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Founder and Chief Scientific Officer

Emanuele Montomoli

Founded in June 2009 as a spin-off of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Siena, VisMederi has rapidly established itself as a leading Italian company in the fields of Life Sciences and Public Health. Over the years, the company has built a strong reputation as a highly qualified and trusted international partner, delivering highly qualified bioanalytical and central lab services, innovation, and reliability to clients and stakeholders worldwide.

 

 

People

Board of Directors

Duccio Meiattini

Chief Executive Officer

After graduating from the University of Siena (Degree in Economics and Banking) in 1999, he has been working as Head of Logistics in a pharmaceutical company and as Analyst & Programmer in a banking group. In 2004, he started a Freelance activity as Management Consultant, carrying out consultancy and advising activities with a focus on Planning of Programming and Management Control Systems. Since 2009, also in cooperation with Confindustria Siena, he has been working as a Temporary Manager with a focus on the following areas: Value Stream Mapping Analysis, Balanced Scorecard Models, Lean Management and Lean Office, Business Process Management. He has been a member of the Board and Vice President of Siena Casa Spa (company that manages the real estate assets of the municipalities of the Province of Siena). For Confesercenti, Confcommercio and Industrial Association, he has worked as a professor in courses of lean manufacturing and lean management, applied computer science, internal control and organizational model, organization, organizational design, management control. In 2016, he is Contract Professor of Computer Science at the University of Siena, Italy.

Elisa Mennitto

Chief Facilities and Laboratories Officer

Elisa obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology in 2004 and her Specialization Degree in Medical Biology in 2006 (University of Siena). In March 2012, she obtained a Doctorate with the addition of the title “Doctor Europaeus” in Molecular Medicine (University of Siena). In the first year of her PhD, using various serological assays, she performed several clinical phase II, III and some pre-clinical studies to analyse the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines at the Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Emanuele Montomoli. She spent the second year of her PhD program in London at the Health Protection Agency labs coordinated by Prof. M. Zambon, where she carried out several methods for the analysis of antibodies to avian and human Influenza strains, as well as cell lines cultures, influenza virus propagation and harvest from cell culture and eggs. She finished the last year of her PhD at VisMederi, where her main tasks were related to cell culture and serological assays such as Single Radial Haemolysis assay (SRH), Haemagglutination Inhibition assay (HI), Microneutralization assay (MN) and also ELISA assay for serological detection of anti-Pertussis, anti-Diphtheria and anti-Tetanus antibodies. In 2016, she became Head of Vismederi laboratories and she is currently working as Chief of Facilities and managing with her facilities group anything related to laboratories such as IOPQ, calibration and maintenance of equipment; reagents; warehouse and refill of labs; waste; badge activation and shift lab check. With the Unit Managers she plans the Lab activities. She collaborates with the Quality Department: SOP revision, change control and deviation related to laboratories.

Alessandro Manenti

Chief Development Officer

Alessandro graduated in Biology obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree in 2009 and a Master’s Degree in Molecular Evolution in 2013 at the University of Siena. He worked for six months in a big company in the field of Life Sciences. In November 2013, he won a competition for PhD students in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Siena. In the first year, he worked on a project of Influenza Micro-Neutralization and Viral Growth in various cell lines. In the summer of 2015, he spent five months at the Influenza Centre in Bergen, Norway, under the direction of Professor Rebecca Jane Cox, studying the field of validation of new serological assays for IgA and IgG detection. From 2016 to 2020 he worked as a Project Leader in VisMederi Research managing a research group involved in the set-up and standardization of new serological assays for  different infectious diseases including the new SARS-CoV-2 pandemic strain. He is currently working as a Project Director in VisMederi managing clinical trial studies and research collaborations with private and public Italian organizations.

Giulia Lapini

Chief Operating Officer

Giulia graduated in Biology, with a Physiopathology degree at the University of Siena in 2008. She obtained a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine in 2011, while training at Epidemiology and Molecular Laboratories under the mentorship of Prof. E. Montomoli; her main task consisted in laboratory assays targeting humoral immune response for flu viruses. Since 2012, she has been working on a Post Doc in the areas of humoral and cellular immunity induced by influenza vaccine and research in correlates of protection; she is performing part of her internship at VisMederi, which includes the handling of biological samples to assess immunological and molecular response to exposure to flu viruses or specific viral antigens.

Simone Paletti

Chief Financial Officer

He studied Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics “Richard M. Goodwin” in Siena, earning his Bachelor’s Degree with a thesis on International Accounting, research theme on methodological aspects and problems of the adoption of IAS / IFRS Accounting Standards for SMEs. While studying Management and Governance at the Department of Business and Legal Studies at the University of Siena, he gained experience on the field in a Business Consultant Studio. He obtained his Master’s Degree with a graduation thesis on the business model that characterizes the start-up phase of companies in the Life Sciences cluster. He has been working in VisMederi since March 2014, dealing with Corporate Finance and Management Control. From January 2015 to June 2016, he became a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Since April 2016, he is the Head of the Corporate Finance Area.

Giulia Addolorati

Human Resources Manager

Giulia has been working for VisMederi since 2011, first as Specialist Administrative Assistant, then, in 2016, as Head of Administrative and Human Resources Office. She became responsible for administrative processes supervision and for HR practices management. In 2021, Giulia joined VisMederi Holding where she holds the position of Human Resources Manager for all the companies belonging to the corporate group. She is currently in charge of managing the processes related to Human Resources, including job postings, interviewing, hiring, resignation and dismissal. She is responsible for the activation of internships, administrative procedure revision and external collaborators contract management. She is the Company’s labour consultant reference person and she also supports the Direction in managing career advancement, compensation policies and staff development plans.
Giulia graduated in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation at the University for Foreigners of Siena. In 2010, she was awarded with a fellowship on the topic “Implementation of Capacity Building Processes at Navrongo Health Research Centre in Ghana” performed at the University of Siena, Department of Physiopathology, Experimental Medicine and Public Health, under the mentorship of Prof. E. Montomoli, mainly performing translations, supplying process management and linguistic support. She has been working for VisMederi since 2011. She firstly started as a Specialist Administrative Assistant, then, in April 2016, she was promoted to Head of Administrative and Human Resources Office. She became responsible for Administrative Process Supervision in accordance with ISO 9001:2008 standard and for the Company’s Human Resources practices management. In December 2021, Giulia joined VisMederi Holding Srl where she holds the position of Human Resources Office Manager for all the companies belonging to the corporate group. She is currently in charge of managing the processes and practices related to Human Resources, including job postings, interviewing, hiring, resignation and dismissal. She is responsible for the activation of internships and apprenticeships, administrative procedure revision, consultants and external collaborators contract management. She is the Company’s labour consultant reference person and she is in charge of the tracking and processing management concerning the monthly attendance software. She also supports the Direction in managing career advancement, compensation policies and staff development plans.

 

People

Project Directors

Carolina Bonifazi

Project Director

Carolina Bonifazi graduated with honors in Pharmacy from the University of Siena in 2016, following a research experience at the Italian National Research Council (CNR). After obtaining her professional qualification as a pharmacist and gaining experience in the Quality Department of a pharmaceutical company, she joined VisMederi in 2018. She started as a Laboratory Technician, performing Microneutralization ELISA-based and CPE-based assays, Real-Time RT-PCR, and ELLA testing. From 2019 to 2023, she completed a PhD in Life Sciences at the University of Siena in collaboration with VisMederi. In late 2020, she became Unit Manager of the Low Containment Team, and in January 2022 she was appointed Project Director. In her current role, she oversees preclinical and Phase I, II and III clinical studies supporting the development and licensure of new vaccines and pharmaceutical products, managing projects for a global client portfolio spanning from the United States to Japan.

Paolo Cantaloni

Project Director

Paolo Cantaloni is a Project Director at VisMederi with extensive experience in vaccine research, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical project management. He oversees international projects from planning to execution, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and maintaining close collaboration with global sponsors. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles in high-containment and emerging virus laboratories, contributing to the development, optimization, qualification, and validation of advanced immunological assays. Paolo holds a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Siena and combines strong scientific expertise with proven leadership, regulatory knowledge, and operational excellence to support innovative research and clinical development programs.

Luisa Ganfini

Project Director

Luisa Ganfini, PhD, is a Project Direct with a multidisciplinary background spanning biotechnology, biomolecular sciences, and vaccine research. She earned her degrees in Biotechnologies and Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies from the University of Siena, and completed a PhD in Biomolecular Sciences at the Centre for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento. Since joining VisMederi in 2018, she has developed extensive expertise in vaccine serology and immunogenicity assessment, supporting both preclinical studies and clinical trials. She combines scientific expertise with project leadership to support global vaccine development initiatives, overseeing laboratory activities, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, and maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance.

Silvia Grappi

Project Director

Silvia Grappi studied at the University of Siena, she graduated in Biotechnology in 2006. From 1999 to 2006 she worked as research assistant at the University of Siena (Department of Neuroscience). From 2002 to 2004 she worked at the Institut de Génétique et biologie Moléculair et Cellulaire, Strasbourg (France) as Ingegnere de Research. She achieved Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, (Department of Neuroscience) in 2010. From 2010 to 2012 she carries on a Post Doc under the mentorship of Prof. E. Montomoli. (Dept. of Physiopatology Experimental Medicine and Public Health). She was the author and co-author of several scientific papers for international journals. In September 2012 she joined VisMederi, where she was involved in several serological activities. Currently, she is Project Director, and she is the main contact for some global leader companies in vaccine field.

Eleonora Molesti

Project Director

Eleonora Molesti, PhD, is Project Director at VisMederi, with extensive experience in virology and vaccine research. She holds a BSc and MSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Siena and a PhD from the University of Kent (UK), where she focused on pseudotype-based neutralization assays for emerging and zoonotic respiratory viruses. During her career, she has held scientific positions at Kedrion BioPharma, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health, contributing to analytical development, immunological assessments, and vaccine research programs. Since joining the VisMederi group in 2020, she has progressed from Scientist to Project Manager and currently oversees the planning, management, and execution of clinical studies for viral and bacterial vaccine programs.

Martina Monti

Project Director

Martina Monti, PhD, is Project and Grant Director at VisMederi, where she oversees clinical and non-clinical research projects in immunology, virology, and vaccine evaluation. She is responsible for project coordination, sponsor interactions, grant development, and related activities, contributing to the successful management of national and international collaborative research initiatives. She holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine and a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Siena. With over 15 years of experience spanning academia, biotechnology, and contract research, she has developed expertise in vaccine immunogenicity studies, serological and cell-mediated immunity assays, and multidisciplinary project management. She is a lecturer in the Master in Vaccinology and Drug Development at the University of Siena and has authored more than 28 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Giulia Piccini

Project Director

Giulia Piccini, PhD, is a Project Director with over 15 years of experience in vaccine research and development. She holds degrees in Biotechnologies and Medical Biotechnologies, as well as a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Siena. Since joining VisMederi in 2012, she has advanced from Scientist to Translational Research Leader and Project Director, developing extensive expertise in vaccine immunogenicity assessment and monoclonal antibody characterization across both preclinical and clinical programs. In her current role, she provides scientific and operational leadership across complex international studies, guiding laboratory operations, promoting effective collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and ensuring the generation of high-quality data in accordance with scientific and regulatory expectations. She is also a lecturer in the Master in Vaccinology and Drug Development at the University of Siena and has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Francesca Vanni

Project Director

Francesca Vanni is a biologist with a PhD in Life Sciences, specialized in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

She joined VisMederi in 2021 as a Scientist, supporting the development, execution, and validation of serological and cell-mediated immunity assays, including ELISA, ELISpot, and flow cytometry-based methods.

Since 2023, she has served as Project Director, leading the coordination of clinical study projects and acting as a key interface between sponsors and internal teams. She oversees project delivery to ensure that timelines, quality standards, budgets, client expectations, and regulatory requirements are successfully met throughout the study lifecycle.

people

Legal office & Communication office

Rachele Rosso

Legal

Rachele Rosso is Legal at VisMederi, where she provides legal support across the company’s research, scientific and business activities. Her work focuses on drafting, reviewing and negotiating a broad range of commercial and research-related agreements with clients, suppliers, research institutions and strategic partners. She also supports the company in matters relating to corporate governance, compliance, data protection and risk management, contributing to the development and implementation of internal policies and procedures. Working closely with internal teams and external stakeholders, Rachele adopts a practical and collaborative approach to ensure that VisMederi’s activities are conducted within a clear and robust legal framework. Her role supports the company’s growth, innovation and international collaborations.

Elena Casi

Communication

With part of her education in the United States, Elena Casi has built a multidisciplinary career spanning journalism, corporate and scientific communication, institutional relations and public affairs.

She is Communications Manager at VisMederi, where she leads the company’s internal and external communication activities, overseeing media relations, digital communication, corporate storytelling and executive communications. Working closely with scientists, senior management and international partners, she translates complex biomedical and public health topics into clear, accurate and engaging content for a wide range of audiences.

Her ability to make highly technical concepts accessible without compromising scientific rigor has become a hallmark of her professional approach. Bilingual in Italian and English, she develops multilingual communication projects and produces content for international stakeholders across multiple channels, including websites, LinkedIn, newsletters, corporate publications and digital media. She also supports internal communication initiatives aimed at strengthening employee engagement and fostering a collaborative organizational culture.

people

Scientific Committee

VisMederi has its own Scientific Committee whose purpose is to continually and objectively evaluate VisMederi’s scientific research.

Emanuele Montomoli

Director

Emanuele Montomoli was graduated in Life Sciences at University of Siena.

Since November 2002 he was appointed by the University of Siena as Professor on Public Health, where he has carried out epidemiological research, surveillance networks for infectious diseases and serological assays for vaccines clinical trials. He has participated in more than 300 vaccines clinical trials as responsible for laboratory testing. Since 2010, he is fully concentrated in the assessment of new assays for vaccines evaluation and correlates of protection.

In 2015 he was appointed as scientific coordinator for a project funded by EU-IMI on “Standardization of assays for assessment of influenza vaccine and correlates of protection”.

He is President of the Board for the “Master in vaccinology and drug development” at University of Siena.

He is founder and President of VisMederi srl, a company involved in laboratory activities for vaccines and antiviral drugs clinical trials.

He is the author of more than 300 papers, as well as numerous abstracts and letters, published in international scientific journals.

Otfried Kistner

Member

Otfried Kistner is currently working as Senior Consultant for several international and national companies and organisations. Otfried is conducting scientific research in the fields of virology for 44 years and has 38 years of experience in industrial vaccine development. He also has extensive experience in leadership and employee management including a broad working knowledge in cross-disciplined matrix environments. In his role as Consultant, Otfried has successfully supported several activities and projects, namely • Major contributions to the Clinical Development Program of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine resulting in licenses in various countries globally, e.g. USA, Europe, Australia, Asia • Major contributions to the development of assays for serological analysis of non-clinical and clinical studies for COVID-19 vaccines produced with different platforms, e.g. mRNA, Vectors, Virus-like Particles, recombinant technologies, or classical inactivated whole virus vaccines produced in cell culture • Support of several vaccine projects utilising novel technology platforms against e.g. Influenza, HPV, HSV with respect to strategies, large-scale production, and/or Clinical Development • Support of several proprietary projects with novel vaccine approaches as well as cell- or vector-based immunotherapies against different cancer targets • WHO (World Health Organisation) Consultant and Collaborator on Influenza, Pandemic Preparedness, and Emerging Viruses; including participation at Workshops as Moderator, Rapporteur, or Scientific Expert In his former different executive R&D management positions Otfried had main responsibilities in the development of a range of viral vaccines such as Influenza (seasonal and pandemic), SARS Coronavirus, Smallpox vaccines of 2nd and 3rd generation, West Nile, Ross River, and Chikungunya as well as novel antigen delivery and adjuvant technologies. His responsibilities included the strategy and organisation of the serological evaluation of clinical studies. He was also the R&D point of contact for internal and external relationships. In these roles, he was one of the main contributors in the development, production and licensure of cell culture-derived seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines i.e. H5N1 (Mock Up and pre-pandemic) and 2009 pandemic H1N1. Otfried has also authored or co-authored more than 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has given more than 400 presentations at International Scientific Conferences, International Expert Meetings and Workshops. He also acts as reviewer of a number of scientific journals as well as Chair or as member of scientific committees of international conferences. Otfried is also acting as a Module Director for “Manufacturing and Quality Control” and “Regulatory” of the Master Course “Vaccinology and Drug Development” of the Institute for Global Health (IFGH), Siena, Italy

Emanuele Montomoli was graduated in Life Sciences at University of Siena.

Since November 2002 he was appointed by the University of Siena as Professor on Public Health, where he has carried out epidemiological research, surveillance networks for infectious diseases and serological assays for vaccines clinical trials. He has participated in more than 300 vaccines clinical trials as responsible for laboratory testing. Since 2010, he is fully concentrated in the assessment of new assays for vaccines evaluation and correlates of protection.

In 2015 he was appointed as scientific coordinator for a project funded by EU-IMI on “Standardization of assays for assessment of influenza vaccine and correlates of protection”.

He is President of the Board for the “Master in vaccinology and drug development” at University of Siena.

He is founder and President of VisMederi srl, a company involved in laboratory activities for vaccines and antiviral drugs clinical trials.

He is the author of more than 300 papers, as well as numerous abstracts and letters, published in international scientific journals.

Simonetta Viviani

Member

Simonetta Viviani is an independent consultant in vaccines, epidemiology and public health. She collaborates with the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médical (INSERM) Marseille, France; International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, South Korea; PATH Seattle, USA; the Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH), Siena, Italy; Takeda Vaccines Zurich, Switzerland; BionetAsia, Bangkog, Thailand. From October 2010 to December 2012 she was Associate VP, Head of the Dengue Clinical Development Program at Sanofi Pasteur. The program which includes large efficacy trials in endemic areas, is in clinical phase IIb/III, and aims to license the first tetravalent live attenuated Dengue vaccine for the prevention of dengue disease. From March 2005 to September 2011, she was Director of Vaccine Development at the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP). Created in 2001 with core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, its goal is to eliminate epidemic meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa through the development and wide spread use of meningococcal conjugate vaccines. In June 2010, a meningococcal A vaccine –MenAfriVac- was prequalified by WHO. Dr Viviani has extensive experience in public health, infectious diseases epidemiology, clinical research, and vaccine development. From September 2002 to February 2005, she has served as clinical research and medical affairs manager for combined pediatric vaccines (DTPHibHBV, MMR) ,Flu and HIV vaccines, at Berna Biotech in Bern, Switzerland, and as medical director at Etna Biotech (Berna Biotech Group) in Catania, Italy. From 1997 to 2002, she was associate director of the clinical research department at Chiron Vaccines in Siena, Italy, where she was in charge of Hib, Hib combined, and meningococcal conjugate vaccines. From 1995 to 1997 she served at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a WHO agency) as an epidemiologist attached to The Gambia Hepatitis Intervention Study, a large intervention trial aimed to prevent infection, chronic carriage and primary liver cancer in a high risk population by extensive vaccination with Hepatitis B vaccine. Dr Viviani has been a consultant in public health and epidemiology for the Department of Public Health in Florence, Italy, and has collaborated with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy on surveillance of communicable and vaccine preventable diseases. She has worked in Public Health and Epidemiology projects in Zimbabwe, Brazil and Guinea Bissau. She has also experience as a family doctor in the rural areas of Tuscany, Italy. Dr. Viviani received a Medicine and Surgery Degree from University of Siena, Italy, as well as postgraduate degrees in Public Health and Laboratory Research. She holds a two-year postgraduate training degree in Field Epidemiology from the CDC, Atlanta, USA, and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. She has served as advisor for the International Agency for Research on Cancer, for the Initiative for Vaccine Research Department at WHO, Geneva, for MSF, Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, Geneva. She has published in the field of public health, epidemiology and vaccinology.

Nigel James Temperton

Member

Nigel Temperton is a Full Professor and Chair of Molecular Virology at the London and South East University Group, Medway School of Pharmacy, United Kingdom (Medway School of Pharmacy). His R&D focus is on the design, development and deployment of viral pseudotype based reagents and neutralisation assays for influenza, coronavirus and other emerging viruses aligned with WHO Blueprint and CEPI priorities. He has secured funding from the MRC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Innovate UK, the Wellcome Trust and the Rosetrees Trust. He additionally secures funding from industry stakeholders within the biotech and pharma space.

He is Director of the Viral Pseudotype Unit (VPU) within the Medway School of Pharmacy, a purpose built, dedicated viral pseudotype R&D laboratory. The role of the VPU is to act as an interface between academia, industry, animal and public health laboratories with the purpose of translating basic virus research into in vitro cell culture based assays that can be readily employed for the efficacy testing of vaccines, antivirals and therapeutic antibodies. Nigel is Founder and Director of VPUbio LTD, a consultancy with expertise in pseudotype virus technologies.

Nigel is a recognised global opinion leader in pseudotype virus platform technologies with 175+ peer-reviewed journal and review articles, and over 17.5k citations (h-index = 60). His full publication list can be found at Europe PMC.