Luigi Naldini

Luigi Naldini (born 1959 in Turin) is an Italian gene therapist, professor of cell and tissue biology and of gene and cell therapy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, and the director of San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy. Often considered as "the father of the lentivirus gene therapy", he is globally known as the pioneer of "the development and applications of lentiviral vectors for gene transfer" that allowed the gene therapy treatment of several genetic diseases. He is also a scientific co-founder of three biotech start-up companies, Genenta in Milan and New York, He is also the former president of European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) and an elected member of European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Education and career He graduated in 1983 with an M.D. from the University of Turin and in 1987 with a Ph.D. in cell and tissue biology from the Sapienza University of Rome. His doctoral advisor was Paolo M. Comoglio. As a postdoc from 1987 to 1989, Naldini was supervised by Joseph Schlessinger in Rockville, Maryland. From 1990 to 1996 Naldini was an assistant professor in the University of Turin's department of biomedical sciences and oncology.

Awards and accolades

2019: Grand Officer of the Order for Merit of the Italian Republic ("Grande Ufficiale" dell'Ordine "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana"), from the President and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy, on December 27 2019: The Global Health Pioneer Award, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2019: Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland 2016: The Captains of the Year Award ("Premio Capitani"), Sala del Grechetto of Palazzo Sormani, Milan, Italy 2015: Honorary doctorate, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium 2014: Gili Agostinelli Award ("Premio Gili Agostinelli"), Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Turin, Italy 2014: Outstanding Achievement Award, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, United States