Italian Association of Myology
Associazione Italiana di Miologia | |
| Abbreviation | AIM |
|---|---|
| Formation | 6 October 2000 |
| Founded at | Bologna, Italy |
| Type | Scientific society |
| Purpose | Promotion of research, training and scientific exchange in the field of neuromuscular diseases |
| Headquarters | Bologna |
| Location |
|
Membership | Over 400 |
President | Vincenzo Nigro |
| Website | www |
The Italian Association of Myology (AIM; Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is an Italian multidisciplinary scientific society founded on 6 October 2000 in Bologna by 64 founding members, with the goal of bringing together professionals working in the field of neuromuscular diseases at universities, hospitals, IRCCS research hospitals and other healthcare institutions.[1]
Mission and scope
AIM promotes research, training and scientific exchange in the field of primary myopathies, cardiomyopathies and neuromuscular neuropathies. The association organizes an annual national congress and collaborates with other European and international scientific societies, including the Mediterranean Society of Myology (MSM) and the World Muscle Society (WMS).
History
The initiative to establish AIM emerged in the late 1990s within the Italian Association of Neuropathology, when a group of myologists recognized the need for an autonomous scientific society dedicated to neuromuscular diseases, in a period of rapid expansion of genetic and molecular technologies applied to the field. The project received academic support from Giovanni Lanzi (Pavia), Corrado Messina (Messina), Giovanni Nigro (Naples) and Guglielmo Scarlato (Milan).[1]
The articles of association were signed on 6 October 2000 in the Aula Magna of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, kindly made available by Luciano Merlini. The first statute was signed in Taormina in November 2000; it underwent a major revision in 2017 and was most recently updated on 30 May 2025 during the General Assembly held for the association's twenty-fifth anniversary, symbolically returning to Taormina.[1]
The first Scientific Board comprised Giuseppe Vita (president), Tiziana Mongini (secretary), Luisa Politano (treasurer), and Corrado Angelini, Enrico Bertini, Luciano Merlini, Maurizio Moggio, Serenella Servidei and Antonino Uncini as advisors.[1]
AIM was established at a time when patient organizations such as the Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy (UILDM, 1961) and Parent Project (1996) were already active in Italy.
Annual congress
AIM organizes a national congress every year dedicated to neuromuscular diseases, hosted in different Italian cities. The first took place in Camogli (Genoa) in autumn 2001 and brought together 90 self-funded researchers and clinicians.[1]
The 25th edition was held in Taormina from 28 to 31 May 2025, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the association, and gathered more than 500 Italian and European participants — including clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, industry representatives and patient advocacy groups — with the presentation of more than 200 abstracts.[1] In 2020 and 2021 the congresses were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Acta Myologica
The official journal of AIM is Acta Myologica, an open access peer-reviewed journal published by Pacini Editore. It is indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Scopus and EMBASE.[2]
Acta Myologica predates AIM. It was founded in June 1982 by Giovanni Nigro and Lucia Ines Comi as Cardiomyology, published by the Gaetano Conte Academy of Naples. In 1990 it was renamed Acta Cardiomyologica and in 1993, with the founding of the Mediterranean Society of Myology, it took its current name. Since 1997 it has also served as the official journal of AIM.[3] All articles have been freely available on PubMed since December 2008. Since 2016 the journal has been published exclusively in digital form. According to its editors, Acta Myologica has been distributed free of charge since its inception to approximately 1,000 libraries and 5,000 researchers worldwide, making it one of the earliest scientific journals to operate on an open access principle.[1]
Governance
The Scientific Board for the 2025–2027 term comprises:[4]
- President: Vincenzo Nigro (University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli; TIGEM)
- Past President: Giacomo Pietro Comi (University of Milan; IRCCS Ca' Granda Maggiore Policlinico Foundation)
- Secretary: Olimpia Musumeci (University of Messina)
- Treasurer: Luca Bello
Past presidents
The following have served as presidents of AIM:[1]
- Giuseppe Vita (Messina, 2000–2003)
- Corrado Angelini (Padua, 2003–2006)
- Tiziana Mongini (Turin, 2006–2009)
- Antonio Toscano (Messina, 2009–2012)
- Maurizio Moggio (Milan, 2012–2015)
- Gabriele Siciliano (Pisa, 2015–2018)
- Carlo Minetti (Genoa, 2018–2021)
- Giacomo Pietro Comi (Milan, 2021–2024)
- Vincenzo Nigro (Naples, since 2024)
Activities and study groups
As of 2025, AIM has more than 400 members — including neurologists, paediatric neurologists, cardiologists, geneticists, physiatrists, biologists and other specialists — operating in over twenty referral centres across Italy.[1]
The association coordinates more than ten study groups dedicated to specific neuromuscular conditions, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), myotonic disorders, myasthenia gravis, inflammatory myopathies and Pompe disease.[1]
Relations with patient organizations
In September 2017, Parent Project and AIM jointly organized the first Masterclass on Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy in Rome, a continuing medical education event accredited for physicians, pharmacists and biologists, with the goal of building a network of "sentinel doctors" for early diagnosis.[5]
AIM collaborates with the main Italian organizations of people living with neuromuscular conditions, including Parent Project and the Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy (UILDM). Acta Myologica regularly publishes studies with the participation of patient association representatives.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Mongini, Tiziana E.; Politano, Luisa (2025). "Twenty-five years of AIM: from the initiative of a small group of myologists to a successful Italian research institution. The story of the Italian Association of Myology". Acta Myologica. 44 (3): 86–88. doi:10.36185/2532-1900-1712. PMC 12599584 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 41199728 Check|pmid=value (help). Retrieved 30 April 2026. - ↑ "About the Journal". Acta Myologica. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ Nigro, G. (2011). "Thirty years of Acta Myologica". Acta Myologica. 30 (2): 99–101. PMC 3185834. PMID 22106712.
- ↑ "Consiglio Direttivo". Associazione Italiana di Miologia. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ "Distrofia di Duchenne, 'medici sentinella' per ridurre i tempi della diagnosi". Osservatorio Malattie Rare (in italiano). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
External links
Category:Medical and health organizations based in Italy Category:Scientific organizations established in 2000 Category:Neuromuscular disorders Category:2000 establishments in Italy
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