The objective of the PhD Program in “Network Oncology and Precision Medicine” (NOPeM) is to train researchers capable of integrating biomedical research, clinical practice, and technological innovation to develop personalized and precision medicine pathways in oncology.
The program aims to build advanced competencies in the management and integration of clinical, molecular, immunological, histopathological, and imaging data, according to the Network Medicine approach applied to oncology.
The goal is to move from a “top-down” model (one disease one therapy) to a “bottom-up” model (one patient one therapy), enhancing the specific clinical and molecular characteristics of each individual.
PhD students, coming from medicine, biology, and related scientific and technological fields, will be trained in the independent design and conduct of experimental and clinical research projects.
The program also promotes the development of transversal skills, including scientific communication, teamwork in multidisciplinary settings, project management, research ethics, and knowledge transfer, preparing professionals able to operate in highly complex academic, clinical, and industrial contexts.
Program structure and educational activities
The PhD offers a multidisciplinary pathway combining courses, seminars, workshops, laboratory activities, and clinical training, with a training offer updated annually and published on the program website.
In the first year, foundational courses aimed at acquiring solid research skills are prioritized; in the second year, integrated research activities in oncology; in the third year, modules dedicated to advanced topics (regulation, public speaking, technology transfer).
The main educational objectives over the three-year period include:
• To dynamically deepen the biomolecular bases of tumor development and progression, with attention to cellular pathology, immunology and immunopathology, genetics and epigenetics, microbiology and biotechnologies.
• To acquire skills in biochemical, bioinformatic, and diagnostic methodologies, as well as in predictive biomarkers of clinical response and therapeutic strategies in oncology.
• To develop biostatistical and informatics skills for the processing and integration of patients’ clinical and molecular data (Network Oncology).
• To design and develop research projects aimed at personalized therapeutic pathways (personalized medicine) and highly specific and effective therapeutic techniques with minimal side effects (precision medicine).
The training offer planned for each cycle, including courses and seminar activities, is available and regularly updated on the PhD website.
Additional seminars and training initiatives provided by partner research centers are open to all PhD students and published on the same page.
The PhD Program enters into agreements with universities, research institutions, businesses, and institutions in Italy and abroad to expand and enhance the educational and scientific opportunities of doctoral students, pursuing internationalization as a strategic element of its mission.
International mobility
The NOPeM PhD program actively promotes structured international mobility, with research periods abroad at academic institutions and centers of excellence in Europe and beyond.
Experiences abroad are supported both by University funds and by external bodies and are an integral part of the educational and research pathway.
Mobility is coordinated and facilitated by the Academic Mobility Coordinator (RAM), Prof. Chiara Napoletano, who supports PhD students in selecting host institutions, defining periods abroad, and enhancing international experiences for the purposes of the thesis project.
The PhD program reserves positions for international students, regularly records international applications, and participates in initiatives aimed at attracting students from abroad.
Collaboration network
The Faculty Board integrates expertise in cellular and molecular biology, medical oncology, pathology, clinical diagnostics, surgery, medical statistics, and bioinformatics engineering, with strong interaction with clinical care facilities.
Faculty members collaborate with each other and with prestigious national and international research centers, creating a highly interdisciplinary and innovation-oriented training environment.
The PhD belongs to the Department of Experimental Medicine of Sapienza, which represents the University in the European Consortium “LifeTime”, established with the aim of revolutionizing healthcare through cutting-edge technologies. In addition, founding members of the “Foundation for Personalized Medicine”, which promotes care pathways based on the specific biological identity of each patient, are part of the Faculty Board.
Among the institutions involved in the training, in addition to Sapienza University of Rome, are:
• National: Istituto Superiore di Sanità; University of Naples Federico II; Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital; University Hospital of Bologna Policlinico S. Orsola Malpighi; National Cancer Institute IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale
• European: Max Delbrück Center (MDC) Berlin; Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University; University of Liverpool; University of Copenhagen (Glycomic Centre, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine); Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto; Maastricht University (Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science); Hospital Clínico – INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, Valencia.
• Non-European: Weill Cornell Medical College, New York; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University.
Scientific disciplinary sectors
The scientific expertise of the Faculty Board is mainly positioned within Areas 05 – Biological Sciences, 06 – Medical Sciences, and 09 – Industrial and Information Engineering, according to the new classification into Scientific Disciplinary Groups (GSD) and Scientific Disciplinary Sectors (SSD) provided by Ministerial Decree 639/2024 – Annex B.
In particular:
Area 05 – Biological Sciences
• BIOS 07/A Biochemistry (formerly BIO/10).
• BIOS 08/A Molecular Biology (formerly BIO/11).
• BIOS 11/A Pharmacology (formerly BIO/14).
Area 06 – Medical Sciences
• MEDS 01/A Medical Genetics (formerly MED/03).
• MEDS 02/A General Pathology (formerly MED/04), MEDS 02/B Clinical Pathology (formerly MED/05).
• MEDS 03/A Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology (formerly MED/07)
• MEDS 04/A Pathological Anatomy (formerly MED/08).
• MEDS 05/A Internal Medicine (formerly MED/09).
• MEDS 06/A General Surgery (formerly MED/18).
• MEDS 17/A Medical Oncology (formerly MED/06).
• MEDS 19/A Medical Statistics (formerly MED/01).
• MEDS 22/A Technical Sciences of Laboratory Medicine (formerly MED/46), MEDS 22/B other applied medical technical sciences (formerly MED/50).
Area 09 – Industrial and Information Engineering
• INFO 02/A Information Processing Systems (formerly ING INF/05).
• INFO 03/A Electronic and Computer Bioengineering (formerly ING INF/06).
This structure reflects the strongly interdisciplinary vocation of the PhD program, which integrates biology, medicine, information engineering, and data science to address the complexity of oncological diseases.
Thesis organization, evaluations
The thesis topic is proposed by the PhD student, approved by the Faculty Board, and developed under the supervision of a tutor belonging to the Board. Every six months, PhD students are required to present a report on the progress of their research project, which the Board evaluates for admission to the following year.
Updated information on the calendar of activities, calls for applications, and the composition of the Faculty Board is available online.