Governance

TIGEM GOVERNANCE

Institutional leadership and activities coordination

Management and Governance

Director

Alberto Auricchio

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Starting from April 2024, Alberto Auricchio is the Scientific Director of the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Naples, Italy. He is also Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Advanced Biomedicine, University in Naples “Federico II”.
His research is focused on gene therapy of retinal and metabolic diseases using adeno-associated viral vectors. His group has contributed to the phase I/II clinical trial of Luxturna, the first approved gene therapy drug for an ocular disease, and to the development of gene therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis VI in an ongoing phase I/II trial.
Prof. Auricchio is co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in international scientific journals and inventor of several international patents on the use of viral vectors for gene therapy. Prof. Auricchio is founder, shareholder and consultant of InnovaVector and AAVantgarde Bio spin-offs. He is a member on the editorial boards of various journals and of the Executive Board of the European Society of Cell and Gene Therapy. Prof. Auricchio has received the Outstanding New Investigator Award of the American Society of Gene Therapy and the International Prize for Scientific Research “Arrigo Recordati”. Prof. Auricchio is a multi-grantee of the European Research Council.

The overall scientific management of the Institute is the primary responsibility of the Director. Prof. Auricchio oversees all the activities of the Institute and is responsible for improving and maintaining the scientific quality of TIGEM’s personnel and of the science being pursued.

Deputy Director

Diego di Bernardo

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Diego di Bernardo received his "Laurea cum laude" in Electronic Engineering in 1997 from the University of Naples "Federico II". In 2001, thanks to a 3-year European Commission “Marie Curie” Fellowship, he was awarded a PhD in Medical Physics from the University of Newcastle School of Medicine, UK (lab of Prof. Alan Murray). He was a postdoctoral researcher first at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Center in Cambridge (UK) with Dr. Tim Hubbard and then in the laboratory of Prof. Jim Collins at Boston University, USA. In 2003, he became a Principal Investigator at TIGEM, where he also acts as Coordinator of the Genomic Medicine Program and Supervisor of the Bioinformatics Core. In 2007, he became Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Naples "Federico II", in 2015 Associate Professor and then Full Professor in 2022. His research interests are strongly cross-disciplinary, blending Biomedical and Control Engineering with Molecular Biology to elucidate disease gene function and to develop novel technologies to advance therapies in rare genetic disorders. His research has been funded by Telethon, AIRC, Italian Ministries of Research and Health, HFSP, the European Union and the ERC Advanced grant.

Executive Board

The Executive Board (EB) is composed of the three current Program Coordinators (Nicola Brunetti-Pierri, Antonella De Matteis and Diego di Bernardo), three Young Principal Investigators (Davide Cacchiarelli, Pasquale Piccolo and Carmine Settembre) and chaired by the Director. This board meets monthly to address specific issues related to the Institute regarding scientific strategy, new recruitments, and management.

The IAB also advises the Director on the management of resources, purchasing of large equipment, and administrative issues. In addition, the Director may request non-permanent members who are part of the TIGEM staff to address specific issues on an ad hoc basis.