Core Group

Dr. Federico Soria is Endoscopy Coordinator in Jesus Uson Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre (Spain) a multidisciplinary institution devoted to Research, Innovation and Training in health sciences.

Dr. Soria research is focused on Traslational Research (Preclinical) Minimally Invasive Surgery Urological techniques and devices. A special focus area is urinary tract stents design: Biodegradable, Drug eluting stents and metallic designs and Biomaterials. Researcher in more than 30 research projects, 16 as a principal investigator. Three patents in Biomedicine devices (ureteral stents).

Dr. EVANGELOS N. LIATSIKOS MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Urology,
University of Patras, Greece
Head of Endourology- Laparoscopy Unit
Chairman of European Section of Urotechnology (ESUT)

www.laparoscopy-endourology.com

Brief statement

Dr Evangelos Liatsikos is the Chairman of the European Association of Urology Section of Uro- Technology (ESUT). He is a Professor of Urology at the University of Patras in Greece. He is a Guest Professor at the University of Leipzig in Germany and Adjunct Professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. He is distinguished in literature for his research in Laparoscopy and Endourology, with his work accounting for more than 260 international publications. Dr. Liatsikos has also been invited as a speaker and live surgeon in a series of the most prestigious urological congresses worldwide. For his scientific contribution, Professor Liatsikos was nominated for the “Arthur Smith Endourology Lectureship” award in 2009 by the World Association of Endourology. He received the award of “Academic Endourology Fellowship Program Director” on November 2016 during the World Congress of Urology.

Duje Rako MD, FEBU was promoted MD in 2006 at Zagreb University School of medicine and passed urology board exam in Zagreb, Croatia in 2013 and FEBU exam in Brussels in 2015. Currently working as consultant urological surgeon in private practice in Zagreb, Croatia and also occasionally at Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust in Chester, UK with previous experience at University hospital Dubrava in Zagreb, Croatia. Has special interest in urinary stones and endoscopy and is leader of workgroup State of art of urinary stents in ENIUS COST project.

Dr. De Graaf studied chemistry, followed by a PhD in Biology (2001). After several years in biomolecular fundamental research, she shifted to translational research (2014) in the department of Urology. Her research goal is to generate a tissue engineered (TE) source of urethral tissue for use in urethral reconstruction. Ideally, a TE urethra mimics the native urethra, consists of multiple cell layers of different origin, protects the underlying tissue as an efficient barrier from urine, is vascularized and resistant to mechanical forces during surgery. As in many patients undergoing urethral reconstruction surgery, the surrounding corpus spongiosum is either absent (in hypospadias patients) or affected by fibrosis, the aim is to integrate the corpus spongiosum in the TE graft, providing the natural vascular environment.

University of Oxford, UK
My research is in physiological fluid mechanics, tissue biomechanics and the application of mathematics to problems in medicine and biology. My work varies from classical applied mathematics problems motivated by physiological applications to highly interdisciplinary work. I collaborate with life scientists, clinicians, bioengineers, theoreticians and experimentalists to develop and solve models that are novel, realistic and provide insights into biomedical problems.

University of Bern, CH
My research consists in the applications of engineering methods to medicine and biology with special focus on cardiovascular and urinary systems. My area of expertise is in biomedical fluid dynamics, biomechanics, bio-signal analysis and medical device developments. I work on basic science as well as applied science projects, collaborating with MedTech industry, clinicians, biomedical engineers, biologists and physicists.

Education

• 1989-1993 Secondary School “Nikola Karev”, Science-mathematics Technician Diploma
• 1993-1999 University “Ss Ciril and Metodius”, Medical Faculty Skopje
• Graduated, May 1999, average score 9.56 out of 10.00
• In 2005 finished the residency in Urology (Urologijcal Surgeon)
• Acquired Master degree in Science in 2009 at the Medical Faculty Skopje
• PhD Thesis given in 2014 at the Medical Faculty in Skopje

Professional training and  clinical fellowships

• 2000, London UK, three months Clinical attachment at St. Peters Hospital, Institute of Urology and Nephrology, under supervision of Prof. Antony Mundy and Prof. Christopher Woodhouse
• 2003, Training on Laparoscopic Surgery, Bordeaux, France
• 2005, Training on Laparoscopic Urology under supervision of Prof.  Nado Vodopija, Slovenia
• 2008, Vienna, Austria, three months Clinical Fellowship at Algemeine Krankenhaus in Vienna, Clinic of Urology, under supervision of Prof. Mihael Marberger sponsored by the EAU
• 2012, Zagreb, Croatia, Clinical Attachment and coordination for implementation of organizational and technical structure of the cadaveric transplantation within the Eurotransplant association at the Clinical Center Zagreb under supervision of Prof. Dr. Zeljko Kastelan.
• 2015, Istanbul Turkey, Training on PCNL and PCNS, Lufti Kerdar Hospital, Kartal, Istanbul, Turkey under supervision of Prof. Kemal Sarica

Current occupation

• 1999 - present: working at the University Clinic of Urology in Skopje
  It is a University Clinic, with 40 beds and 3 operating theatres, emergency 24/7, oncological surgery, laparoscopy, living and deceased donor transplantation, BPH, stone treatment…
• 2001 - present: taking part in the education of the medical students in the field of surgery and urology as junior assistant professor

Senior activities

• 2000 - 2005: Junior member of EAU
• 2005 - 2007: ESRU member and Macedonian National Communication Officer
• 2007 - present: Active EAU member
• 2004 - 2010: Treasurer of the Macedonian Association of Urology
• 2010 - present: Secretary General of the Macedonian Association of Urology

Deptartment of Urology, Rostock University Medical Center, Schillingallee 35, 18057 Rostock, Germany. 

Academic Career

• Since 1989 Scientific Assistant, Deptartment of Urology
• 2015 Dissertation, Dr. rer. hum.
• 1990 degree Specialist in medical engineering
• 1985-1990 postgraduate studies Biomedical Engineering, Academy of Medical Education
• 1983-1989 Head of Department Medical Electronics, District Inspection for Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Rostock
• 1978-1983 Studies of Engineering Cybernetics and Automation Technology, majoring in Information Electronics with a university degree Dipl.-Ing.

Dr. Alexandre Barros. PhD Tisue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells in May 2017, University of Minho, Portugal, in collaboration with the Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America; MSc in Technology and Properties of Polymers (2013), at the University of Minho, Portugal and BSc in Biotecnology (2010) at the Polytechnic institute of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. During his Ph.D., Alexandre was granted with a Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia individual fellowship, a Urology Research Grant Jaba Recordati 2015 (APU), a Luso-American Foundation's Grant for Internships in the University of California and has received the major innovation award in Portugal the Novo Banco Innovation Award. As post-doctoral researcher continued to develop the work performed in the Ph.D. thesis about "Biodegradable ureteral stents systems" at I3Bs, 3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal. The research developed during the Ph.D. and post-doctoral period originate a spin-off company calls HydrUStent, that are pursuing the clinical trials now. Since April of 2018, Alexandre Barros ?is? Invited Assistant Researcher at I3Bs, 3B's Research Group, University of Minho, Portugal. He has published 16 peer-reviewed articles, 35 communications in international conferences, receiving two times the award of Best Oral Presentation, 2 book chapter and is co-inventor of 7 international patent. He has google scholar h-index of 8 and received over 252 citations.

Dr. O’Cearbhaill is a Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Fellow, a Principal Investigator in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering and a Funded Investigator in CÚRAM, SFI Centre for Research in Medical Devices, I-FORM, SFI Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and  AMBER, SFI Advanced Materials & Bioengineering Research Centre. Dr. O’Cearbhaill is a biomedical engineer focused on the development of medical devices, with a particular emphasis on platform technologies, offering smart ways of delivering next-generation therapeutics through minimally invasive approaches.

Gianluca Ciardelli (Ph.D) has a PhD in Natural Sciences from the ETH in Zurich (CH) on synthetic degradable polyurethanes for biomedical applications. From 2002 and 2004 he was assistant professor at the University of Pisa, then he moved to Politecnico di Torino where he became Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering in 2011. His research interest focus on polymeric and composite bio and nanomaterials design and technologies for implantable biomedical devices, tissue engineering, nanomedicine, advanced therapies. He has an h-index is 32 with around 4000 citations.

MBBS (D), MD (CH), FSSU (CH), FKNMG (NL), MFMLM (UK)

Dr. Noor Buchholz was trained in Germany, Switzerland and Australia.  He has worked as a Consultant Urologist in Pakistan and in the Netherlands, and for 14 years in the United Kingdom where he was the Director of Endourology and Stone Services at the Royal London Hospital. In 2014, he has moved his practice to Dubai/ UAE.

Dr. Buchholz is a leading expert in minimally invasive urological surgery in general, and stone treatment in particular.  He is a worldwide recognised expert in shockwave lithotripsy, the treatment of urinary stones, endourology and laparoscopy. He is also the world’s leading expert in the novel technology of permanent metal stenting of the urinary tract.

For more than 10 years, Dr. Buchholz has been one of only 46 trainers worldwide recognised by the International Endourology Society (IES) for Endourology and Stone treatment, and the first such recognised trainer in Europe by the European Board of Urology (EBU).  He was awarded multiple grants and awards.  He is author on more than 350 original articles in scientific journals and book chapters.  He sits on the editorial board of many international urological scientific journals, and is a peer reviewer for many more.

Dr. Buchholz sat also on the board of the stone section of the European Association of Urology (eULIS-EAU) for 8 years, which is responsible for guidelines, training and standards in stone treatment, both in European and worldwide. He was member of the Board of Directors of the Societe Internationale d’Urologie (SIU). He is founder and chairman of Experts in Stone Disease (ESD) organising global scientific meetings.

Dr. Buchholz is the Founding Director of U-merge (Urology in emerging countries), a society that been created to promote medical and urological education and training in emerging countries to elevate the worldwide standard of urological care for patients. As such he organises teaching and training activities from one-to-one tutoring to major international conference.

Ali Abou-Hassan (36 years old) is an Associate Professor at Sorbonne University, Paris France. Since 2010 he has developed his own multidisciplinary research ranging from setting up new synthesis and self-assembly strategies combining his knowledge in microfluidics, colloidal chemistry, nanoparticles synthesis (magnetic and plasmonic ones) and out of equilibrium phenomena for the elaboration of multi-scale multifunctional materials ranging from nanomaterials to microcapsules with applications in nanomedicine and biomedical fields. Fascinated by out of equilibrium phenomena in nature and chemistry he also studies the nucleation and growth of materials in a biomimetic approach assisted by microfluidics and auto-organization of oscillating inorganic chemical reactions.

Nuno Miguel Pereira Azevedo is a urologist working at in Centro Hospitalar do Porto, in Portugal, and a PhD student at Erasmus MC Rotterdam, in The Netherlands, with a special interest in Prostate Cancer and eHealth.

Valentina Cauda is Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Science and Technology   (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino and head of the TrojaNanoHorse lab (in brief TNHLab). Thanks to her ERC Starting Grant project (TrojaNanoHorse, GA 678151), started in March 2016, she now leads a multidisciplinary research group of 20 people, including chemists, biologists, physics, engineers and nanotechnologists. Her main research topic is about theranostic nanomaterials, from wet synthesis, chemical functionalization and physical-chemical characterization of metal oxide nanomaterials covered by lipidic bilayer from both artificial and natural origins, aimed for drug delivery, tumor cell targeting, bio-imaging. More info at the web-site.

Dario is coordinator of the multi-disciplinary Micro & Nano Therapies (MiNaTher) group, at the University College London (UCL, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy). His expertise is in bio-microfluidics, with application in interventional medicine and ultrasound-mediated therapies. He develops therapeutic devices and agents for the treatment of cancerous and non-cancerous disorders, including infectious diseases, vascular and urinary dysfunctions, and tissue injuries. In the field of endourology, he utilises numerical and experimental models to investigate the mechanisms of stent encrustation, and to design innovative stent architectures. He has received awards from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Department of Health, and EPSRC.