VERONA (ITALPRESS) – A ceremony was held today, on the fourth anniversary of his death, to name the Cystic Fibrosis Center Operating Unit after Professor Gianni Mastella, a Verona pediatrician who since the 1960s has been a pioneer and protagonist in the research and treatment of cystic fibrosis, one of the most widespread serious genetic diseases with no decisive cure. Thanks to his work, Law 548, known as the “Garavaglia Law,” was enacted in 1993, which extended the care model pioneered at the Verona hospital to all of Italy.The dedication was decided by the Verona Integrated University Hospital Authority at the suggestion of the president of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation (FFC Ricerca), Matteo Marzotto, and after acquiring a favorable opinion from the Verona Prefecture.The opening of the ceremony was made by Aoui director general Callisto Marco Bravi, followed by the speech of FFC Ricerca president Matteo Marzotto, who recalled the figure of Prof. Mastella, and the director UOC Cystic Fibrosis Regional Center, Marco Cipolli. Professor Giuseppe Lippi, delegate of the Rector and dean of the Faculty of Medicine, spoke about the link between research and clinical care. Conclusions were by Regional Health Councillor Manuela Lanzarin.In attendance were: Professor Mastella’s widow, Pisana Talamini, with her three children; Mastella’s “historical” patient, Claudia Rinaldi; Maddalena Morgante, a member of the House Health Committee; Verona Province Vice President Luca Trentini; Verona Mayor Damiano Tommasi; Deputy Prefect Gabriella Mucci; Carabinieri Company Commander Major Alessandro Papuli; Parona Carabinieri Station Commander Vincenzo Reggio; and Medical Association President Prof Alfredo Guglielmi.Gianni Mastella was a father and pioneer of Italian research on cystic fibrosis, one of the most widespread serious genetic diseases. A medical graduate from the University of Padua, a pediatrician and leading luminary for the development and scientific knowledge of the disease, in 1957 he was the first to diagnose a case of cystic fibrosis in Italy, which was almost unknown at the time and known as ‘mucoviscidis. In 1967 in his hometown of Verona, he established and directed Italy’s first Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Center at what is now the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI), which would take on an increasingly prominent role nationally and internationally. And it was at the Verona Center that in the early 1980s, on an experimental basis, the foundations were laid for the first tests to carry out newborn screening for cystic fibrosis. Ten years later, at the instigation of Prof. Mastella, the entire Veneto region will become the lead region for the pilot project. Italy will be almost 20 years ahead of the United States. In 1993, thanks to his fundamental support, Law 548, known as the Garavaglia Law, saw the light of day, extending to all Italian regions the organizational and care model pioneered in Veneto. A true revolution in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which has contributed to a quality of care for patients rarely seen in other countries.Aware of the urgency of filling a void in the field of research on the disease in Italy and driven by a desire to lay the foundations for advanced research with the aim of advancing treatment, in 1997, together with entrepreneurs Vittoriano Faganelli, Matteo Marzotto and Michele Romano, he established the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation (FFC Ricerca) in Verona, of which he remained Scientific Director until 2021, the year of his death. In 2002, as a testament to his contribution to the scientific community, he was awarded the ECFS Award by the European Cystic Fibrosis Society, a prestigious recognition reserved for distinguished personalities in the medical field, for having contributed with his discoveries and studies to broaden the horizons of treatment of the disease.”When President Marzotto proposed the naming, I wholeheartedly shared the initiative,” said Callisto Marco Bravi, general director Aoui Verona. “If among our world-recognized excellences is the Cystic Fibrosis Center, we owe it to Prof. Mastella’s tenacity and ability. His lesson and drive have been the engine that has changed the lives of so many children and given hope to their families. The Region has always kept up with the stimuli coming from Verona and has accompanied the growth, becoming a national reference point itself. The other elements of this milestone are the protagonists of today: our Advanced Care Clinical Unit and with the continuous commitment also in the advancement of medicine, the FC Research Foundation that has never stopped working to raise funds to invest in research. Three excellencies with the same goal are celebrated today in the name of Prof. Mastella. “Matteo Marzotto, president FFC Ricerca: “We express our sincere gratitude to the Integrated University Hospital of Verona for this recognition, which celebrates the memory of a friend and one of the greatest pioneers of Italian scientific research. Gianni Mastella was the first pediatrician in Italy who urgently wanted to promote advanced research on cystic fibrosis, filling a gap at the national level. With his far-sighted vision and desire to ensure that people with cystic fibrosis have a chance at a cure, in 1997, together with myself, entrepreneur Vittoriano Faganelli and with the contribution of Michele Romano, then General Director of the Hospital, Professor Mastella started the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation, networking the largest number of researchers with the goal of advancing treatment. He has dedicated his life to this mission with unwavering tenacity and dedication, boosting research and contributing to improving the quality of life of people with cystic fibrosis. From patients to their families, from volunteers to researchers, everyone saw him as a reference point. Thanks to his tireless work,” he added, “over the years the Foundation has become the first reference entity in Italy for the promotion and funding of scientific studies on cystic fibrosis, focusing on independent research, capable of finding forms of aggregation between expertise at the national and international level. His example continues to be a guiding light for all of us. “We are a regional reference center for the Veneto region, but the well-established reputation of our facility means that we have 40 percent of our patients coming from other regions,” emphasized Marco Cipolli, director of the Verona Cystic Fibrosis Center. “The name of Verona has always been a protagonist in this field, which began with the pioneering efforts of Prof. Mastella, whom we all knew. His work has been carried on, to this day our mission is to develop constant improvement in diagnosis, patient care and caretaking. We have continued to develop clinical-scientific research and the organization of the Operating Unit always with patient-centeredness in mind. We constantly collaborate with CF Centers of excellence around the world, with patient associations, and with national and international scientific societies to implement multicenter research programs, with initiatives that improve patients’ treatment options and quality of life. Constant and seamless research allows us to consolidate the position of the Veneto Regional Center-FC as a national and international reference for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. In recent years we have continued with research, so much so that today we are also a point of reference for other genetic diseases such as SDS, for which we are the world center with the highest number of treated cases and with an ongoing trial for a new drug. “The research and treatment of cystic fibrosis represent an important challenge for modern medicine,” stressed Giuseppe Lippi, dean of the Univr Faculty of Medicine. “Thanks to continuous scientific progress, we now guarantee patients early diagnosis and effective therapies. An extraordinary contribution in this field was made by Professor Gianni Mastella, a pioneer in the study and treatment of the disease. His work laid the foundation for the creation of specialized centers and the introduction of innovative approaches that have greatly improved patients’ life expectancy and quality of life. Scientific research plays an essential role in the development of accurate diagnostic tools and advanced therapies, advances in which are made possible by the close synergy between laboratory research and clinical application. Our University plays a key role in promoting cystic fibrosis research, providing a stimulating environment for the development of new ideas and the training of highly qualified specialists. ‘The University of Verona invests a lot of resources in the training of physicians and researchers, aware that progress in the fight against cystic fibrosis depends on the joint efforts of science, medicine and health institutions,’ he pointed out. Cooperation between the University and the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona has been, still is, and will be in the future the paradigm for developing new diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives. “For Manuela Lanzarin, regional health councilor, ‘the vision of an enlightened person and at the same time attentive to the pain of others, has made it possible to address precisely from this region, one of the most widespread and serious genetic diseases. The regional center, established since 1976, at the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona has grown on the teachings of Professor Mastella, and just as it is for great things, the memorial recognition coincides with the path taken by the professionals who today, here, continue to work for the well-being first and foremost of newborns and to support patients with cystic fibrosis throughout their lives. A good lesson from Prof. Mastella: alone we do a lot, together we go much further in research, medicine and care.
– photo press office FFC Research -(ITALPRESS).
