Luca Manco
PLN patient and witness
Luca Manco lives in Naples. He is a patient with biventricular arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy associated with a PLN/phospholamban gene mutation. He discovered the disease in 2018 after a sudden illness, which led to the implantation of a defibrillator. The same mutation is also linked to a muscle myopathy, documented through a biopsy at the Policlinico in Milan and described in a scientific publication. The disease has deeply marked his family history: several close relatives, including his father, have been affected, and four out of five siblings carry the mutation. Having been under the care of the Fondazione Maugeri in Pavia, in 2026, after three cardiac arrests treated by his defibrillator, he was urgently placed on the transplant list at the Ospedale Monaldi in Naples, where he received a heart transplant. Today he is under the care of the Monaldi Transplant Centre and the Mondino Institute in Pavia. His testimony brings patients’ lived experience to the fore, highlighting the value of trust in medicine.
Past talks
Sat. 26 September
at 15:00 - 16:15
15:00 - 16:15
Saturday 26 September
Sala Predonzani
Ingresso via dell’Orologio 1, Trieste, TS
Ingresso via dell’Orologio 1, Trieste, TS
TRIESTE
In medicine, innovation also means building trust: in science, in those who provide care and in new therapeutic possibilities. At the heart of the talk are the accounts of Pieter Glijnis, founder of the PLN Foundation, and of Luca Manco, both patients with PLN gene-related cardiomyopathy, bringing together research and lived experience. The conversation is led by cardiovascular expert Serena Zacchigna (University of Trieste and ICGEB, Trieste). The event closes with the presentation of the graphic novel “Il cuore restituito” (A Heart Restored), inspired by Pieter’s story.
Location: Sala Predonzani - Ingresso via dell’Orologio 1, Trieste
speakers
