“Italy’s focus on biotechnology—as reflected in the development of a national strategy—demonstrates our aspiration to play a leading role internationally in developing solutions to major global health challenges. In this regard, the relationship with the United States is of strategic importance for Italy: it was here in Washington that, just a few weeks ago, the interim report on the Working Group for the Internationalization of Biotechnology Industries was presented.” These were the words of the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, during an evening dedicated to biotechnology, hosted yesterday at Villa Firenze in Washington on the occasion of the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit.
The Ambassador also noted that at the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting held in Ancona last October, Italy announced a $21 million funding commitment over the next three years to CARB-X, a global non-profit partnership that supports the development of new antibiotics to combat antibiotic resistance.
The Future of Health Summit, organized annually by the Milken Institute, brings together experts in medical research and biotechnology to discuss major global health issues. Attendees at the event at Villa Firenze included the CEO of the Milken Institute, Richard Ditizio, along with representatives from academia and the private sector, such as Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and now a Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC; Megan Frisk, Director of International Affairs at ARPA-H; and Professor Camillo Ricordi, Director of the Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami.
Founded in 1991, the Milken Institute is a think tank focused on major global challenges, including climate change, artificial intelligence, food security, and health issues.
