She graduated in Molecular Biology at the University of Trieste in 1997. For her undergraduate thesis she worked with Prof. Claudio Schneider at LN-CIB of the Area Science Park of Trieste. Her thesis was published with the title “cDNA characterization and chromosome mapping of the human GAS2 gene”. In 1997 she moved to the United States where she worked as a Research Scientist in the laboratory of Richard Assoian first at the Medical School of the University of Miami, where she studied the role of p21 in the regulation of the cell cycle; then, in 1998, she moved with the group of Richard Assoian to Philadelphia, at the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused her research on the cooperation of growth factors and extracellular matrix on the regulation of cell proliferation. In 2001 she started her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked  in the laboratory of Dr. Craig Thompson to study the regulation of metabolism in cancer cells. During her Ph.D. she also collaborated with the Small Business Development Center at the Wharton School for consulting of start-ups in the Philadelphia area. She is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Northwestern University in Chicago. She works in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Licht on the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative disorders.   Paolo Barbanti began his career in biotechnology as a researcher focusing on experimental cancer therapies and completed his postgraduate studies in the field of immunology and cell biology studying the activity of various monoclonal antibodies in oncology. He also received an MBA from SDA Bocconi, School of Management. With his background, in both the scientific and business aspects of life sciences, he served as management consultant for biotech and pharmaceutical companies covering all aspects of their business. Through his involvement with biotech start-ups, multinational pharmaceutical companies, university labs and merchant bank, Mr. Barbanti has accumulated experience in technology assessment transfering discovery into clinic, in product management and launch of new pharmaceutical products raising venture investment and establishing strategic partnerships between companies: biotech/biotech and biotech/pharma. For research providers, including universities, government labs, Mr. Barbanti help build the skills for effective generation, screening, selection and development of new ideas, value projects and technologies, providing guidance and help to develop the necessary culture and competencies within the organization.  He is also adjunct Professor at University of Bologna and Bari, School of Biotechnology and lecturer at SDA Bocconi School of Management besides at various courses and seminars. He is member of several professional associations: LES (Licensing Executives Society), SIICA (Italian Society of Immunology and Clinical Allergology) and SSFA (Society for Applied Pharmacological Sciences).   She graduated in Business Administration from Luigi Bocconi University in October 1999. Her undergraduate thesis titled: “Company Merger Process: Proposed Methodology For Evaluating Integration Levels” focused on an M&A business case of the European Pharma/chemical industry (Hoechst Marion Roussel). To complete her thesis she worked with Prof. Roberto Ravagnani, and she received advice from Prof. M. Zollo of INSEAD, as well as from managers of the consulting companies Andersen Consulting and KPMG. In the 1999, she moved to New York for a short work experience in accounting and legal import taxation within an import/export firm. From the 2000 till the 2003, she worked with Merrill Lynch in the Milano office as Operations Analyst within the Investment Managers division (MLIM). The peculiarity of that experience allowed her to contribute to the design and set up of MLIM, working and supporting different areas such as Operations, Legal & Compliance, etc. In the 2003, she moved to San Francisco to attend the MBA program at the University Of San Francisco (USF). For her summer internship, she worked in the Business Development department of Prismedical Corp., a biotech firm in the start-up phase. During that internship, she developed and completed the Marketing Plan for the same firm while she was completing her directed study program with Prof. Larry Louie, PhD and MBA Dean Associate of USF. During the MBA Program she collaborated with the MBA Administration to better serve the students, as VP Career Development within the Graduate Business Association. She organized several events for the B-School as well as MBA workshops focused on Career Development. Still today, she offers support to the University of San Francisco as panelist and guest speaker in events for the graduate’s students, especially international. Since May 2005, she works for Bio-Rad Laboratories, a major biotech company headquartered in San Francisco. She works in Project Management within the IT Corporate Strategy department of Bio-Rad, designing, developing and implementing best practices of project management for the company worldwide. She joined Urania in November 2005 as VP Business Development.   Rita graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1998 from the University of Milan with a thesis aimed at the improvement of in vitro embryo culture by modulating the cAMP content of oocytes. While conducting her research, thanks to a scholarship from the European Union-Canada consortium for reproductive biology, she spent 5 weeks at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Canada. After graduating, she went back to Canada where she spent 2 years and earned a Master of Science in Reproductive Physiology. Rita graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1998 from the University of Milan with a thesis aimed at the improvement of in vitro embryo culture by modulating the cAMP content of oocytes. While conducting her research, thanks to a scholarship from the European Union-Canada consortium for reproductive biology, she spent 5 weeks at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Canada. After graduating, she went back to Canada where she spent 2 years and earned a Master of Science in Reproductive Physiology. In 2003, she received a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Milan, while studying the characteristics of female gamete cytoplasmic quality as they relate to embryonic developmental potential. Since January 2004 she had been working at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Temple University, in Philadelphia, in the laboratory headed by Dr. Keith Latham. Here she is focusing on the problem of nuclear reprogramming in cloned embryos and mechanisms of posttranslational regulation of the maternal pool of mRNAs. She joined URANIA in 2006.   Lorenzo Mannelli - Coordinator Urania Europe He graduated in Medicine and Surgery Florence University, Italy in 2003, for his thesis he worked with Dr Stefano Ciatti at the private clinic Studio ecografico Dott. Stefano Ciatti in Prato, Italy. His thesis with the title “3D and 4D ultrasounds new clinical applications” was also presented at the Academia dei Fisiocritici in Siena and at the regional meeting of SIRM (Italian Society of Medical Radiology). In 2003 he started the residency in radiology at Florence University. In 2006 he started to work on his thesis:“Evaluation of liver fibrosis with diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging”. In 2007 during the last year of residency he went to the United States where he worked as a MRI Visiting Research Fellow in the Radiology Department of the New York University Medical Centre under the mentorship of Professor Bachir Taouli. There he worked on several clinical research projects for the study of hepato-cellular carcinoma, liver fibrosis and renal cells carcinomas with diffusion weighted imaging and blood oxygen level dependent imaging. He presented the results of his research at the main radiology meetings in US and Europe. In 2007 he finished his radiology residency and went to Cambridge in UK, with a scholarship sponsored by the European Society of Radiology. In Cambridge he worked with Professors Adrian Dixon and David Lomas, and Dr Evis Sala, with the last one he worked on a research project on the evaluation of cervix cancer with perfusion weighted imaging. He presented his results in Europe and US. In 2008 he obtains a PhD by the University of Florence and he goes again to the New York University Medical Centre to follow his research projects, in June the University of Cambridge offers him a Cross Sectional Imaging Fellowship at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, under the mentorship of Professor David Lomas. In 2005 he also went for three months, as a volunteer, in Nassjria (Iraq), as a Medical Doctor affiliated with the Italian Red Cross, where he gave medical support to the allied troops as well as to the local population, he presented his experience in a lecture in Bucharest. In 1997 and 2003 he worked for the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) as logistic Lieutenant.