Collaborating with AIProSaB —A researcher's perspective on patient advocacy for progeria

Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disease in which affected individuals age rapidly due to a specific mutation in the LMNA gene, which results in the production of progerin, an abnormal protein that damages cell nuclei and causes progressive multi-organ disease. AIProSaB is an Italian association founded by Sammy Basso, who was diagnosed with progeria at the age of two, and by his parents. The association supports research, promotes experimental therapies, and provides information for families and clinicians, with a strong emphasis on understanding LMNA/progerin biology and developing targeted treatments and gene-editing approaches. As part of our series on patient advocacy, FEBS Letters interviews Dr. Giovanna Lattanzi, a researcher at the CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics 'Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza' in Bologna on the aims, achievements, and activities of AIProSaB.