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INVITED
SPEAKERS
Be inspired by the experts’ insights
The role of the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase-like 1 (GADL1) in the synthesis of β-alanine and carnosine and protection against oxidative stress
Jan Haavik
Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Norway
Dose escalation safety and tolerability studies in healthy volunteers
Arshard Majid
School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, UK, Western Bank, Sheffield; Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
Carnosine analogues as potential therapeutic agents
Mark Turner
Biomedical Molecular Biosciences at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Carnosine beyond antioxidants: Nrf2 activation through redox-active electrophilic adducts
Giancarlo Aldini
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan
Carnosine and beyond: emerging dipeptide candidates
Verena Peters
Metabolism Center of Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Influence of carnosine and carnosinase-1 on diabetes-induced afferent arteriole vasodilation: implications for glomerular hemodynamics
Benito Yard
Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
Jan Haavik
Professor Jan Haavik, MD PhD, is specialist of adult psychiatry and leader of the Neurotargeting Research Group at Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Norway. The group study neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, with a goal of translating biological insights into new treatments. Dr. Haavik has a background in molecular neurosciences and has conducted clinical and genetic studies, as well as mechanistic studies on regulatory proteins involved in monoamine functions and pharmacology. More recently, they have studied pyridoxal phosphate dependent decarboxylases and their involvement in disease. This group of enzymes includes cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD) and glutamic acid decarboxylase like 1 (GADL1). Haavik and coworkers solved the X-ray structures of CSAD and GADL1 and performed structure-based drug discovery efforts to find inhibitors targeting these enzymes. They recently characterized the first animal model lacking GADL1, demonstrating a critical role of this enzyme in the synthesis of β-alanine and carnosine. He will present new findings on this animal model and how it can be used to explore the biology of β-alanine and carnosine peptides.
Arshad Majid
Professor Arshad Majid is Chair of Cerebrovascular Neurology at the University of Sheffield and an NIHR Senior Investigator. He is an internationally recognised clinician–scientist specialising in translational stroke research, with extensive experience across phase I–III clinical trials in both the UK and USA. His work focuses on developing disease-modifying therapies for cerebrovascular disorders, particularly cerebral small vessel disease.Notably, he has led mechanism-driven preclinical and clinical studies investigating the role of carnosine in vascular biology and has demonstrated its potential to mitigate cerebrovascular injury. His work integrates in vitro cell models with in vivo validation, supporting the translational development of carnosine-based interventions. Professor Majid has secured funding from major national and international bodies and has an extensive track record of mentoring early-career researchers. His programme of research aims to bridge mechanistic discovery with early-phase clinical translation to improve outcomes in stroke and related disorders.
Mark Turner
After completing his PhD in Medicine at the University of Liverpool, Dr Turner moved to the USA to undertake postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He then returned to the UK to take up an independent faculty appointment at St Bartholomew’s and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, before later moving to his current position as Associate Professor in Biomedical Molecular Biosciences at Nottingham Trent University. Proteomic data acquired from pancreatic beta-cells, skeletal muscle, and serum, has enabled the Turner group to detail advanced glycation and lipidation endproduct modification of proteins exposed to metabolic stress. Importantly, carnosine, was shown to prevent / reverse most of these damaging modifications, indicating potential therapeutic action of this molecule. However, carnosine turns over quickly in the body, so the Turner group has developed a number of carnosinase inhibitors and slowly hydrolysable carnosine mimetics that could potentially be utilised as new treatments for cardiometabolic diseases, including diabetes and obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
Giancarlo Aldini
Giancarlo Aldini is Full Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Milan, with extensive expertise in oxidative stress and molecular strategies for its prevention. His research has been particularly focused on carnosine and its derivatives, investigating their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their ability to form adducts with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes generated during oxidative damage. Through the application of advanced mass spectrometry and OMICS approaches, he has made significant contributions to the structural and functional characterization of carnosine reaction products, highlighting their potential in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications. He is the author of over 290 scientific publications, with an H-index of 65, and is internationally recognized for his work on biomarkers of oxidative damage and cellular protection mechanisms.
Verena Peters
Verena Peters studied and completed her doctoral training at the Philipps University and the Max-Planck-Institute in Marburg. She is currently Professor of Biochemistry at the Metabolism Center of Heidelberg University Hospital, faculty member at Heidelberg Biosciences international graduate school (HBIGS) and a member of the hospital’s Equal Opportunity Commission. She is co-editor of the two international journals Journal of Inherited Metabolic Diseases and JMD reports. Her research focuses on the biochemical and therapeutic relevance of dipeptides and their metabolism, particularly carnosine and anserine. In studies within a Collaborative Research Center on "Reactive metabolites as a cause of diabetic complications", funded by the German Research Foundation, she was able to demonstrate that not only carnosine but also anserine, exerts nephroprotective effects in diabetes, displays stronger antioxidant properties compared to carnosine, stabilizes vascular permeability under carbonyl stress, and improves survival in experimental sepsis. In carnosinase-1 knockout (Cndp1-KO) mice, elevated levels of these dipeptides are associated with increased renal hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) synthesis capacity and improved survival under diabetic conditions. Her group also investigates dipeptides beyond carnosine and anserine, identifying organ-specific dipeptide patterns in biological fluids and expanding the understanding of dipeptide metabolism in health and disease. Alongside mechanistic work, she is engaged in clinical and biomarker-oriented research aimed at translating biochemical insights into patient-centred applications, particularly in metabolism, nephrology, and inherited metabolic diseases.
Benito Yard
Prof. Benito Yard is a medical biologist whose research has made significant contributions to nephrology, transplantation medicine, and vascular biology. He earned his PhD from Leiden University, with a specialization in Medical Immunology. In 1996, he joined the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, where he became Head of the Nephrology Research Laboratory. Over the course of his career, Prof. Yard has focused on three major research areas: the susceptibility to and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), renal transplantation, and vascular inflammation. He is widely recognized for his pioneering work on the role of the carnosine–carnosinase system in diabetic kidney disease, helping to establish this pathway as an important factor in the pathogenesis and progression of DKD. In the field of transplantation, Prof. Yard has been actively involved in the development of innovative strategies to reduce hypothermic organ damage during organ preservation and transplantation. His translational research has resulted in multiple intellectual property applications and patents aimed at improving organ quality and transplant outcomes. Prof. Yard has secured numerous competitive research grants and has authored more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.