Dr. Lubka Roumenina is a senior scientist who leads a research group focused on investigating the Complement system in both physiology and pathology. She co-leads the Inflammation, Complement, and Cancer team at the Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Paris, France. Her primary research revolves around elucidating the mechanisms that govern the activation and regulation of the complement cascade in bloodstream, in tissues as well as the action of the intracellular complement proteins.

One of Dr. Roumenina's notable contributions lies in her pioneering efforts to explore the role of complement in heme-mediated diseases as well as its involvement in cancer. She established a link between heme and complement in the pathological processes of sickle cell anemia, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury. Moreover, she discovered the tumor-promoting action of intracellular complement proteins in cancer. Dr Roumenina’s vision that understanding the role of complement in any physiological or pathological process requires holistic and unbiased exploration let to the ongoing development in her group of the Complementomics approach, combining hyperplex tissue imaging, transcriptomic, genetic and biological fluids exploration with extensively validated methods. In 2018, she was honored with the Young Researchers Award from the International Complement Society and received the Award for Student Supervision and Excellence in Research from Inserm. Furthermore, in 2022, Lubka Roumenina was granted the SVAR award for excellence in Complement research. Lubka Roumenina's dedication to complement biology is fueled by her passion for inspiring and nurturing the next generation of researchers, fostering a vibrant community of Complementologists. Lubka has co-organized Complement UK and ICW2023 and is now organizing EMCHD 2026.   Full Bio

Dr. Jessy Alexander’s research focus is complement factor H (CFH), highlighting its critical roles in kidney and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work has uncovered non canonical functions including how intracellular CFH regulates inflammation and fibrosis, particularly in complement-dependent glomerulonephritis, and has expanded our understanding of its functions beyond the bloodstream.

A Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Alexander has a strong commitment to global health. She has collaborated internationally, including with rheumatologists in India to investigate the microbiome’s role in systemic lupus erythematosus. She has led projects funded by NIH, American Arthritis Foundation and Kidneeds. She served as the Secretary of the UB Faculty Senate and currently serves as the secretary of the Faculty Council of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Her leadership extends to service as a standing study section member on NIH study sections and review panels for global funding agencies such as the UK’s Medical Research Council, University of Sharjah, German Research Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. She chaired national and international panels of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and was a member of the inaugural panel on science and Engineering for AAUW.

As a dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Alexander has designed and taught courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and fosters a laboratory environment that emphasizes curiosity, critical thinking and scholarly achievement. Dr. Alexander has served on admissions committees, and as the Diversity Advocate for the Department of Medicine, promoting equity and inclusion in faculty recruitment and student support. She has organized and chaired sessions on complement research at local, national, and international conferences, including initiating complement sessions at the American Society of Neurochemistry and co-organizing guest symposia at the American Association of Immunology.

With an extensive background in biomedical research, teaching, mentorship, academic service, and leadership at both national and international levels, Dr. Alexander is committed to supporting and enhancing the mission of the International Complement Society and to expanding its global reach.    Full Bio

Dr. Wioleta Zelek trained in Chemistry and after a few years in the Biotech sector, returned to academia and undertook a PhD in Immunology (2016 – 2019), focused on the complement system. During her PhD she created a toolkit of novel complement inhibitors and continued this work in two personal Fellowships (ISSF Wellcome Trust, Health and Care Research Wales), developing patent-protected therapeutic candidates (PCT/EP2020/073430) and unique tool reagents for the study of complement in disease models. She is currently the holder of a highly prestigious five-year Fellowship funded by Race Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s Research UK (RAD-ARUK Fellow) and has been awarded the highly coveted Emerging Leader status in the UK Dementia Research Institute. Dr. Zelek has an outstanding scientific record for her early career stage; she has 33 publications in international leading journals and has won multiple national and international prizes and awards, including the highly competitive McGuigan Outstanding PhD Thesis Prize and the Lambris Complement Training Award (recognition of an excellent research contribution, the first female awardee). Her research spans from understanding how neuroinflammation and complement dysregulation drive damage in the brain through to the development of novel drugs to target these drivers. 

I believe I have the ideal combination of qualifications, experience, and knowledge that makes me well suited for this important role. I have been working in the complement field since 2015. In the last few years, I have significantly advanced in my understanding of complement biology and its significance in diverse diseases. I am passionate about pushing the boundaries of complement research and promoting the latest advancements into other areas of immunology and cell biology where complement  plays roles.  The ICS is the leading force in advancing complement research, education, and translation, all areas close to my heart.  I recently organized the 2023 Complement UK meeting in Cardiff, am currently a co-organizer for ICW2023 in Newcastle, and have submitted a proposal to host the EMCHD in 2026 in Cardiff. Through my ARUK-RAD leadership program, I have learned how to successfully work as part of a team but also to lead teams and projects, demonstrating strong organizational skills and the ability to manage complex tasks effectively.  My personal goal is to establish myself as a leader in complement biology, with a particular focus on the development of novel anti-complement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. My drive, abilities and dedication to the long-term goals of ICS would contribute to shaping a sustainable and prosperous future for complement research and further understanding of its relevance to disease and as a drug target.  I am confident that my enthusiasm, dedication to scientific growth, teamwork skills, and long-term perspective make me a strong contender for the Secretary position at the ICS. I look forward to serving the community.  Full Bio

Dr. Jessy Alexander’s research focus is complement factor H (CFH), highlighting its critical roles in kidney and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work has uncovered non canonical functions including how intracellular CFH regulates inflammation and fibrosis, particularly in complement-dependent glomerulonephritis, and has expanded our understanding of its functions beyond the bloodstream.

A Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Alexander has a strong commitment to global health. She has collaborated internationally, including with rheumatologists in India to investigate the microbiome’s role in systemic lupus erythematosus. She has led projects funded by NIH, American Arthritis Foundation and Kidneeds. She served as the Secretary of the UB Faculty Senate and currently serves as the secretary of the Faculty Council of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Her leadership extends to service as a standing study section member on NIH study sections and review panels for global funding agencies such as the UK’s Medical Research Council, University of Sharjah, German Research Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. She chaired national and international panels of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and was a member of the inaugural panel on science and Engineering for AAUW.

As a dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Alexander has designed and taught courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and fosters a laboratory environment that emphasizes curiosity, critical thinking and scholarly achievement. Dr. Alexander has served on admissions committees, and as the Diversity Advocate for the Department of Medicine, promoting equity and inclusion in faculty recruitment and student support. She has organized and chaired sessions on complement research at local, national, and international conferences, including initiating complement sessions at the American Society of Neurochemistry and co-organizing guest symposia at the American Association of Immunology.

With an extensive background in biomedical research, teaching, mentorship, academic service, and leadership at both national and international levels, Dr. Alexander is committed to supporting and enhancing the mission of the International Complement Society and to expanding its global reach.    Full Bio

Dr. Hrish Kulkarni holds the Allan J. Swartz and Roslyn Holt Swartz Women's Lung Health Endowed Chair at the University of California-Los Angeles. His laboratory focuses on the role of the complement system in modulating immune responses to acute lung injury occurring during infection and lung transplantation. His clinical responsibilities involve caring for critically ill patients and transplant recipients. He did his medical school at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai, India, followed by a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Washington University. After his clinical training, he did postdoctoral research training in the laboratory of Dr. John Atkinson, where he demonstrated that airway epithelial cells have unique intracellular stores of the complement protein C3, and these stores can be augmented to mitigate cell death. Since then, his laboratory has developed in vitro and in vivo approaches to test these observations, and has been dissecting the mechanisms by which these intracellular proteins contribute to cell survival. Prior to moving to UCLA, he was an Associate Professor of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology (with Tenure) at Washington University, where he built a basic-translational research program in lung injury and served as an MPI of the Divisional training grant. Dr. Kulkarni's work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Children's Discovery Institute, American Lung Association and the Longer Life Foundation. The overarching goal of his research program is to determine how tissue-derived proteins can be harnessed to ultimately reduce the burden of end-stage lung disease. A major focus of their work involves distinguishing the role of locally-derived complement proteins in the lung from those present in the blood, and how they modulate the development and severity of acute lung injury in the setting of pneumonia and lung transplantation.

Relevant to the International Complement Society and its membership, Dr. Kulkarni is passionate about attracting and mentoring trainees at all levels to work on how the complement system operates at the cellular and tissue level, such that we can design better diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases. He has served as a mentor for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral trainees, many of whom continue to work in complement biology. As a Councilor, he would encourage partnerships with other societies to develop joint symposia and white papers, facilitate collaborations, as well as explore innovative funding opportunities in partnership with federal agencies, as well as foundations and industry.  Full Bio

Dr. Kevin Marchbank has worked on aspects of the complement system for over 30 years, starting with CD59, at Cardiff University, Wales, UK. Then moving to the bridge between innate and acquired immunology (immuno-tolerance) and learning the art of making a transgenic mouse during a Wellcome trust prize international travelling fellowship to Denver, Colorado, USA.  After another stint at Cardiff in the ‘Morgan Lab’ funded by a Wellcome Career Development Fellowship continuing studies using mice, he moved closer to work with patients and is now based at Newcastle University and the NRCTC, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Over the last 19 years, Kevin has studied autoantibody generation (to complement proteins of the alternative pathway, AP) in devastating kidney diseases, publishing regularly on the topic while also developing a unique animal model based on a C3 gain-of-function change associated with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome, linking with multiple structure function projects on AP proteins. His group also developed homo-dimeric minimal factor H, initially as a novel approach to targeting complement over activity in C3 glomerulopathy and age-related macular degeneration but which now looks destined for use in protecting kidneys from ischemia reperfusion injury. The journey continues with new interests looking at complement in gene therapy and liver cancer/inflammaging.  Full Bio

Dr Masashi Mizuno is currently Professor of Renal Replacement Therapy at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He graduated in 1989 from Hirosaki University School of Medicine as MD and completed his PhD at Nagoya University in 1998 in the field of the complement (C) system associated with collagen diseases. The initial studies primarily focused on the roles of membrane C regulators (CRegs) in the kidney. From 2001 to 2006, he worked with Professor B. Paul Morgan at Cardiff University in UK, where he mainly worked on reproductive system and CD46. Currently, his research targets have extended to the roles of CRegs and C activation in various tissues under pathological conditions through translational and/or clinical research work. One of his main tasks is research to improve the prognosis of peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy, to distribute and enhance the clinical applications of PD, and to educate physicians and other medical staff in Japan. To meet these objectives, unique and important C research focusing on roles of the C system in the field of PD is being conducted in his laboratory. He is also interested in mechanisms maintaining the balance of C activation and regulation in acute/ chronic kidney diseases, such as C3 nephropathy. To this end, he is conducting a nation-wide cohort study in Japan, as part of a C research project of the Japanese Society for Complement Research and with the Japanese Society of Nephrology.

From 16th ICW meeting in 1996, he has been a member of ICS. Since several decades, he has collaborated with other institutions both within and outside Japan. In particular, B. Paul Morgan (UK), Claire Harris (UK), and Prof. H Okada (Japan) have been important collaborators in resolving our research questions. He is now a vice president in the Japanese Association for the Complement Research and editor-in-chief of the official Journal with a mission to distribute knowledge of the C system for physicians in Japan. In the past, present and future, his aim have been and will continue to be contribution to C research work in Asia.  Full Bio

My research in complement biology began during my postdoctoral training at the European Institute of Oncology, where I discovered that C3aR promotes hypercoagulation in visceral malignancies via neutrophil extracellular traps. This work, recognized by Nature and at the Aegean Conference on Complement Therapeutics, highlighted a novel role for complement in cancer-associated thrombosis.  Now as an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, my lab investigates non-canonical functions of complement in intestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer. We demonstrated that C3aR supports gut vascular integrity, limits microbiota-driven pre-metastatic niche formation, and acts as an immune checkpoint. Our NCI- and ACS-funded studies continue to explore the roles of complement and the complosome in tumor progression and therapy response. We recently expanded into neuroinflammation, revealing complement-driven immune responses in brain injury. One of the most rewarding aspects of working in complement biology is the collaborative and supportive nature of the community. I have greatly benefited from interactions with colleagues across institutions and disciplines, which have helped shape both my scientific perspective and career trajectory. I am deeply committed to contributing to this community—through collaboration, mentorship, and scientific exchange—and to advancing the field toward innovative, translational applications.  Full Bio