Cancer Genomics and Systems Biology Lab
Cancer is a disease of the genome. Each person’s cancer is different from others and each tumor has its unique abnormalities at the genetic level. Some of these anomalies are clinically significant and, if identified and characterized, can be exploited to improve the identification, management and treatment of cancer, as well as help us to understand how different patients respond to treatment.
The Cancer Genomics and Systems Biology Laboratory, Dept. of Medical Biotechnology University of Siena, aims to develop new approaches for
identify and understand the genetic and biological mechanisms that underlie the genesis, progression and resistance to cancer treatment. To do this, we use advanced technologies and highly automated systems, bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques of applied mathematics and notions of artificial intelligence.
The main activities are the analysis of tumor genetic variations or molecular switches underlying tumor cell survival and resistance to the pharmacological treatments in use. The laboratory carries out genetic and functional analysis examining genome changes in many different types of cancer. Specifically, it is possible to follow changes in the genome of tumor cells on liquid biopsy samples (i.e. tumor genome released by tumor cells into patients’ plasma) detecting and characterizing the presence of specific alterations in the DNA or RNA of the tumor that can make it sensitive or resistant to various oncological treatments. Furthermore, the enormous amount of data from such experiments are used to develop predictive computational models of tumor cell behavior and for the development of valid statistical models for the interpretation of these data, to produce algorithms, signatures and characteristic profiles of the tumor state.
TEAM
Direttore: Frullanti Elisa (https://docenti.unisi.it/it/frullanti)
Ricercatori: Palmieri Maria, Rosati Diletta
Dottorandi: Serio Viola Bianca
Progetti Finanziati
– PRIN 2022-PNRR (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca)
Titolo: “Circulating biomarker-based approach to evaluate Tumor Mutational Burden in metastatic lung cancer patients”
Durata: 2023-2025
Coordinator: Prof. Elisa Frullanti (PI)
Budget for Frullanti’s Unit: 149.357 Euro
– PRIN 2022 (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca)
Titolo: “Multi-omics approach for the identification of non-invasive biomarkers of host and tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced lung cancer patients”
Durata: 2023-2025
Coordinator: Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche – Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche
UNISI PI: Elisa Frullanti – Director of Research Unit – Partner
Budget for Frullanti’s Unit: 148.191 Euro
– INAIL – Piano Attività di Ricerca 2022/2024 – Bando BRIC 2022
Title: Identificazione dell’impronta digitale dell’esposizione all’amianto nel mesotelioma (ID19)
Durata: 2023-2025
Coordinator: Elisa Frullanti (PI)
Budget for Frullanti’s Unit: 75.200 Euro
– THE Tuscany Health Ecosystem (PNRR- Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca)
https://www.tuscanyhealthecosystem.it/#
Titolo: Spoke 6 – “Precision Medicine & Personalized Healthcare”
Durata: 2022-2025
Coordinator Spoke 6-UNISI: Nicola De Stefano
UNISI PI: Elisa Frullanti – Director of Research Unit – Partner
Budget for Frullanti’s Unit: 227.100 Euro
– PRIN 2017 (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca)
Titolo: A multidisciplinary approach to study protocadherin 19: from neuronal function to the cellular interference pathogenic mechanism
Durata: 2019-2022
Coordinator: Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche di Milano
UNISI PI: Elisa Frullanti – Director of Research Unit – Partner
Budget for Frullanti’s Unit: 168.000 Euro