National
BEYOND THE CURTAIN: STEM guidance and training workshops, methodological innovation within the educational community and new career opportunities required by the labour market
Scientific lead: Prof. Maria Pia Viggiano.
Funding body: Fund for the Digital Republic.
Reference year: 2024.
Start date: 20 January 2025.
End date: 31 December 2027.
Project type: Competitive research projects funded by other private bodies.
Intranasal administration of new adenosine A2 receptor antagonists with “mixed” pharmacology to control neurological and muscular impairment caused by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice
Scientific lead: Dr Elisabetta Coppi.
Funding body: Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
Reference year: 2024.
Start date: 1 March 2025.
End date: 31 December 2027.
Project type: Competitive research projects funded by other private bodies.
The project aims to prevent central nervous system demyelination in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis through the antagonism of adenosine A2A and A2B receptors, in order to stimulate oligodendrocyte differentiation and alleviate symptoms during the established phase of the disease.
The research focuses in particular on the P626 compound, which can block both receptors, and on other similar compounds synthesised as part of the project. The mechanisms underlying their protective effects on muscle fibres, sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia, and hippocampal neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity will be investigated in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
BRAIN 2 – Human optical BRAIN mapping: An interplay between functional and structural connectomics in health and diseased BRAIN - Pilot study on the use zebrafish for getting insight into the brain-heart axis: developmental and (patho)physiological aspects
Scientific lead: Prof. Elisabetta Cerbai.
Funding body: Florence Savings Bank Foundation.
Reference year: 2025.
Start date: 18 September 2025.
End date: 31 December 2027.
Project type: Competitive research projects funded by other private bodies.
Study of the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer and targeted pharmacological strategies for reversing them
Scientific lead: Prof. Stefania Nobili.
Funding body: Bank of Italy.
Reference year: 2025.
Start date: 1 October 2025.
End date: 31 December 2026.
Project type: Research contributions from other public bodies.
The project addresses the problem of intrinsic or acquired drug resistance in colorectal cancer, which compromises the effectiveness of standard treatments with fluoropyrimidines, oxaliplatin and irinotecan, combined with targeted agents in locally advanced or metastatic disease.
The research investigates the role of the PNN and KCNQ1OT1 genes, which have already been identified and validated in previous clinical translational studies as predictive biomarkers of response to 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. The project aims to understand the contribution of these factors to the mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer.
Innovative pharmacological strategies to overcome drug resistance in colorectal cancer: the role of PNN and KCNQ1OT1
Scientific lead: Prof. Stefania Nobili.
Funding body: Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A.
Reference year: 2025.
Start date: 12 December 2025.
End date: 31 December 2027.
Project type: Competitive research projects funded by other private bodies.
The project aims to clarify the role of the PNN and KCNQ1OT1 genes in colorectal cancer drug resistance, based on data obtained from two clinical translational studies in which the two genes were identified and validated as predictive biomarkers of treatment response.
The research uses three-dimensional tumour models, including spheroids derived from human cell lines and organoids obtained from patient samples. PNN and KCNQ1OT1 expression will be suppressed using gene-silencing techniques. New biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets regulated by these genes will also be identified, with the aim of contributing to the improvement of personalised treatment strategies for colorectal cancer.
The initiative has already received a charitable contribution from Intesa Sanpaolo.
Decoding the Immunological Drivers of NMOSD and MOGAD: Advancing Targeted Therapies through Antigen-Specific B Cell Mapping
Scientific lead: Prof. Valentina Damato.
Funding body: Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
Reference year: 2025.
Start date: 1 June 2026.
End date: 31 December 2028.
Project type: Competitive research projects funded by other private bodies.
Last update
23.07.2026