Roberto G. Carbone

Roberto G. Carbone (born in Genoa, Italy - 6 September 1954) is an Italian scientist and clinician, studying the mechanisms and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer mechanisms, sarcoidosis, lung transplantation, asbestosis and mesothelioma. He also studied the role of neuropeptides (neurotensin) in asthma adrenergic and recently his research focused on stem cells post acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

Early life and education
Carbone was born in Genoa in 1954. His father, Giuseppe Carbone, was deputy managing executive director of the Gilardini Company. Carbone graduated from the University of Genoa in Medicine and Surgery in 1983. In 2003, he was registered with the General Medical Council. He obtained a master's degree in pulmonary hypertension from the University of Michigan, and further post-doctoral degrees in respiratory medicine and bronchology from the National Heart and Lung Institute directed by Peter J. Barnes at Imperial College London, in asthma at the University of Denver, in pneumology at University of Montpellier, and in asthma and COPD from the University of Ferrara.

After specializing in pulmonary diseases and respiratory pathophysiology, he undertook clinical training at the Aosta Regional Hospital as deputy head physician. From 2020 to 2022, he worked as a clinical researcher at University of Genoa. In 2023, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London. Carbone was awarded an honorary professorship in 2022 and is a senior consultant cardio-respiratory physician at the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Genoa.

Research
His research initially focused on the study of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency pulmonary emphysema, and urinary degradation products (desmosine) and prolastin treatment working in the lab of Gordon L. Snider for the project The American-Italian AATD Study Group. (Harvard University). He dedicated himself to the study of lung cancer, creating the first Italian Cancer Registry with the patronage of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in the figure of Marco Geddes di Filicaja, at IST (Scientific Institute of Tumors) in Genoa under the direction of Leonardo Santi.

He studied the pathologies of asbestos, such as pleural mesothelioma at Scansetti Interdepartmental Center in Turin where he collaborated with Roberto Compagnoni of University of Turin and Bice Fubini also enrolled in the Academy of Sciences of Turin. Subsequently, he studied the role of neuropeptides (neurotensin) in asthma adrenergic regulation with Giovanni Bottino (University of Genoa). He went on to win the first prize as speaker and author in the Italian CHEST congress (American College of Chest Physicians). The study entitled In vivo the micro-environmental reactivity in asthmatic took place over 15 years and was the first in the world to evaluate bronchial hyperreactivity in asthmatic subjects in vivo and in vitro and to do research on the use of new radioactive isotopes as indium-111 and octreotide (labeled somatostatin) in interstitial lung diseases and sarcoidosis.

His first book entitled Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Interstitial Lung Diseases, published in 2009, is held in Capitol Hill Library (Washington D.C.) at MIT in Boston, at the National Institute of Health, at Moscow University and is also in widespread readership in China. This book is a seminal text which introduced conjoined treatment of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis since the International Congress "World Association Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders' ' (WASOG) in Denver in 2005. His third book entitled Lung Transplantation - Evolving Knowledge and New Horizons, a collaboration with Mario Viganò contains a first chapter entitled "The History of Lung Transplantation" which is considered by the Book Authority one of the best books on thoracic surgery of all time. In 2023 this is positioned fifty-second in the "Best Thoracic Surgery eBooks of all time" ranking.

In 2007, William (Bill) D. Travis, directed Carbone to the study of pneumonia of the pulmonary interstitium in the lung deep area which was not attributable to inflammation bacteria or viruses, rather of unknown cause. Carbone discovered through the study of Indium and pulmonary hypertension that fibrotic pneumonia has a high mortality rate.

Since 2017, he has been a Member of Global IPF Collaborative Network, a Platform for IPF Genetics for University of Genoa, Principal Investigator Prof. David Schwartz MD from University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The scope of the study is to further understand the genetics of IPF by collecting more than 10,000 ethnically diverse cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) with the collaboration of 70 international investigators (40 sites).

Publications
Carbone is the author of over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

He was a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal CHEST and is an associate editor of the journal Frontiers. He has published 5 books in English as a scientific editor. Scopus reported approximately 1000 citations.

Honors and awards

 * 1994: First prize, as speaker and author, 8th World Congress of Bronchology in Munich. Title of the study: "The open window thoracoscopy procedure for bronchopleural fistula with persistent empyema following pneumonectomy".
 * 1997: Fellow of the American College of CHEST Physicians (FCCP)
 * 2000: First prize, as speaker and author together with Professor Giovanni Bottino at National Congress of CHEST (American College of Chest Physicians). Title of the study: "In vivo microenvironmental reactivity in asthma"
 * 2003: Letter of Commendation from Editor-in-Chief of CHEST Journal (IF 10), Prof. A Jay Block MD, Master FCCP, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Florida.
 * 2004 - 2019: Served in a number of leadership roles at the American College of Chest Physicians
 * 2006: Member of American delegation National Institute of Health (NIH) in association with “People to People Ambassador Program” (Head of Delegation Prof. Denis Mc Cool, Brown University), with the support of Prof. Claude Lenfant (Director of NIH) for scientific exchanges between United States and CHINA – President People to People (USA) Dr. Mary Jean Eisenhower.
 * 2009: Letter of Commendation from Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Internal Medicine (IF 39.2), Professor Harold C Sox, MD, MACP, USA.
 * 2009: Letter of Commendation from Professor Robert P. Baughman (Director of Respiratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati for published book project, title: "Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Interstitial Lung Diseases. A Clinical Guide. "
 * 2009: Invitation from Editor-in-Chief of Thorax (IF 9.02) to join the journal's editorial board
 * 2010: Citation from Editor-in-Chief of British Medical Journal (IF 105.7) for the article on the topic of risk factors in Cardiology
 * 2012: American Thoracic Society Leadership for COPD (National Quality Form USA).
 * 2012: Steering Committee Member of Network Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery, with Alberto Ballestrero and Vincenzo Savarino (Dept. Internal Medicine, University of Genoa).
 * 2017: Personal invitation letter from the President of the American Thoracic Society to participate in the World Meeting which took place in May 2017 in Washington (DC) as an International Member representing Italy
 * 2017: Invitation of the Swiss Confederation of Pneumology to CHEST Meeting in Basel
 * 2018: Member and Leadership for the University of Genoa of OSIC (Open Source Imaging Consortium). Principal Investigator: Professor Simon Walsh, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, Radiology Leader
 * 2023: Fellow of the Royal Society Medicine in London.
 * 2023: Fellow of the American Heart Association.
 * 2024: Received King Charles III Honor and Proud Letter from Professor Roger Kirby, President Royal Society Medicine.