Full program will soon be available!
Day 1: September 22, 2026
OPENING
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Registration |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Rector introduction – Dean of the faculty of medicine – Organizer Welcome |
Biochemical, molecular and pharmacological profile
I SESSION – Biochemical, molecular and pharmacological profile
Chair: Haavik J.- Caruso G.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Jan Haavik: The role of the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase-like 1 (GADL1) in the synthesis of β-alanine and carnosine and protection against oxidative stress |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Giuseppe Caruso: Unveiling the hidden therapeutic potential of carnosine, a molecule with a multimodal mechanism of action |
| 16:00 – 16:20 | Benayahu Elbaz: Oligodendrocyte-specific metabolic flux from NAA to carnosine protects the CNS from lipid peroxidation in Alzheimer disease |
| 16:20 – 16:40 | Francesco Bellia: Carnosine rewires mitochondrial metabolism and quality control in cellular models of Alzheimer’s Disease |
| 16:40 – 17:10 | Coffee Break |
| 17:10 – 17:40 | Shahid P Baba: Impact of carnosine-mediated antigen silencing on inflammation in heart failure |
| 17:40 – 18:10 | Giancarlo Aldini: Carnosine beyond antioxidants: Nrf2 activation through redox-active electrophilic adducts |
| 18:10 – 18:30 | Loredana Leggio: Carnosine exerts anti-cancer activity on human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells |
| 18:30 – 18:40 | Vincenzo Carbone: Carnosine Beyond Antioxidant Activity: Emerging RNA-Based Mechanisms of Intracellular Bacterial Persistence |
| 18:40 – 18:50 | Lorenzo Flori: Carnosine counteracts oxidative stress, inflammation, and energy metabolism impairment in an in vitro okadaic acid model of Alzheimer’s disease |
| 18:50 – 20:00 | Welcome Cocktail |
Day 2: September 23, 2026
Homeostasis and Metabolism
II SESSION – Homeostasis and metabolism
Chair: Baba S.P. – Peters V.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Benito Yard: Influence of carnosine and carnosinase-1 on diabetes-induced afferent arteriole vasodilation: implications for glomerular hemodynamics |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Verena Peters: Carnosine and beyond: emerging dipeptide candidates |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Filippo Drago: Rare diseases and emerging pharmacological treatments: what about carnosinemia? |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Karolina Kucharova: Carnosine effects on spinal cord injury-induced pathology |
| 10:50 – 11:20 | Coffee Break |
| 11:20 – 11:30 | Renata Mangione: Targeting tumor–microenvironment crosstalk: Carnosine as a novel metabolic modulator in glioblastoma |
| 11:30 – 11:40 | Imen Benchikh: Carnosine and the Pancreas: Protector In Vivo, Provoker In Vitro? |
| 11:40 – 11:50 | Alexandra Catrina Prisecaru: Selective protein binding reveals a novel mechanism underlying dipeptide bioactivity |
Conventional and advanced analytical methods
III SESSION – Conventional and advanced analytical methods
Chair: Aldini G.- Turner M.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 12:00 – 12:20 | François Trottein: The gut microbiota as a determinant of host susceptibility to respiratory infection in old individuals |
| 12:20 – 12:40 | Angelo Nicosia: A covalent carnosine-polymer conjugate for advanced therapies: new synthesis and perspectives |
| 12:40 – 13:00 | Valeria Romanucci: Enhancing carnosine stability through rational design: synthesis of new carnosinase-resistant mimics and assessment of their metal coordination properties |
LUNCH AND POSTER SESSION
Nutritional and Exercise Biology
IV SESSION – Nutritional and Exercise Biology
Chair: Artioli G.- Derave W.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Guilherme G. Artioli: Carnosine as a vasodilatory agent and its use as an acute supplement to improve exercise performance |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Wim Derave: Profiling and physiological role of carnosine analogs in mammalian skeletal muscle and the potential of their exogenous supplementation in humans |
| 15:30 – 15:40 | Jonas Vandecauter: Human genetic variation in skeletal muscle carnosine metabolism: a genome-wide association study |
| 15:40 – 16:00 | Aruni Bhatnagar: The effects of carnosine on cognition and muscle strength: Lessons from the NEAT trial |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 – 16:40 | Alessio Ardizzone: Efficacy of β-alanine and carnosine supplementation on neurological, metabolic, and exercise-related conditions: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials |
| 16:40 – 17:00 | Chin Chin Yau and Jackson Low: Carnosine and dietary peptides exert complementary effects on neuronal network activity and neuroprotection |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | ROUND TABLE – Bridging Therapeutic Innovation and Performance Nutrition: Exploring Future Perspectives Chairs: Giuseppe Caruso, Wim Derave Maria Luisa Cravana, Filippo Caraci, Justina Godos. |
| 20:00 | Social Dinner |
Day 3: September 24, 2026
Pharmacokinetics and clinical interventions
V SESSION – Advanced preclinical models and clinical implications
Chair: Majid A. – de Courten B.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Arshad Majid: Dose escalation safety and tolerability studies in healthy volunteers |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Mark Turner: Carnosine analogues as potential therapeutic agents |
| 10:00 – 10:20 | Milena De Felice: Carnosine attenuates peripheral and central neuroimmune mechanisms underlying post-stroke pain |
| 10:20 – 10:40 | Lucia Buccarello: Characterization and neuroprotective potential of a novel carnosine-based nanogel formulation |
| 10:40 – 10:50 | Konstantinos Partsinevelos: Carnosine protects human microglia through coordinated regulation of redox balance, energy metabolism, and phagocytosis |
| 10:50 – 11:20 | Coffee Break |
| 11:20 – 11:30 | Tessa Patricia Schönborn: Carnosinase 2 regulates dipeptide homeostasis and modulates autophagy |
| 11:30 – 11:40 | Lucia Di Pietro: A human-relevant 3D brain triculture platform reveals the neuroprotective activity of carnosine under amyloid-β-induced oxidative stress |
| 11:40-11:50 | Chiara Lanzillotta: Potential Role of Carnosine in Counteracting Oxidative Stress in Down Syndrome Neuropathology |
| 11:50 – 12:20 | Barbora de Courten: Effects of carnosine on cardiometabolic health in humans |
| 12:20 – 13:30 | Awards Ceremony and Closing Remarks |