Plenary Speakers
Dr. Konstantinos Syrigos
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Greece
Dr. Konstantinos Syrigos
National and Kapodistrian University of AthensGreece
Biography
Professor Kostas Syrigos graduated from the Athens School of
Medicine in 1988. He completed his training in Internal Medicine
at Laikon University Hospital (Athens School of Medicine,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens – NKUA), and
subsequently specialized in Medical Oncology at Hammersmith
Hospital (Imperial College of Medicine, Science and Art,
University of London).
He received his MD with distinction from the Athens School of
Medicine in 1995, and earned a PhD in Immuno-Oncology from Imperial College London
in 2000. His clinical career includes positions as Senior Registrar in Medical Oncology
at both Hammersmith and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals in London, as well as Consultant
in the 3rd Department of Medicine at the ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital in Athens.
In 2002, he was appointed Associate Professor of Oncology in Medicine and became
Head of the Sotiria Oncology Unit. Since 2008, he has served as Visiting Professor of
Thoracic Oncology at Yale School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, and Smilow Cancer
Hospital (CT, USA), and since 2012 as Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (USA).
Since 2014, Professor Syrigos has led the 3rd Department of Medicine and Oncology
Unit at the Athens School of Medicine, NKUA, based at ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital. In
2019, he was appointed Chair of the Faculty of Medicine at the Athens Medical School,
NKUA.
He is the Director and Scientific Chair of two postgraduate programs leading to a
Master's degree:
New Drug Development: Research, Approval & Access
Thoracic Oncology: Current Clinical & Laboratory Approach and Research
His primary research interests include clinical oncology, drug development, immuno-
oncology, and thoracic as well as head & neck cancers. He has participated in more
than 200 international Phase I–IV clinical trials involving lung, head and neck, colorectal,
breast, and pancreatic cancers. He has served as a Global Principal Investigator and
member of numerous Scientific Steering Committees for international trials.
Professor Syrigos is an active member of several leading scientific societies, including
the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Association for Cancer
Research (AACR), American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), European Society
of Medical Oncology (ESMO), European Respiratory Society (ERS), and the
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Speech Title
Dr. Fiammetta Danzo
Respiratory Physician at Policlinico di Milano
Italy
Dr. Fiammetta Danzo
Respiratory Physician at Policlinico di MilanoItaly
Biography
Dr. Fiammetta Danzo is a Consultant Respiratory Physician at Policlinico di Milano, Italy, where she is one of the responsible of the Interstitial Lung Disease and Rare Lung Disease Outpatient Clinic. She is also a PhD candidate in Clinical Research at the University of Milan. She previously gained research experience at the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, UK, within the Scleroderma Research Group, and subsequently undertook a clinical research fellowship at the Interstitial Lung Disease Unit of the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. Her clinical and research interests focus on interstitial lung diseases, particularly connective tissue disease-associated ILDs and pulmonary fibrosis, with a special interest in emerging therapeutic strategies and innovative approaches to disease monitoring and progression assessment
Speech Title
Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Diseases (CTD-ILD): from early detection to personalised management
Dr. James Awotoye
Senior Laboratory Scientist & Public Health Specialist
Nigeria
Dr. James Awotoye
Senior Laboratory Scientist & Public Health SpecialistNigeria
Biography
James Awotoye is a Senior Laboratory Scientist and Public Health Specialist with over 13 years of experience in laboratory diagnostics, infectious disease control, and public health programme implementation in Nigeria. His expertise includes tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB diagnostics, molecular testing, laboratory quality management, and strengthening diagnostic networks to improve access to timely and reliable healthcare services.
He has extensive experience providing technical assistance to tuberculosis reference laboratories, strengthening specimen referral networks, supporting molecular diagnostic services, and building laboratory capacity across Nigeria. His work focuses on improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing turnaround times, and expanding access to quality-assured testing, particularly in resource-limited settings.
His professional interests include pulmonary infections, innovative molecular diagnostics, laboratory systems strengthening, and improving access to timely, quality-assured diagnostic services to support better respiratory health outcomes.
Speech Title
Dr. Alvar Agusti
University of Barcelona
Spain
Dr. Alvar Agusti
University of BarcelonaSpain
Biography
Speech Title
Dr. Richard Nho
Ohio State University Collage of Medicine
Dr. Richard Nho
Ohio State University Collage of MedicineBiography
My research seeks to uncover how idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) fibroblasts maintain an apoptosis-resistant, pathological phenotype within a collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM) and to develop strategies to selectively target fibrotic fibroblast subtypes to halt disease progression. IPF, the most common and lethal idiopathic interstitial lung disease, is marked by fibroblast accumulation and deposition of a stiff, collagen-dense ECM. Existing therapies cannot reverse established fibrosis, leaving a critical unmet clinical need.
Using precision-cut lung slices, 3D collagen matrices, and patient-derived decellularized ECMs, we model the fibrotic lung microenvironment under clinically relevant pro-fibrotic conditions, including hypoxia. Our studies identified lactate-mediated signaling via GPR81 as a key driver of fibroblast reprogramming and revealed aberrant upregulation of the transcription factor ZEB1, a regulator of ECM stiffness and apoptosis resistance in IPF fibroblasts, patient tissues, and fibrotic mouse lungs. Importantly, targeting lactate shuttling and ZEB1 significantly reduces lung fibrosis in vivo.
These findings establish a foundation for fibroblast subtype-targeted therapies, including antimiRs, in vivo neutralizing antibodies, and Cy5.5-labeled biodegradable nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. This work paves the way for mechanistically informed interventions to halt fibrosis and improve outcomes for patients with IPF.
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