Scientific committee

Stéphane Blanc is a Research Director of the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture et l’Environnement (INRAE). He moved on the Campus of Baillarguet in 2004 where he heads a research group in the Plant Health Institute of Montpellier (PHIM). As a specialist of plant viruses, Stéphane Blanc and his group investigated the interaction between viruses and insect vectors during transmission and virus evolution. More recently, S. Blanc initiated a research program focused on the mysterious biology of multipartite viruses. This program rapidly took off and is now extended to a more general investigation of viral genome segmentation and on the unforeseen properties of multicomponent viral systems.

Ulf Dittmer studied biology in Bremen, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Göttingen, Germany. He did his postdoctoral training at the German Primate Center in Göttingen and at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH in Hamilton, Montana, USA. In 2011 he became director of the Institute for Virology at the University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany and of the West German Center for Infectious Diseases. His research is focused on immune responses against chronic virus infections, with a special emphasis on retroviral immunity. His goal is to develop novel immunotherapies to overcome viral persistence. The Dittmer lab defined the role of regulatory T cells in chronic infections and developed methods to manipulate these cells to improve virus immune control. They are also studying the potency of Interferon alpha subtypes in antiviral immunity. From 2023 to 2026 he was the chairman of the Society of Virology (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

Raffaele De Francesco is a molecular virologist and antiviral expert with over 40 years of experience in academia and industry. He is internationally recognized for pioneering work on the molecular virology of hepatitis C virus (HCV). His work on HCV contributed to the discovery and development of direct-acting antivirals that can cure chronic hepatitis C. He holds a doctoral degree in Biology from the University of Milan and completed postdoctoral training at Emory University and EMBL Heidelberg. From 1991 to 2008, he led drug discovery teams in virology at IRBM/Merck Research Laboratories, contributing to the discovery of several approved drugs. Since 2008, he has directed the Virology Laboratory at INGM, Milan, and was appointed Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Milan in 2019. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed papers (H-index 72) and is inventor on multiple international patents. His current research focuses on novel antivirals against hepatitis B virus.Raffaele De Francesco is a molecular virologist and antiviral expert with over 40 years of experience in academia and industry. He is internationally recognized for pioneering work on the molecular virology of hepatitis C virus (HCV). His work on HCV contributed to the discovery and development of direct-acting antivirals that can cure chronic hepatitis C. He holds a doctoral degree in Biology from the University of Milan and completed postdoctoral training at Emory University and EMBL Heidelberg. From 1991 to 2008, he led drug discovery teams in virology at IRBM/Merck Research Laboratories, contributing to the discovery of several approved drugs. Since 2008, he has directed the Virology Laboratory at INGM, Milan, and was appointed Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Milan in 2019. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed papers (H-index 72) and is inventor on multiple international patents. His current research focuses on novel antivirals against hepatitis B virus.

Carlo-Federico Perno is currently Director of Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology and Coordinator of the Laboratory Medicine Area at IRCCS Bambino Gesu’ Pediatric Hospital in Rom. His main research interests involve scientific and clinical research on Clinical microbiology, with particular reference to viral diseases.
Professor Perno gained his MD from the University of Rome in 1980, specializing in oncology in 1983. From 1986–1989, he worked as a research fellow at the Clinical Oncology Program of the American National Cancer Institute, where he participated in the development of the first therapeutic HIV drugs, such as AZT, ddC, d4T and ddI. Professor Perno has authored more than 800 scientific publications and has a global H index of >75.