Dr Giovanni Scapagnini, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Italian National Research Council, Catania, Italy
Assistant Professor, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University, Rockville (MD), USA
Visiting Professor, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, Baltimore (MD), USA

Dr. Scapagnini attended the University of Catania School of Medicine and Surgery in Catania, Italy and graduated in 1992 with a medical degree. He continued his education by obtaining a Ph.D. in Neurobiology also from the University of Catania in 2000. Since completing his education, Dr. Scapagnini has conducted research with the Institute of Pharmacology School of Medicine associated with the University of Catania and has worked as a Visiting Scientist with Department of Surgical Research, Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, Harrow, UK in 1999, and with Laboratory of Adaptive Systems, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA in 2000. Dr. Scapagnini currently holds two academic positions as Assistant Professor with the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Italian National Research Council and with Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University. He has recently obtained a visiting professorship with the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, where he is in charge of a research project on HIV dementia. He is also the scientific director of the “Research & Progress” foundation, founded by Dr Robert C. Gallo. He is author of 35 indexed scientific papers and several book chapters. His fields of research regard gene expression profiles of cellular stress response and biology and molecular mechanisms of brain aging and nerurodegenerative disorders. In particular he has studied the anti-aging activities of several nutraceuticals present in the Mediterranean diet.

2007 - Unveiling Nutri-Genomics (workshop)

PAST AACL CONFERENCE

2006 - Wine road to longevity: all the anti-ageing properties of red wine.

The fermentation of wine is probably the oldest biotech process invented by man, carried out for the first time between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic age. So, in one way, it has accompanied, and potentially influenced, human biological and social evolution throughout the last 10 millenniums.

The benefits of moderate wine consumption on health have been undisputed since antiquity, when it was considered the elixir of the Gods, and a panacea for body and soul. Recently, this has been confirmed by numerous epidemiological studies particularly in relation to Mediterranean populations, in which the incidence of coronary heart disease is lower than in other developed countries.

In vitro and in vivo experimental research now supports the biological plausibility of red wine in the prevention of arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Red wine, infact, is a rich source of polyphenols, the natural substances endowed with potent antioxidative and chemo preventive properties. Red wine may promote the maintenance of healthy veins and inhibit atherosclerotic plaque formation.
These  polyphenols such as anthocyanins  protect the cardiovascular system from bad fats at the same time as offering protection from inflammation..

Resveratrol is probably the best known antioxidant contained in red wine and possess a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties. Besides its potential role as a cardio protective agent, it has also shown to function as a cancer chemo preventive agent, modulating various proteins linked with cellular proliferation and carcinogenesis. Furthermore it has recently shown its ability to activate genomic machinery directly linked with lifespan improvement.