Antonio F. Corno1,2, Jin Ye Yeo3
1Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England, U.K; 2School of Engineering, University of Leicester, England, U.K; 3TP Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. TP Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: editor@thetp.org.
This interview can be cited as: Corno AF, Yeo JY. Meeting the Editor-in-Chief of TP: Prof. Antonio F. Corno. Transl Pediatr. 2025. Available from: https://tp.amegroups.org/post/view/meeting-the-editor-in-chief-of-tp-prof-antonio-f-corno.
Expert introduction
Prof. Antonio F. Corno (Figure 1) received his graduate degree from Medical School of University of Pavia in 1975, and then graduated cum laude with the specialist degree in cardiac surgery from University of Padua in 1979 and the specialist degree in thoracic surgery from University of Siena in 1985. Following the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Glasgow in 1997, the Privat-Docent in Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects from University of Lausanne in 2003, Prof. Corno received an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from University Sains Malaysia in 2017. From 2017-2020, Prof. Corno was Professor/Chair in Congenital Cardiac Surgery at the Cardiovascular Research Centre of the University of Leicester and senior researcher of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Nottingham. From July 2020 to March 2023, Prof. Corno was a Research Professor at the Children's Heart Institute of the Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital and at the University Texas Health of McGovern Medical School in Houston, Texas, USA. From January 2024, he took up the role of Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, U.K.
Prof. Corno is an internationally respected and successful professor and consultant cardiac surgeon with congenital heart disease expertise, academic prowess, and an exceptional track record delivering pioneering scientific/clinical research projects and building world-class surgical teams for leading universities and hospitals in pressurized, fast-moving settings. Plus, he is a charismatic and influential multi-lingual communicator, presenter and published author, with first-class people interpersonal skills. Recently, Prof. Corno has published a book "Functionally" Single Ventricle: The Most Complex Congenital Heart Defect 1st Edition.”
Figure 1 Prof. Antonio F. Corno
Interview
TP: You have studied and contributed to prestigious institutions worldwide, from Italy to the UK, the US, and Malaysia. How did these varied experiences shape your approach to congenital cardiac surgery?
Prof. Corno: The exposure to different types of cultures and languages, as well as various methods of teaching, research, and scientific and clinical activities, has enriched me. Wherever I worked, I met new colleagues, and from all of them, I learned different approaches to the same topics and issues. This has opened my mind and made me aware that there is not only one solution but various available options to tackle the same problem. This is particularly valid in congenital heart defects, where, due to the huge number and variety of heart malformations, there is always a spectrum of options available to consider.
TP: What would you consider the most exciting or promising development in the field right now? What potential impacts do these developments have on the future of congenital cardiac surgery?
Prof. Corno: There are three topics I consider currently very interesting and promising for the immediate future of congenital heart surgery.
Firstly, there has been a tremendous development of diagnostic methodologies, particularly with three-dimensional imaging. The current trend is to develop fusion techniques, combining two or more diagnostic methodologies (echo, computed tomography [CT] scan, magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), for better accuracy and definition of the details of morphology and function.
Secondly, there is a need for better knowledge of the currently available outcomes of all the practiced surgical treatments. Unfortunately, there is a variety of international congenital databases, with different classifications and terminologies, different early and late data collected, too little attention to mortality and morbidity, and particularly to the present risk stratification, without absolutely any uniform level of validation. This makes the interpretation of the data provided by any congenital database completely useless and hopeless.
Thirdly, there is an increasing role of Artificial Intelligence in the field, which, if well utilized, could help a lot in the diagnostic processes, in the data collection, and in the decision making. Of course, this should be managed by true experts in this field, without leaving anything to improvisation or amatorial approaches.
TP: Recently, you published the book “Functionally" Single Ventricle: The Most Complex Congenital Heart Defect 1st Edition.” What motivated you to write this book, and what can readers expect from it?
Prof. Corno: To the best of my knowledge, there are no book dealing with the “functionally” single ventricle. Because of the definition, “functionally” single ventricle includes a huge variety of complex heart malformations, each one with different clinical presentation, pathophysiology, diagnostic requirement, and management. My unique book is describing all these varieties from the fetal diagnosis, through all ages until the adult life, examining all aspects, including diagnosis, treatment, available outcomes, and specific problems like ethical and social issues, failure of the conventional treatments, pregnancy and exercise in these patients, life of the patients who have reached the adult life without undergoing conventional surgery but only palliative procedure or even no treatment, comparative medicine with animals having a single ventricle, and future research projects. This makes this book unique and hopefully very useful for all readers involved with the care of these patients.
TP: You pioneered scientific and clinical research across multiple continents. What would you say was the most defining project or moment in your career?
Prof. Corno: In addition to studying all aspects of patients with a single ventricle for 40 years, the main topic of my research was to investigate the effects of hypoxia (= cyanosis) and the subsequent reoxygenation at the moment of repair. My recent move to the Manchester Metropolitan University allowed me to continue these investigations focusing on the effects of hypoxia and reoxygenation at cellular and molecular levels of the cardiomyocytes.
TP: What are some of the most important unanswered questions or challenges you would like to see the next generation of researchers focus on in congenital heart surgery?
Prof. Corno: The knowledge of the real early and late outcomes of the currently available treatments, and the criteria for the best decision making, based on the analysis of all variable factors.
TP: How has your experience been as the Editor-in-Chief of TP?
Prof. Corno: Great, because it allowed me to be exposed to manuscripts submitted for publication, and therefore to the current research and scientific productions well before publication.
TP: As the Editor-in-Chief, what are your aspirations and expectations for TP?
Prof. Corno: Much better communication among all people involved in the Editorial Office, with direct access to the people responsible for the decision making.