Between the 37th and 40th cycles, 29 PhD students were enrolled in the Doctoral School. All of these candidates participated in national and/or international conferences from 2022 to 2025, with 9 of 29 (31%) serving as presenters and 6 receiving awards for their data presentations. Over the past four years, 65% of PhD candidates have undertaken additional activities, including tutoring. All applicants to the University Tutoring Call received funding. Furthermore, the PhD program encourages PhD candidates to participate in competitive funding opportunities from both the university and external organizations. Between 2022 and 2025, 12 university-funded and 2 foundation-funded projects were awarded, with PhD candidates serving as Principal Investigators (as reported on the website). So far, approximately 30% of PhD candidates from the 37th to the 40th cycle have spent at least three months abroad, participating in national or international research programs (9/29). Additionally, in the 38th cycle, one PhD candidate earned the title of Doctor Europaeus (January 2026). The proportion of publications resulting from the research activities of PhD candidates across at least two different cycles increased from 8.9% (cycles 36–38) to 13.4% (cycles 39–41), indicating a steady increase in collaboration among PhD candidates.
Academic Year 2024-2025
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the PhD Program in Network Oncology and Precision Medicine engaged PhD students from cycles 38, 39, and 40 in a training and research path fully consistent with the program's mission. All PhD students followed the programmed teaching of the PhD program and the extensive offering of courses, seminars, and transversal activities proposed by the Faculty Board and the BeMM PhD School, with a balance between advanced biomedical content, computational methodologies, and soft skills. Research activities covered the entire spectrum of precision medicine in oncology: clinical-translational studies on solid tumors and onco-hematology, multi-omics and network medicine projects, advanced imaging and radiomics, epidemiology and large cohorts, up to projects on oncofertility and quality of life. Internationalization was ensured through participation in national and international conferences and extended mobility periods in foreign centers of excellence, integrated with stays at national IRCCS and research institutes. A distinctive element of the year was the strong level of synergy among PhD students from the three years of study, who worked together in inter-cycle research groups, co-authored joint publications, and shared datasets and competencies (clinical, laboratory, bioinformatics, and statistical), fostering a real internal scientific community. Further information is available in the attached file "report academic year 2024-2025".
Academic Year 2023-2024
In the 2023-2024 academic year, the activities of cycles 37, 38, and 39 contributed to consolidating the structure of the PhD program as an integrated environment for training and research in network oncology. All PhD students participated in the mandatory courses of the PhD program and the training initiatives promoted by the Faculty Board and the BeMM School, which included modules on precision medicine, immuno-oncology, languages and tools for data analysis, omics and imaging technologies, as well as courses dedicated to transversal competencies and career development. Research projects ranged from molecular and immunological characterization of solid and pediatric tumors to radiomics, from studies on circulating biomarkers and liquid biopsy to large real-world analyses on immunotherapy and targeted therapies, with increasingly systematic use of network medicine approaches. During the year, synergies among the three years of study were further strengthened: more advanced PhD students involved younger colleagues in multicenter studies, in the construction of databases and analytical pipelines, and in the preparation of abstracts and publications, while structured discussion moments (data clubs, thematic working groups, BeMM initiatives) facilitated the sharing of results and methods. Internationalization was supported by conference participation and mobility periods, particularly for more advanced cycles, creating continuity with activities carried out in subsequent years. Further information is available in the attached file "report academic year 2023-2024". Academic Year 2022-2023 In the 2022-2023 academic year, the PhD program involved cycles 36, 37, and 38, in a crucial phase of launching and consolidating the new approach focused on network medicine and personalization of oncological pathways. All PhD students followed the programmed teaching, which includes institutional courses on precision medicine, oncology, tumor immunology, statistical and computational methodologies, and participated extensively in courses and seminars offered by the Faculty Board and the BeMM School, including methodological pathways and soft skills activities. PhD students from the 38th cycle launched their projects, focused on biomarkers, solid and pediatric tumors, integration of clinical, omics, and imaging data, while PhD students from the 37th and 36th cycles developed more mature clinical-translational projects, contributing to the organization of network medicine laboratories dedicated particularly to lung tumors and glioblastoma. The year was characterized by strong use of cooperative teaching methodologies (group work, data clubs, thematic groups) that fostered systematic interaction among PhD students from the three years of study, with sharing of datasets, analytical tools, and research strategies. The first long-term international mobility periods were also initiated, and collaborations with national centers and institutes were strengthened, creating the foundation for activities and scientific results in subsequent years. Further information is available in the attached file "report academic year 2022-2023".