Description
Dr. Eoin Brennan is an Assistant Professor and Group Leader at the Conway Institute and School of Medicine at University College Dublin.
He received a BSc in Genetics from University College Cork and completed his PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, investigating genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diabetic kidney disease. He subsequently joined the UCD Diabetes Complications Research Centre, where he studied signalling pathways involved in diabetes and its vascular complications. In 2014, he moved to the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on endogenous lipid mediators and non-coding RNA therapeutics in cardiovascular and renal complications of diabetes. His research investigates molecular mechanisms driving diabetes-associated vascular disease, particularly atherosclerosis and diabetic kidney disease. His group studies pro-resolving lipid mediators, including synthetic lipoxin mimetics that activate the formyl peptide receptor-2 (FPR2) pathway to suppress inflammation, as well as non-coding RNAs that regulate vascular inflammation. He is a lead investigator in the international GENIE Consortium investigating genetic mechanisms of diabetic kidney disease and co-founded Attenuate Therapeutics in 2022 to advance pro-resolving medicines toward clinical application. He is an active member of EU-RESOLVE network.
Dr. Brennan will talk about „Harnessing the Body’s Natural “Resolution” Pathways to Treat Diabetes Complications“
Outline of the talk: Diabetes can damage blood vessels and organs such as the heart and kidneys, largely because of long-lasting inflammation in the body. Traditionally, treatments aim to block inflammation, but our bodies also have natural systems designed to actively switch inflammation off and restore tissue health. This process is called resolution biology, and scientists are now exploring how it could be used to treat chronic diseases like diabetes. Our research focuses on molecules inspired by lipoxin A4, a naturally occurring lipid that helps the body resolve inflammation. By developing synthetic versions of these molecules, called lipoxin mimetics, we aim to activate a receptor on cells in the body, known as FPR2, that promotes healing and reduces harmful inflammatory signals. In experimental studies of diabetes-associated cardiovascular and kidney disease, these molecules can reduce tissue damage, improve heart function, and protect kidney cells. Together, this research raises an exciting possibility: that future medicines could help the body naturally resolve inflammation, potentially preventing complications such as heart disease and kidney failure in people living with diabetes.
Dr Monica de Gaetano is an Assistant Professor in Pharmacology and Principal Investigator at the Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin.
She obtained her BSc in Pharmacy (cum laude) from La Sapienza University of Rome before moving to Ireland to complete a PhD in Molecular Medicine and postdoctoral training in Medicinal Chemistry. She currently serves as President of the Irish Association of Pharmacologists, following a term as Vice President. She has recently joined the EU-Resolve community, internationally concentrating efforts in advancing Resolution Biology and Pharmacology. Her research focuses on investigating the role of the monocyte–macrophage–foam cell axis in atherosclerosis and its plasticity in disease progression and regression. She has led translational programs developing in vitro and ex vivo platforms for drug discovery and has patented novel pro-resolving molecules targeting vascular inflammation. She also contributed to the establishment of Attenuate Therapeutics to advance these therapies. Her group at the UCD Conway Institute studies residual inflammatory risk in diabetes-associated atherosclerosis and explores targeted delivery of resolving therapeutics using lipid nanoparticles.
Dr Monica de Gaetano will talk about “Building Bridges on Heart Highways”: Overcoming Arterial Traffic Jams by Linking Hyperglycaemia and Hyperlipidaemia to Sustained Inflammation“.
Outline of the talk: High blood sugar in diabetes promotes inflammation that damages blood vessel walls and accelerates atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaques made of cholesterol, lipids, and cellular debris inside arteries. This narrowing of the vessels can be understood as a “traffic jam” on the heart’s highways, where blood flow becomes increasingly restricted as plaque accumulates. In parallel, hyperlipidaemia (defined as elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides) further drives plaque formation and worsens cardiovascular risk, even in patients receiving standard care. While current treatments primarily target glucose control and lipid lowering using drugs, such as GLP1 receptor agonists or statins, many patients continue to experience persistent inflammation that contributes to disease progression. Dr Monica de Gaetano’ research explores a complementary therapeutic strategy using specialised pro-resolving mediators, which are molecules naturally produced by our body to actively switch off inflammation and promote tissue repair. By combining these compounds with established diabetes therapies and anti-lipid agents, the goal is to not only reduce metabolic and lipid-driven risk factors but also directly resolve inflammation, helping to clear arterial “traffic” more effectively and protect the cardiovascular system.
Dr. Petya Dimitrova is an associate professor of immunology in Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Petya Dimitrova graduated from the Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with a degree in “Molecular Biology” and a specialization in “Virology”. In 1999, she started working as a specialist at the Department of Immunology of the Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In 2000, she joined the scientific team of Prof. Hendrik Schulze-Koops, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany and studied the mechanisms of differentiation of human T helper lymphocytes. Since 2004, she returned to Bulgaria and has been working actively in the field of rheumatology and therapeutic strategies to inhibit chronic inflammation. In 2017, she won a Fulbright scholarship for academic exchange to the Department of Orthopedic surgery, Lab of Regenerative medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MA, USA. In recent years, her interest has been related to the role of innate immunity and neutrophils in various joint pathologies and inflammation. She is an active member of the EU-RESOLVE network.
