It’s true to say that Saverio has had a good month, so far!  First, he was awarded a Fellowship of the prestigious Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health. The RCPCH is the membership body for UK paediatricians, which was founded in 1996 and now has about 22,000 members, and plays a major role in postgraduate medical education, professional standards, research and policy. Fellowship is the pinnacle of RCPCH membership - it recognises practitioners who have completed their specialist training and celebrates their contribution to paediatrics and child health. In due course, Saverio will attend the RCPCH admission ceremony - a special occasion to recognise Saverio’s exceptional hard work, and dedication to paediatrics and child health.

MAGIC project logo in red

This is a fitting moment for such an accolade, when we have also received the excellent news that the MAGIC project, which Saverio continues to co-ordinate, has now secured further EU funding (an additional €550,000 via the Hop On scheme), and the consortium engaged in the project has expanded to include an additional partner from Portugal, namely, Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM).  This expansion is supported through the HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS call, which aims to widen participation and strengthen the European Research Area. 

The MAGIC consortium is jointly funded by Horizon Europe, the UKRI and the Swiss SERI agency. The 17 partners from 10 countries have been awarded a total of €10M to develop new models and genetic therapies for rare muscular dystrophies. Muscular dystrophies are characterised by muscle weakness and wasting, causing impaired mobility and often decreased life expectancy. They pose significant challenges for patients, carers, clinicians and researchers. Despite progress in genetic therapies for other neuromuscular disorders, there is currently limited evidence of clinical efficacy for gene therapy or genome editing in muscular dystrophies.

Photo of representatives from the MAGIC consortium

The MAGIC consortium aims to change this, by developing advanced models of human skeletal muscle and proposing innovative gene therapy approaches.  Saverio leads the project, with the support of Prof. Mario Amendola from Inserm and the Genethon Institute.  The Gomes Lab, within iMM, aims to exert a significant impact on MAGIC by introducing a novel scale to the project, adding a cellular perspective to the muscle-on-chip technologies whilst also establish two additional disease models.

Saverio is optimistic about the impact of MAGIC: “This project represents a significant step forward in the search for effective treatments for muscular dystrophies. Through cutting-edge bioengineering, innovative genetic therapies and advanced preclinical translation, we aim to make a difference in the lives of people affected by these devastating diseases.”  

We congratulate Saverio, and wish him and the MAGIC consortium every success – and look forward to updates on his and their progress in the coming months and years.