Maria Giovanna Trivella, M.D, Cardiologist, is a Senior Investigator of Italian National Research
Council (CNR), Head of Experimental Laboratory of CNR and Experimental Surgery Laboratory, a
joint cooperation unit of CNR and Pisa University. Responsible of research unit for “Icaros” a CNR
strategic project on Artificial Heart (1992-93). Member of working group on “In vivo testing of
Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems” Concerted Action on Heart Assist and Replacement-
BIOMED I (1993-96). Responsible of research units for the following projects of national strategic
program New Medical Engineering (2002-06): i) termoablation devices (RF) on oncology; ii)
biotechnologies applied to solid cancers (plasmafiltration pumps); iii) endovascular devices, laser
assisted surgery; iv) experimental testing of cardiopulmonary assist devices on AMI models. She
collaborated to the Eu proj NetMED Virtual Institute on Micromechatronics for Biomedical
Industry. Application specialist for the FP6 Biosensing textile for health management (Biotex
Project). Since 2003 she is biomedicine expert in the SABA network, an interdisciplinary network
for sensors applications in agriculture, foods, environment and biomedicine funded by the Tuscany
Region. She worked on preclinical validation of centrifugal pumps for extracorporeal circulation
and she is doing the experimental validation of new coronary stents based on genetic therapy.
Participant in the bilateral project FIRB Italy–Canada, CNR e IBD-NRC, “New imaging techniques
for the understanding of cardiac disease mechanisms and their management”. Awarded in 2007 by
the European Science Foundation for the ex ploratory workshop “Molecular signaling in
cardiovascular and oncological disease: similar and shared pathways”, she has been enrolled as
European Science Foundation peer reviewer for 2008-10. Participant to the FP7 ARTreat Project,
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT 2008).

Oberdan Parodi, M.D, Director of CNR Clinical Physiology Institute (IFC) – Milan; Since 1997:
Director Struttura Complessa IFC CNR, Cardiovascular Department, Ospedale Niguarda, Milan.
Principal investigator of numerous CNR research projects. Responsible for the CNR National
Project “Malattie Cardiopolmonari”. Coordinator of European Community projects: Human Capital
and Mobility 1995-1997; PACOMIP Esprit-Capri 1996-1998; end-user CaRDIS, GROWTH 2000,
FP5 (2000-2003); scientific coordinator of STREP VPH2 (IC T of FP7), Scientific manager and
coordinator of RU of IP ARTreat (ICT of FP7). Principal investigator of targeted research projects,
Italian Health Ministry 1996, 1999, 2001, 2007 (APICE). Coordinator of CADASIL Project, AIFA
2006. Member of numerous Editorial Boards. Member of the EC PET Task Force. Member of
MIUR “Albo dei Revisori”. Main fields of interest: heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiac
metabolism, pharmacological trials, coronary microcirculation and blood flow in man, cardiac
transplantation, biomarkers, cardiac imaging. Author of more than 300 original papers, reviews and
book chapters.

GianFranco Ferrari MSc, PhD, Senior R esearcher Institute of Clinical Physiology CNR, received
his degree in Electronic Engineering – Automatic Controls in 1977 at Rome University “La
Sapienza”. He received in 1981 the post-degree Specialization in Bioengineering at the same
University. Finally, got his PhD developing a work on circulatory modelling and its applications at
the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He
created and directed the Department of Cardiovascular Engineering at the Institute of Biomedical
Technologies of Italian National Council for Research (CNR). He is now a Senior Researcher at the
CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology – Section of Rome. He is a member of the European Society
for Artificial Organs (ESAO), of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine (ESEM – up
to 2005), of the Scientific Council of the International Centre of Biocybernetics (ICB) of the Polish
Academy of Sciences and of the Editorial Board of the Journals Biocybernetics and Biomedical
Engineering and of the Open Biomedical Engineering Journal.