DIRECTORY BOARD
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
SECRETARY
Prof. Maurizio Onisto, PhD
Associate Professor of
Department of Biomedical Sciences
University of Padova
Prof. Marco Franchi, MD
Associate Professor of Anatomy
Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna
Dr. Valentina Masola, PhD
Department of Biomedical Sciences
University of Padova
MEMBER
MEMBER
TREASURER
MEMBER
Prof. Roberta Besio
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Molecular Medicine
Unit of Biochemistry
University of Pavia
Prof. Nicoletta Gagliano, PhD
Full Professor of Histology and Embriology
Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health
University of Milan
Prof. Maurizio Mongiat
CRO Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano
MEMBER
MEMBER
MEMBER
Prof. Manuela Viola
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Medicine and Surgery
University of Insubria
Prof. Antonio Rossi
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Molecular Medicine
University of Pavia
Prof. Alberto Passi
Full Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Medicine and Surgery
University of Insubria
HISTORY
The Italian Society of Connective Tissue was officially born in February 1982 as the "Italian Society for the Study of Connective tissue" (SISC). Precisely on 16 February 1982, in the Aula Magna of the Institute of Zoology of the University of Pavia, 55 Italian researchers including biochemists, histologists, anatomists, biologists, chemists and pathologists met to establish the Society and approve its statute. On 8 June 1982, the deed of incorporation of the scientific association "Italian Society for the Study of Connective Sciences SISC" was officially drawn up, in the presence of the members Alessandro Castellani, Alberto Calatroni, Giuseppe Cetta, Giancarlo De Luca, Maria Enrica Tira. Already in September of the same year, the first scientific meeting of the Society took place in Florence, during which the first Executive Committee was elected (President: Alessandro Castellani, Vice President: Lorenzo Gotte, Secretary: Alberto Calatroni, Treasurer: Giuseppe Cetta, Councillors: Alessandro Ruggeri, Ivonne Pasquali Ronchetti, Cesare Balduini, Ranieri Cancedda, Vincenzo Chiarugi) and the nomination of Prof. John E. Scott as Honorary Member was unanimously approved.
The first years of life of the SISC were characterized by the action of two fundamental and charismatic figures such as Prof. Castellani, founder of the school of Biochemistry of Pavia and leading expert in the biochemistry of the extracellular matrix, and Prof. Gotte, one of the fathers of the Italian histology and internationally known for his studies on elastin. After their premature death (Prof. Castellani in 1988 and Prof. Gotte in 1991) the presidency of Profs Ruggeri (1991-1997) Calatroni (1998-2004) Pucci Minafra (2005-2010) Rossi (2011-2016) Passi (2017-2022) followed one another. From the beginning, SISC organized a scientific meeting every year in various national locations to which some of the leading international experts on the extracellular matrix were invited. Furthermore, in 2004 it claimed and finally won the organization of the 19th FECTS Congress in Taormina (9-13 July). There were 410 conference attendees, coming from 19 European countries and from the United States, Australia, Japan, Israel, Canada and Hong Kong. Finally, in 2022 the SISC organized the European Matrix Biology Europe 2022 in Florence (28-30 September) in which more than 200 scientists from all over Europe and from U.S.A., Brazil, Canada and Japan successfully participated.
MBIta was founded on 26 January 2026 in Padua as reported in the ISMB Newsletter.