Dr. Bardag-Gorce has been studying ocular surface disease for the last 6 years, and has since published and co‑authored 6 peer-reviewed publications in the field. She began her research on the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency using cultured autologous oral mucosa epithelial cell sheet (CAOMECS). During these six years, and under her supervision and guidance, her lab has successfully completed pre-clinical studies related to the efficacy and safety of CAOMECS cell-based therapy [see above cited publications]. She is currently directing a new study approved by the Institutional Research Board in which subjects are being recruited for the human oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet characterization. The long-term goal of this study is to regenerate corneal epithelium in patients with severe ocular surface diseases using autologous oral mucosa epithelial cell sheet grafts.

Ramona Danac obtained her PhD in Organic Chemistry from the ‘‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi (Romania), working in the field of N-heterocycles (especially in field of 1,10-phenanthroline) compounds with bioactive, electrical or optical properties. Her research career was continued with a postdoctoral Marie Curie Intraeuropean Fellowship at University of Oxford, UK, working in the field of sugars chemistry. In 2001, she joined the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry from ‘‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, as Teaching Assistant. From 2013 she occupies the position of Associate Professor at the same Department. Her research is focused on the synthesis and structural and functional analysis of heterocyclic compounds, medicinal chemistry and supramolecular chemistry.

Prof. Jorge Luis Jios was born in Argentina on 16/12/1962. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1989 and a PhD in Chemistry in 1996 at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), Argentina. He carried out a 2-year postdoctoral stay at the University of Hannover (Germany) in structural elucidation by NMR spectroscopy. Dr. Jios contributed more than 50 research articles in indexed journals. Four doctoral theses were completed under his supervision. Now he is appointed as Associate Professor (Part Time) at the Natural Sciences Faculty (UNLP), Assistant Professor (Full Time) at the Exact Sciences Faculty (UNLP) and a research member of the "CIC-PBA". Dr. Jios is the leader of a research group with financial support and is currently the Director of the “Laboratory UPL (Unidad Plapimu-Laseisic)” dedicated to providing chemical analysis for the industry and the scientific community. Scientific interest: Organic Synthesis; Heterocycles, Structural Chemistry; Spectroscopy, Chemistry & Biodiversity and Analysis of Natural Products.

Dr. Emidio Scarpellini is currently an Assistant Professor at “Sapienza” Univeristy of Rome, Clinical hepatological research at the Gastroenterology Unit. He received his PhD in the year 2014 and has numerous publications to his credit. He is a recipient of various international and national awards/ honors over the years.

Dr. V. di Giacomo is presently associated with the Department of Pharmacy at University G. d’Annunzio, Chieti, Italy. The research activity of Prof. V. di Giacomo is mainly aimed at the study of the molecular mechanisms at the bases of cellular response to biomaterials, antitumoral drugs antioxidant and/or neuroprotective compounds. Citotoxicity, apoptosis, cell cycle, cell-cell interaction, cytokine production, proteic expression, molecular signalling, morphology, cell organule modifications are few of many parameters that can be evaluated in different experimental models. Prof. V. di Giacomo is co-author of 50 publications in international journals surveyed by ISI Science Citation Index and 1 book chapter. She has attended more than 70 National and International Conferences.