History of the Montalcino Aortic Consortium

Join to MAC and help advance research.

A Legacy of Collaboration

What began in Montalcino as a small but visionary gathering has grown into a leading international consortium driving major discoveries in aortic genetics, diagnosis, and care. MAC continues to embody its founding principles—collaboration, shared scientific purpose, and a commitment to improving outcomes for patients and families affected by genetic aortic disorders worldwide.

The Montalcino Aortic Consortium (MAC) was founded in 2013 during its inaugural meeting in Montalcino, Italy, held June 22–26. The meeting was convened and hosted by the Genetic Aortic Disorders Association (GADA) Canada in response to a growing need for global collaboration among experts studying inherited aortic diseases.

MAC’s founding members recognized that accelerating the translation of research into improved patient care required bringing together clinicians, scientists, and researchers who were working independently around the world.

The inaugural meeting was made possible through a grant from The Temerty Family Foundation, with additional sponsorship from Casa Raia, Montalcino. Under GADA’s leadership, this gathering marked the first coordinated effort to establish a unified international body dedicated exclusively to heritable thoracic aortic disorders.

At the time, major advances in genetics and genomics were rapidly revealing new variants that predisposed individuals to aortic aneurysms and dissections—often with wide variation in severity and clinical presentation. The objective of the first meeting was to develop a modern classification framework for heritable thoracic aortic disorders, including Marfan syndrome, to support more accurate diagnosis and improve management and treatment outcomes.

Chaired by Dr. Reed Pyeritz and Dr. Dianna Milewicz, the inaugural conference brought together 12 leading international specialists—including clinical investigators, basic scientists, and clinicians—who agreed to collaborate, pool data, harmonize research protocols, and work collectively to accelerate discovery. This foundational commitment established MAC as a unique and influential global research consortium.

MAC Today

MAC was established to promote international collaboration in studying diseases of the aorta and its major branches that are largely influenced by genetic variants. Today, MAC is a consortium of prominent clinical, basic, and translational investigators from academic medical centers around the world committed to diagnosing and managing Hereditary Thoracic Aortic Disorders (HTAD) and discovering their genetic causes and modifiers.

Membership in MAC is voluntary and offered to experienced and inquisitive researchers and clinicians who are committed to collaboration and improving outcomes for people living with HTAD.

Leadership and Growth

In 2017, leadership transitioned to
Dr. Dianna Milewicz, who continues to serve as Chair and guide MAC’s scientific direction and research strategy.

Dr. Reed Pyeritz served as Chair of the MAC Executive Committee from 2013–2017.

Over the past decade, MAC has expanded significantly and now includes dozens of international sites and a growing network of investigators. The consortium has become one of the world’s leading research organizations dedicated to understanding the genetics, natural and clinical history, and optimal management of hereditary thoracic aortic disease.

GADA Canada continues to serve as the administrative centre for the MAC Research Program, supporting coordination, operations, and strategic development of the consortium.

Founding Members Present at the 2013 Montalcino Meeting

Specialists and Scientific Leaders (alphabetized)

Nanette Alvarez, MD
Eloisa Arbustini, MD
Catherine Boileau, PhD
Julie De Backer, MD, PhD
Ismail El-Hamamsy, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Guillaume Jondeau, MD, PhD
David Liang, MD, PhD
Irene Maumenee, MD
Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD
Rocio Moran, MD
Reed Pyeritz, MD, PhD
Dieter Reinhardt, PhD

GADA Canada Directors (alphabetized)

The Marfan Foundation (USA)