Antonello Merlino is Full Professor in Physical Chemistry at the University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy, specializing in protein crystallography. His most recent research activity focuses on the structural determination of adducts formed upon reaction of V-, Ir-, Ru-, Rh-, Pd-, Au- and Pt-based drugs with proteins. Prof. Merlino has an impressive academic record with more than 5500 SCOPUS citations and an h-index of 42. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal papers. He serves in the Editorial Board of BBA Proteins and Proteomics, Biomed Research International, International Journal of Molecular Sciences and Pharmaceuticals.

Jean-Didier Maréchal is a computational chemist expert in multi-scale molecular modelling of biochemical systems. He graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris (1997) and performed a dual Ph.D. between Paris Sud (France) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2002). After post-doctoral positions in the UK (University of Leicester and Manchester) and France (Orsay), he moved back to Barcelona, where he is now a Full professor in Physical chemistry. His research combines protein-ligand dockings, classical molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics as well as software developed in his group. Applications focus on biotechnology and biomedicine with emphasis on biometallic constructs (e.g. Metallodrugs, metalloenzymes).

Alfonso De Simone is Full Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Naples Federico II. His research revolves around protein biophysics and structural biology, investigating intrinsically disordered proteins, protein–protein and membrane interactions, and the underlying molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative and oncological disorders. Following successful accademic appointments at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, he established an interdisciplinary platform in Naples combining NMR spectroscopy, advanced molecular dynamics, and computational approaches to probe complex biomolecular systems beyond the reach of traditional structural methods.

Sabrina Battista, PhD, is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Endotypes in Oncology, Metabolism and Immunology (IEOMI), National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy. Her research focuses on the role of High Mobility Group A (HMGA) proteins in chromatin organization and their impact on stem cell biology, metabolism and cancer. Following research training at the Kimmel Cancer Institute (Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia), she contributed to the generation and characterization of HMGA mouse models, helping to define the functions of HMGA proteins in development and tumorigenesis. Her current studies investigate how HMGA1 integrates dietary and metabolic signals to regulate macrophage plasticity and tumor microenvironment, uncovering mechanisms linking obesity, inflammation and cancer progression. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications (H-index 36) and serves on the editorial boards of several international journals.

Masayuki Takahashi is a Biochemist studying protein/DNA interactions in vitro, especially to understand RecA- and Rad51-promoted DNA strand exchange reactions in homologous recombination. His current interests include investigating how DNA recognizes the complementary sequence. This recognition underpins homologous recombination, as well as other important reactions such as CRISPR-Cas9 and RNA interference technologies. He analyzes reaction kinetics and examines structural dynamics using various optical spectroscopies (fluorescence, circular dichroism, linear dichroism). He was born in Japan but immigrated to France to pursue his university education. He earned his PhD from Toulouse University, where he studied transcription regulation by the cAMP receptor protein (CRP). He then got a research position at the French National Research Organization (CNRS) and continued his studies on transcription regulation of tetracycline resistance in Strasbourg. He then moved to Institut Curie in Orsay and examined the molecular mechanism of RecA- and Rad51-promoted DNA strand exchange through kinetic and structural analyses. After moving to Nantes, he developed Rad51 inhibitors as potential anticancer drugs. He then returned to Japan to continue his research on RecA and Rad51 at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He also served as a visiting or invited professor at the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Fukuoka Dental University, Kyushu University, the Cancer Institute of Kanazawa University (Japan), and Yeungnam University (South Korea).

Dr. Christos Kontos is an Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), where he earned both his B.Sc. (2004) and Ph.D. (2009) in Biology. His academic career includes postdoctoral research at the National Hellenic Research Foundation and NKUA, a clinical research associate role at "Attikon" University General Hospital, and a lectureship at the University of the Aegean. He joined the Faculty of Biology of NKUA as an Assistant Professor in 2018, earning tenure in 2021 before his promotion to Associate Professor in 2026. His research focuses on Molecular Biology and Genomics-Transcriptomics, specifically non-coding RNAs (circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and small non-coding RNAs), alternative splicing, and novel cancer biomarkers for hematological malignancies (acute leukemia, multiple myeloma), colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Additionally, Dr. Kontos serves as an Editor for major scientific publishers, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Frontiers, and MDPI.

Lorenzo Gaetani, MD, PhD is a consultant neurologist at the Neurology Unit of Perugia University Hospital, Italy, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Perugia. His clinical and research activities focus on the early and accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, with particular expertise in cerebrospinal fluid and blood-based biomarkers. Dr. Gaetani has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has delivered over 60 invited lectures at national and international meetings. He serves as member of the Advisory Board of the Society for CSF Analysis and Clinical Neurochemistry, as Coordinator of the Italian Neurological Society (SIN) Study Group on Biomarkers in Neurology and is a member of the Scientific Board of SINdem, the Italian Association for Dementia Research.

Giulia Menculini, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Italy, where she also directs the Postgraduate School of Specialization in Psychiatry. She graduated in Medicine and Surgery cum laude from the University of Perugia and completed her specialization in Psychiatry with honors, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience. She undertook a research attachment at the Bipolar Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain. Her research focuses on the psychopathology of mood and psychotic disorders, the psychiatric manifestations of central nervous system diseases, and environmental and digital determinants of mental health, with particular attention to adolescents and young adults. She is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters, and serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychiatry (Mood Disorders section) and as a reviewer for numerous international journals. She was awarded the EPA Research Prize 2023 for the best paper published in European Psychiatry.