Un istituto di riferimento dove la ricerca sui tumori diventa cura in tempo reale

In our lab we follow two major lines of research:

1. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal type of glioma in adults. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been isolated in GBM but no marker or pattern of markers is still sufficiently robust to definitively identify CSCs.
   Using CSCs isolated from human GBM samples our projects aim to i) identify proteins involved in GBM generation and progression, ii) study potential CSC markers that could be used in clinical applications.
2. Brain metastases are the most common malignancy of the CNS. The knowledge of the biology regulating brain metastasis is fragmentary. The existence of metastasis-initiating cells has not yet been proved, although some evidences suggest that these cells might be found within subpopulations of CSCs. Using brain metastases derived from breast tumors our projects aim to i) identify specific molecular alterations in the brain metastases; ii) understand the mechanisms of organ-specific metastatic program: study of the relevance of the blood-brain barrier and/or the specific niche in brain metastases formation; iii) define the molecular subtypes that identify patients at high risk of developing brain metastases.

• Since 2005 Faculty member of European School of Molecular Medicine, Molecular Medicine P.h.D. Program. Milan, Italy.
• Since 2013 Associate Professor of Clinical Biochemistry University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy