Camillo Ricordi

Prof. Camillo Ricordi is Director Emeritus of the Diabetes Research Institute and heads the Division of Cell Transplantation at the University of Miami, Florida. Inventor of the method to isolate insulin-producing cells (islets of Langerhans) from the pancreas, he achieved early success in islet transplantation with the procedure that is still used worldwide. Ricordi’s research interests include the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, transplantation tolerance to avoid anti-rejection drugs, modulation of inflammation, and regenerative medicine to prevent or block the progression of age-related diseases to prolong healthy longevity. In 2020, he led the international team that successfully performed mesenchymal stem cell infusions in patients with severe COVID-19, and launched the programme www.fit4healthspan.org to prevent disease progression and prolong healthy physical and mental longevity. He reported the first successful transplantation of stem cell-derived islets in 2022 and is now engaged in the first transplantation trials without immunosuppressive therapy. He has received over 100 honours and awards including the World Prize in Surgery (Geneva, CH) and the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award (American Diabetes Association). Appointed a Cavaliere Ufficiale (Ordine al Merito) by the President of the Italian Republic, he was elected to the National Academy of Inventors USA and served on the Italian Consiglio Superiore della Sanità. Ricordi is the author of over 1,170 scientific publications that have been cited more than 50,000 times (H-index 111), and as an inventor he has been awarded 27 patents. He recently published the book ‘Il Codice Della Longevità Sana’ (Mondadori) and the English edition ‘The Healthspan Code’.