Valentina Discepolo

"Thanks to the M-in-M programme promoted by the ISSCD I will be able to work with Jason Tye-Din (JTD) at the University of Melbourne, Australia, one of the leaders of clinical trials in adult celiac disease (CeD), to gain experience in clinical trials design and conduction in CeD. The program will provide a 4-6 weeks stay in Melbourne, where I will be exposed to pediatric food allergy trials at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, while being involved in the conduction of clinical trials in adult CeD under JTD direct supervision, this will involve pre-clinical and clinical drug development including drug optimization, monitoring of gluten-specific T cells and immune efficacy. After gaining experience in basic science, these complementary experiences will broaden my translational research skills, hopefully contributing to the goal of implementing therapeutic trials in pediatric CeD in Italy and across Europe. This program represents a unique occasion for our two centers (University of Naples Federico II and University of Melbourne) to collaborate closely, despite the geographical distance, and to share the adult and pediatric CeD research experiences acquired over the years to address an important research gap in the field of CeD: implementing pediatric clinical trials. I am very grateful to the ISSCD for this opportunity and I am very much looking forward to starting this programme." 

Mentee

• Valentina Discepolo, University of Naples, Naples, Italy

Mentor

• Jason Tye-Din, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia