Antonietta Morena Gatti has an interdisciplinary background ranging from physics and chemistry to biology, physiology, pathology and bioengineering. She was the founder and director of the Laboratory of Biomaterials of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, and is the founder and president of the Association of Health, Law and Science, Geneva, Switzerland. She has 30 years of experience in biomaterials and biocompatibility research at national and international levels. She discovered the presence of micro- and nanoparticles in biological tissues and their pathological effects. She also invented the word ‘nanopathology’ and developed a new nanoparticle-based diagnostic tool for making clinical diagnosis of pathologies such as leukaemia, cryoglobulinaemia and cancer. Currently, she is working on aerotoxicity and sudden infant death syndrome using scanning electron microscopy. She has written 260 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 3 books and 7 chapters and is a reviewer for some international journals. Stefano Montanari is a pharmacist by education (University of Modena, Italy) and, since 1972, is active in inventing, planning or improving devices for surgical and medical practice, particularly in cardiovascular surgery and cardiology. In 1979, he married Dr Gatti, and a mutual scientific collaboration began in biomaterial research and nanopathology. He has invented many devices such as the polyurethane prosthetic heart valve, a pleural drainage device, and a urine bag with a device to prevent bladder infection. Since 2005, Dr Montanari is a scientific consultant at the Osservatorio Militare Italiano for depleted-uranium diseases. He has authored or co-authored numerous scientific articles and books and is a lecturer for master courses on nanopathology.
