Professor Sir Tim Hunt is a british biochemist known for his pioneering research in the regulation of cell cycle. Prof. Hunt completed his PhD at Biochemistry Department of University of Cambridge, focusing on “The Synthesis of Haemoglobin”. During his early career, while working on the Marine Biological Laboratory (Massachusetts), while studying the sea urchin lead to the discovery of the cyclin – the regulatory protein of cell division. In 1990, Prof. Hunt became a principal investigator at Imperial Cancer Research Fund, focusing on the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells. He also became an Emeritus Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute. In 2001, for his innovative research, Sir Tim Hunt was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His work has been extensively recognized by international awards as the  Royal Society’s Royal Medal; Honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Dr. Scott Parazynski is a highly decorated and experienced Astronaut, Spacewalker, Physician, Entrepreneur and Product Developer. Having started has a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine, his life has passed through management, space, technology, writing and adventure. After finishing his medical residency in the Department of Emergency Medicine in various Denver hospitals in 1992, Dr. Parazynski entered NASA where, after 16 years of affiliation, 5 outer-space missions and 7 space-walks, entered the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2016. Dr. Parazynski served crewmate and personal physician of John Glenn, the first north-american to orbit Earth. Amongst his most iconic explorations we can find: summiting the Mount Everest, rapelling to the “shoreline” of Masaya volcano’s lava lake, and free diving into the summit caldera lake atop Licancabur, one of the world’s highest. In 2016, Dr. Scott founded Fluidity Technologies, focused on the development of revolutionary input devices powered by machine learning to intuitively move through physical and virtual space. In 2017, The Sky Below, his first and yet only book about all his accomplishments was released.

Nir Barzilai is the director of the Institute of Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His pioneer work focuses on the genetics of aging. By thoroughly analyzing families with exceptional longevity, Dr. Barzilai studies protective genes in aging and their protection against age-related diseases in the Longevity Genes Project he helds at Algert Einstein College of Medicine. He is currently leading an international effort to approve drugs targeting aging. Targeting Aging with METformin (TAME) is a study designed to prove that multi-morbidities of aging can be delayed by metformin, serving as an example for future efforts to delay aging and its diseases in humans. His discoveries have been influencing treatments of type 2 diabetes. He is also a founder of CohBar Inc., a biotech that develops mitochondrial derived peptides as therapy for aging and its diseases. He has been recognized by numerous awards like of the Beeson Fellow for Aging Research, the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar in Aging Award and published over 230 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and textbook chapters.

Dr. Afdhal has been named in 2019 Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). His efforts have been immense in the understanding of a series of liver diseases mostly labelled as uncurable. While being a director of various clinical trials for novel treatments of hepatitis B and C, liver fibrosis and NASH, his contribution to improving patients’ lives have been undeniable in Hepatology. Not only has Dr. Afdhal published more than 250 original manuscripts, reviews and editorials, featuring in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Hepatology and other respected journals; but also is the editor of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. Amongst his multiple awards we can highlight the American Liver Foundation Award for Excellence. Dr. Nezam is found as a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver.