiss Olympic Association (A.O.S.) for nutritional analyzes, advice and supplementation for elite athletes.

Goranka Tanackovic Abbas-Terki was trained as a scientist and holds PhD degrees from the University of Zagreb and University of Geneva. In parallel with her PhD studies, she successfully completed an entrepreneurship program at Babson College, Wellesley, USA. Since 2011, she is the CEO of Gene Predictis, a pioneering Swiss company specialized in precision medicine offering innovative diagnostic tools based on genetics that allow tailored treatments for patients.

Associate professor Bogdan Draganski, native Bulgarian, is Consultant in Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, Director of the neuroimaging laboratory LREN. After qualifying in Clinical Neurology in Germany he spent time working on computational anatomy research in neurodegenerative and movement disorders at the Institute of Neurology, UCL London, UK followed by research at the Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig Germany.