The CCF team’s expertise in western and eastern modalities, as well as focus on nutrition, public health, psychology, intestinal microbiology and immunology make for a diverse and multifaceted approach to health care.
President, Founder
Valter Longo Ph.D., the Founder and President of the Create Cures Foundation based in Los Angeles, California (USA) and the Fondazione Valter Longo in Milan (Italy), is a best-selling author who was selected by Time Magazine as the world’s Most Influential Nutrition & Health Expert for his research on nutrition and fasting-mimicking diets to improve health and prevent disease.
An Italian-American biogerontologist and cell biologist, he is the Edna Jones Professor in Gerontology and Professor in Biological Science at University of Southern California; the Director of the Longevity Institute at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, which is one of the leading centers for research on aging and age-related disease; and the Director of the Longevity and Cancer Program at the IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan, Italy.
Among his awards, he has received the 2016 Glenn Award for Research on Aging, which was based on the discovery of both genes and dietary interventions able to regulate aging and prevent diseases; the 2013 Vincent Cristofalo “Rising Star” Award in Aging Research from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR); and the 2010 Nathan Shock Lecture Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH).
Dr. Longo opened a premier specialty clinic in Los Angeles in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Create Cures Foundation Clinic focuses on nutrition for the prevention and treatment of major chronic illnesses. The CCF’s clinic uses research-based projects on longevity, aging, and disease associated with aging and clinical studies to provide therapies and assistance in an integrative manner to combine traditional medicine with innovative, well-grounded, and integrative interventions, which helps ensure healthy lives, improve the well-being of all ages, and reduce mortality due to non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, autoimmune, neurodegenerative disease, and obesity.
Academically, Dr. Longo earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed post-doctoral training in the neurobiology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Southern California (USC). His research focuses on the analysis of multiple genetic mechanisms underlying aging and the identification of therapeutic strategies, including nutrition, to slow down or halt the onset of age-related diseases.
Dr. Longo donates all profits from his books to his two charitable foundations, including his best-selling book “The Longevity Diet” (“A dieta da longevidade”), which has been translated into 20 languages and sold in more than 28 countries. His Italian books include “Alla tavola della longevità” (“The Longevity Table”) and “La longevità inizia da bambini” (“The Seeds of Longevity are Planted in Childhood”), which was recently released. In 2012, he appeared on the Emmy-nominated series “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman” to discuss his research on prolonging longevity.
Executive Director
Antonluca Matarazzo is a licensed attorney under the State Bar of Italy. He is a senior international executive with multiple years of experience in business management and development. Since 2019, he has served as the Executive Director of the Create Cures Foundation in Los Angeles, California, USA. More recently, he also serves as the General Director of the Fondazione Valter Longo in Milan, Italy.
Professionally, he has over two decades of experience managing diverse projects and cultivating partnerships in global markets, including Africa, Europe, and UAE, and in planning strategic and tactical processes, as well as directing departments and leadership teams.
Prior to his relocation to the United States, he focused on cross-border businesses and transactions in the renewable energy, financial, IT and construction sectors. Among his leadership roles, he served as a Managing Director for a European subsidiary; the CEO of a branch of an industrial group in Africa; Director of the international section of the Development Department for Europe, Africa, and UAE for a renewable energy and civil construction company; interim Board member of several subsidiaries; and as the Senior Business Manager for specific business units in Italy and Poland.
He obtained his law degree in 2005 from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, and his MBA from “24 Ore Business School” in 2007. In addition to Italian, he is fluent in English, and French, and proficient in Spanish.
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Project Manager
Marco Paonessa, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Project Manager of the Create Cures Foundation, has significant experience in the entertainment business, including assisting leading companies and movie studios in Los Angeles. He received his degree in Cinematography from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Originally from Italy, his multicultural and multi-disciplined skill set and work experience also includes serving as a project manager in several marketing and tech-related projects.
At the Foundation, Marco developed and currently manages the Multimedia Online Courses designed for CME accreditation and CNS credits, which provide a detailed overview of how nutrition and fasting affect longevity and diseases, and the key molecular mechanisms involved.
Masterclass educational E-learning platform is available for the global community, including biologists, pharmacists, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals that seek updated clinical information regarding aging, age-related diseases, nutrition, fasting-mimicking diet, as well as for non-healthcare professionals.
Marco also contributed to the start-up phase of the premier specialty clinic in Los Angeles in 2020 and currently manages the construction renovation of the Foundation’s facility in the United States.
Scientific Consultant
Dr. Sebastian Brandhorst’s scientific training is based on a background in cell biology, molecular biology, medicine, and biochemistry, all of which are highly relevant for his focus on biogerontology research to identify the mechanisms underlying cellular protection, as well as health- and lifespan-regulation, and their translation into clinical applications. His studies are focused on the application of short-term starvation, low calorie and/or low protein diets, so-called fasting-mimicking diets, on health and lifespan in pre-clinical and their translation into clinical studies. Dr. Brandhorst is a Professor at the Davies School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California.
Nutritional Biologist
Romina Cervigni, Nutritional Biologist of the Valter Longo Foundation and Create Cures Foundation Clinic, obtained a Ph.D. from Open University in the United Kingdom where she focused her attention on the field of Oncology and a second level Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has collaborated as a postdoctoral researcher with the National Research Committee (CNR) in Naples, Italy and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy.
Educational Collaborator Master Programs
Dr. Cristina Villa obtained a PhD from the University of California Los Angeles focusing her attention on traumatic events such as the Holocaust, the importance of memory and respect for human rights, a Masters at the University of Ca ‘Foscari concerning yoga and meditation, a Masters in Italian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters in English and German studies at the University of Bergamo. Her research focuses on the history of food in Italy and in the Mediterranean area and has taught food history courses for the University of Southern California, University of California UCEAP, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell University and Vanderbilt University in Florence.
