INNODIA Managing Team

This Unit is at the forefront of accrediting, managing, and coordinating all INNODIA Members participating as Clinical Trial Sites. A dedicated team ensures that each INNODIA site is fully equipped to run intervention clinical trials contributing to the development of a network of excellent clinical trial sites expediting clinical development for the benefit of people living with type 1 diabetes.

Abby, a Doctorate of Pharmacy graduate from Ferris State University, worked at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI. She served as the lead Investigational Drug Service Pharmacist, overseeing approximately 150 investigational product intervention trials in both pediatrics and adults. These trials included Phase 1-3 studies, gene therapy, FDA emergency use authorizations, and single patient INDs. Abby has now relocated to Europe.

As the manager of CTS activities and engagement, Abby plays a pivotal role in orchestrating the seamless participation of INNODIA clinical sites in our collaborative initiatives. Her objective is to build and create mechanisms that support each site according to its unique needs.  

Abby's primary focus is on bridging the gap between INNODIA's commitments to medicine developers and the active participation of CTS. She works tirelessly to establish frameworks that optimize the engagement of sites, fostering an environment where clinical trials can unfold smoothly and efficiently. 

Hasna holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia and a Master’s in Epidemiology from the University of Antwerp. She brings a dynamic blend of clinical knowledge, academic research, and hands-on experience in clinical trials.

Before joining INNODIA, Hasna was involved in the coordination of clinical studies. Her transition to INNODIA marks an exciting new chapter, where she supports the qualification and operational readiness of Clinical Trial Sites across Europe.

With her multicultural background and passion for real-world, patient-centered research, Hasna is committed to building strong relationships with sites and streamlining processes to ensure smooth trial execution.

At INNODIA, she is excited to contribute to a network working at the forefront of type 1 diabetes research—and to learn and grow alongside a passionate, collaborative team.

Diane is an experience Clinical trial Coordinator with over 15 yrs. in Clinical trial management with University of Cambridge, Department of Paediatrics. Her focus has been on Type 1 diabetes, and she was actively involved in the original IMI INNODIA project, managing the UK network.

Diane will be the project manager for the INNODIA Friend and Family Early-stage T1D detection program. She will be responsible for setting up a network of sites across the EU to facilitate autoantibody testing to identify people at risk of, and with pre-symptomatic Type 1 diabetes.

Antonella brings over 20 years of experience in biomedical research, hospital pharmacy, and clinical trial operations.

With a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cellular Biology, she has led pioneering early-phase and rare disease trials in both the UK and Qatar. At INNODIA, she manages Clinical Site Network activities—bridging local site needs with broader research goals to strengthen trial delivery and patient access across our network.

Laura is an IT Engineer with experience as an IT Business Analyst. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 90s and, in recent years, she’s been involved in diabetes advocacy, contributing to international conferences, patient engagement initiatives, and awareness campaigns.

She’s joined the INNODIA Management Team as Detect Program Manager, supporting the implementation and overall coordination of the DETECT Program.

Jean, who holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Université Libre de Bruxelles, brings over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Paris, he

joined Janssen Pharmaceutica in 2000, focusing on preclinical activities. In 2002, he transitioned to clinical development, holding leadership roles at Organon and Sanofi, where he oversaw clinical operations across Belgium,

the UK, and the Netherlands. At Sanofi, he was also one of five global leaders reshaping key aspects of clinical development.

 In 2017, Jean joined Imcyse, advancing programs for Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis to clinical stages while serving on the Executive Team. Now collaborating with INNODIA as a Clinical Consultant and Project Manager, Jean's broad expertise and leadership in clinical development ensure the efficient and professional management of clinical projects, helping to deliver meaningful outcomes for people living with T1D.

This Unit works to ensure the ongoing development of INPACT - the INNODIA People living with Type 1 Diabetes Community - which is a major asset for INNODIA and the achievement of its mission. This Unit is focused on building and nurturing an expert and dynamic community, active in its role of providing adequate support to medicine developers in the design of patient-centric products. 

As a person living with type 1 diabetes and broad experience in advocacy and peer support, a background in translation and education, and extensive experience in oversight and coordination of projects in various fields, Ana brings both personal and informed perspective to the team.

Dr. Giorgia Schena is an accomplished scientist and communications expert with a Ph.D. in Applied Biology and extensive experience in academia, non-profits, and scientific writing. As INPACT Manager at INNODIA, she leverages her unique expertise to strengthen patient engagement, empower the Type 1 diabetes community, and foster collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry partners.

Dr. Schena's career has been marked by versatility, creativity, and grit. During her postdoctoral training at Yale University's School of Medicine, she conducted bench research on a renal disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease while learning to work in a complex environment made of multiple stakeholders, including people affected by the disease and clinicians. She later expanded her project management and science communication capabilities as a Scientific Writer at The Jackson Laboratory, where she successfully managed the preparation and submission of large multi-center proposals to governmental US agencies, such as the National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense. Her role demanded effective cross-functional coordination and the ability to tailor scientific content to diverse audiences.

At INNODIA, Dr. Schena applies these skills to develop patient-centric programs, train INPACT members, and integrate patient insights into therapeutic development. Her passion for improving patient health and her strategic mindset allow her to build strong relationships with the INPACT community and medicine developers, aligning their goals with INNODIA's mission to accelerate Type 1 diabetes research and therapy development.

The role of this Unit is dual: Firstly, to offer privileged access to data and samples collected on people with type 1 diabetes, at all stages of the disease, to the most advanced research and innovation labs, as well as to medicine developers. Collected at multiple time points, these elements can be the subject of a deep profiling to better understand the disease and promote the development of new therapies. Secondly, this Unit serves as the primary touch point for all INNODIA Members and those desiring to join the Network. From managing the profiling process of all Members to scouting for exciting partnership opportunities, this Unit is at the forefront. 

Juan is a highly experienced bioinformatician with a PhD in Genetics. With over 10 years of experience, his expertise lies in analyzing “OMIC”, clinical, and genetic data to uncover biological mechanisms related to disease development and prediction. He is skilled in data management, including Federated Databases, and applying machine learning models to clinical data for stratifying clinical phenotypes.

Juan plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive answers and technical and scientific support to all requests relating to data, its use and analysis. Juan oversees the data digitalization processes, ensuring accuracy and completeness. He uses advanced statistical techniques to generate summary statistics, reports and interactive dashboards that provide valuable information to all INNODIA stakeholders. Juan ensures that data is used to its full potential, to the benefit of all stakeholders.

After graduating as Interpreter and with a career spanning almost 34 years, Elena joined INNODIA with a rich background, first working in a multinational pharmaceutical company and later in the largest Italian charity funding research on rare genetic diseases.  

Now, Elena brings her wealth of knowledge in academic research to the service of our Members. Her unique blend of experience from both corporate and non-profit spheres positions her as the best reference point for the Network.

Elena gathers a comprehensive understanding of the diverse resources, expertise, and talents within the Network. By doing so, she ensures that INNODIA promotes the Members’ unique capabilities for the benefit of people living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Elena will also nurture the INNODIA community by organizing engaging and networking activities.  

Feel free to reach out to her for any assistance, ideas, or to share your expertise.

Lena is a trained immunologist with a Ph.D. in Immunology and a robust background in translational research, project coordination, and clinical data integration. As Data & Sample Project Coordinator at INNODIA, she bridges her scientific expertise with strong organizational and operational skills to oversee the access, governance, and strategic use of clinical data and biosamples.

Her academic career was rooted in the field of autoimmunity, with a focus on Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). During her doctoral training at King’s College London, she explored the phenotype and function of antigen-specific T cells using cutting-edge techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics and high-dimensional flow cytometry. Her work contributed to identifying immune signatures relevant to immunotherapy monitoring and the pathogenesis of T1D. Prior to that, she gained additional experience in translational immunology through positions at King’s College London and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (Greece), where she investigated immune responses in both human and animal models.

 At INNODIA, Lena coordinates the end-to-end process of data and sample access, leads the implementation of the Real-World Data initiative, and supports operational improvements across the organization’s digital infrastructure. Her dedication to data quality, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration plays a key role in advancing INNODIA’s mission to accelerate the development of innovative treatments for people living with Type 1 Diabetes

This unit serves as your primary point of contact with INNODIA.org for administrative matters, ranging from membership applications to financial management. It plays a central role in ensuring the smooth operation of INNODIA by managing the budget, overseeing expenditures, and ensuring compliance with the organization's protocols and procedures. 

Holding a Degree in Economics, Vanessa has the opportunity to spend 20 years managing her own company in the logistics industry. She has now transitioned to a new role as the Office Manager at INNODIA.org 

Vanessa is a privileged contact for all INNODIA Network Members and makes herself entirely available to provide them with the answers they need in her various areas of expertise. Vanessa is responsible for management of various administrative critical tasks: such as issuing invoices and making payments on time, planning Board and General Assembly meetings. 

Managing Director

Manuela is an immunologist by training, and she spent 20+ years in academic research, mainly focused on understanding the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. When she was Vice-Director of the San Raffaele Diabetes Research Institute in Milano (Italy), she decided to enter into a different path to reach a higher impact on patients and society. She then spent the following 4 years in leading managerial positions in international organizations focused on reducing the waste of talent, research, and funds in the biomedical field for the benefit of patients. She is now capitalizing on her scientific and managerial competencies, leading the Managing Team in INNODIA. 

Manuela ensures the smooth, efficient, and positive functioning of the Managing Team. She serves as the liaison between the team and the INNODIA Board of Directors. Manuela plays a key role as a facilitator, driving all the activities necessary for the development of INNODIA. She makes herself readily available to each of its stakeholders, dedicated to serving INNODIA's vision: a world without type 1 diabetes. Feel free to contact her!