Photograph Portrait by Paolo Spadacini

The Giacomo Ponzone Foundation (FGP) was set up in the memory of Giacomo Ponzone, whose life was suddenly cut short at the age of 25 due to Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease that is difficult to diagonose and causes sudden death in apparently healthy young people.

The Giacomo Ponzone Foundation has two important objectives. The first concerns the research and study of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy of the left ventricle, a rare cardiac pathology. The second aim is to support deserving students enrolled at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan, in particular the Faculty of Economics and Business Management from which Giacomo graduated, to give an opportunity to students who would otherwise not have had the chance to study.
The Giacomo Ponzone Foundation has joined forces with the Monzino Cardiology Center to support study projects concerning the little known Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy for which currently little can be done in terms of prevention.

This pathology is characterized by two main clinical signs: the appearance of malignant arrhythmias and the progressive replacement of healthy heart tissue with adipose tissue. Among the factors that can cause arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is the dysregulation of the normal calcium content in heart cells. The objectives of the first FGP project with the Monzino Cardiology Center are to:
1. understand the new calcium-dependent molecular mechanisms responsible for the disease;
2. use molecules already approved by the FDA to fight it.