Scientific and Ethical Advisory Board (SAB)

The RELENT Scientific and Ethical Advisory Board will ensure a high standard of research and monitor the progress of RELENT by taking part in the annual General Assembly meetings. Whenever appropriate, it will consult the consortium and make recommendations as to improve their performance and consult on issues of dissemination, exploitation and Ethics.

Kerstin Amann

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Amann

Kerstin Amann studied Medicine at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and is currently the head of Nephropathology at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. She also serves as a Member of the Advisory Board at microDimensions GmbH. She has received the Bernd-Tersteegen-Preis, the Dieter-Klaus-Förderpreis, the Franz-Volhard-Preis, as well as several congress awards. She gave numerous invited talks at international congresses, such as International Society of Nephrology, European Renal Association, European Society of Cardiology, European Peritoneal Dialysis Society, and European Society of Artificial Organs. Kerstin Amann is a member of several international congress advisory committees and of the management team of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nephrologie.

Moh Daha

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Daha

Mohamed R Daha received his Ph.D. degree in 1973 at the University of Leiden. Following a three year post doctoral training at the Harvard Medical School in the field of Immunological Mediators of Inflammation, with specific attention for complement he returned to Leiden University to head the research of the departments of Nephrology and Rheumatology at the Leiden University Medical Center. He was appointed to full Professor in Immunology in 1987. His main fields of scientific interest are immunology of inflammation with specific interest in kidney and complement associated diseases. He is strongly involved in the tutoring of medical- and biomedical students and is still responsible for the scientific education of medical students. Prof. Mohamed R Daha is a member of several societies such as The American Association for Immunology, British Society for Immunology, The International Society for Nephrology and The European and International Complement Societies. At the advisory levels he has served in several scientific advisory boards (e.g. Dutch Asthma Foundation, Dutch Rheumatology Foundation, Dutch Kidney Foundation). He was member of the council of the international complement society (ICS) and of the European Complement Network. Since 2010 Mohamed R. Daha is emeritus professor at the Leiden University and has a part time professorship at the University in Groningen and the University of Suriname, his home country.

Joyce Kullman

Joyce joined the Vasculitis Foundation (then the Wegener's Granulomatosis Support Group, Inc.) in 1995 after her father was diagnosed with the disease. She served on the VF Board of Directors from 1997- 2002 when she assumed the role of executive director. Her passion is focused on improving the lives of patients living with vasculitis. Under her guidance, the Vascultis Foundation has expanded its mission from supporting one disease (Wegener's) to 15+ diseases and has partnered with major vasculitis medical centers around the world to provide better patient care and coordinated research efforts. Joyce is a co-chair of the NIH's RDCRN Coalition of Patient Advocacy Groups, and is a member of the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups and Nonprofit Connect. She serves on the steering committee of the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium Committee, an integrated group of academic medical centers, patient support organizations, and clinical research resources dedicated to conducting clinical research in different forms of vasculitis and improving the care of patients with vasculitis. She has been a member on the Scientific Advisory Board of the international INTRICATE research project and now advises the RELENT consortium.

Jutta Lindenthal

As a vasculitis patient, Jutta Lindenthal has been active in the German
“Arbeitskreis Vaskulitis”. Its charter is to give support to fellow-patients and their relatives, and to communicate patients’ experiences, expectations and needs.
In the course of RELENT, a further aim will be to foster information exchange and communication among patient groups in European countries as well as the
Vasculitis Foundation.
Being an information consultant and former medical journalist, Jutta Lindenthal is highly interested in facilitating access to information about research results relevant to the treatment of vasculitis, for patients and healthcare professionals. Beyond this, a major goal is to evaluate new approaches and means (on-line and otherwise) that may enable patients to have greater participation in the management of their chronic disease.

Andrew Rees

Prof. Dr. Andrew Rees

Andy Rees qualified in Medicine in Liverpool and trained in internal medicine and nephrophrology in London first with Stewart Cameron at Guys Hospital and then with Keith Peters at Royal Postgraduate Medical School. He became a Senior Lecturer at RPMS and subsequently Professor of Nephrology and head of the unit. In 2004, he was appointed Regius Professor in Medicine at Aberdeen University. He moved to Vienna in 2007 to take up a Professorial Fellowship at the Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna.
Throughout his career, Professor Rees' research has focussed on the clinical and pathogenetic aspects of glomerulonephritis - especially the various types of focal necrotizing glomerulonephritis. He has considerable expertise in the immunology of renal disease with an international reputation for his clinical and experimental studies in autoimmune disease including small vessel systemic vasculitis that had been translated into state of the art patient treatment and management. He was the Coordinator and Scientist-in-charge of TranSVIR, a Marie Curie Action funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Society of Biologists in the UK. He chairs the European Vasculitis Genetics Consortium and the European Kidney Health Alliance.

Caroline O. Savage

Prof. Dr. Caroline O. Savage

Caroline Savage serves as Vice-President and Head of the Experimental Medicine Unit within the ImmunoInflammation Therapy Area at GlaxoSmithKline. She joined the company in July 2010 after a one year secondment from the University of Birmingham where she was Professor of Nephrology and Director of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility. She has a long-standing interest in pathogenic mechanisms of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The strategic aim of the Experimental Medicine Unit is to expedite innovative approaches to early medicines development through implementation of small studies that demonstrate whether a compound is safe, active on its target and can lead to meaningful efficacy in patients. Caroline Savage is Honorary Professor of Nephrology at the University of Birmingham and Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Cambridge.

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