Our history

From the original office at Padova University Hospital, a dedicated group of people started working to support Penta’s research activities, driven by the commitment to improve health outcomes for children living with HIV.

The PENTA/ECS project, funded by the 6th EU Research Framework Programme, emerged from Penta’s integration with the European Collaborative Study, one of the largest cohorts of children born to mothers with HIV. This partnership created a centralised European network for paediatric HIV research.

Since the launch of the 1st edition of the Guidelines, Penta has been providing healthcare workers with practical recommendations on the management of HIV-1 infection in children in Europe.

Penta Foundation takes the lead in non HIV-related projects, such as NeoMero (sepsis and meningitis), NeoVanc (AMR in neonates) and GRiP (medicines for children), thus offering coordination of the Network’s activities. The Foundation also participates in PREPARE (epidemic prevention) and EMIF (epidemiology/informatic platform).

Carlo Giaquinto, President of Penta Foundation, receives ESPID’s prestigious Bill Marshall Award, after giving the lecture Paediatric HIV: The European Contribution.

The c4c pan-European clinical trial network, led by Penta Foundation and University of Liverpool, sets out to facilitate the development of new drugs and other therapies for children.

Penta collaborates with the WHO on the Toolkit for research and development of paediatric antiretroviral drugs and formulations. The toolkit outlines possible solutions for promoting and accelerating timely and high quality research and development of antiretroviral drug formulations suitable for infants, children, adolescents and pregnant people.

Penta Foundation adopts the 231 Organization Management Control Model, taking a proactive step to reinforce our commitment to a culture of legality, transparency, and ethical conduct among our staff and collaborators.

Data from the ODYSSEY trial contributes to regulators approving a 5mg dispersible tablet for children. Results from ODYSSEY support current WHO Guidelines, which recommend Dolutegravir (DTG)-based treatment as the 1st choice for all children living with HIV over 4 weeks.

The 5-year strategy includes a reorganisation of the Foundation, with new areas for new competencies.

The PentaTr@ining team is awarded ESPID’s Distinguished Award for Education, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to education and training in paediatric infectious diseases.

Penta provides substantial scientific contribution to the WHO AWaRe Antibiotic Book, a practical resource for doctors on the best antibiotic choices to treat children and adults with common infections. To complement the launch of the book, in 2023 PentaTr@ining holds its brand new online programme ‘AMR Online Course’.

The Penta Research Environment establishes a central information and data system to support and coordinate research initiatives across the Penta ID Network.

The c4c project, a collaborative effort led by the Penta Foundation and the University of Liverpool, secures a lasting legacy with the creation of c4c Stichting, a Dutch non-profit organisation aiming to carry on the work done by the public-private consortium.

Formally known as “Fondazione Penta ONLUS”, the newly-named Fondazione Penta ETS is registered under Italy’s Third Sector Single Registry (RUNTS) for more transparency and accountability.