Research and Multidisciplinary activities

Multidisciplinary working groups were formed involving doctoral students from the 36th and 37th cycles and faculty members of the Teaching Committee. The workflow within these groups begins with a clinical question proposed by the doctoral students with clinical training; subsequently, data generated by the research groups or retrieved from public databases are collected and analyzed by doctoral students and faculty members with IT skills. The results of the analyses are then discussed and interpreted collegially within the group.

Analyzing blocks of three consecutive cycles, the percentage of publications resulting from the joint work of at least two doctoral cycles increased from 8.9% (cycles 36–38) to 13.4% (cycles 39–41). This increase demonstrates a progressive consolidation of collaboration among doctoral students, in line with the educational structure of the doctoral program, which systematically promotes multidisciplinary work.
 
41st Cycle
  1. Computational analysis for the identification of predictive immunological profiles in patients with solid tumors (PhD Student Davide Capozzi; Supervisor Prof. A. Rughetti).
  2. Integration of clinical, molecular, and spatial transcriptomic data for the identification of biomarkers and innovative therapeutic strategies to improve response to immunotherapy (PhD Student Anna Ceccarelli; Supervisor Prof. E. Ferretti).
  3. Integration of radiogenomic data to predict response to chemotherapy in patients with high-grade ovarian cancer (PhD Student Marco Gennarini; Supervisor Prof. A. Po; Co-supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
  4. Use of Artificial Intelligence for the integration of MRI data in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PhD Student Ludovica Laschena; Supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
  5. Targeted genomic therapy in advanced solid tumors (PhD student Sofia Verkhovskaia; Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli; Co-supervisor Prof. P. Marchetti).
  6. Pathology and Multimodal Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer (PhD student Luigi Vittori; Supervisor Prof. G. d'Amati).
 
40th Cycle
  1. Spatial multi-omic analysis of the tumor microenvironment in EBV-related hematological malignancies (PhD Student Flavia Adotti; Supervisor Prof. G. d'Amati).
  2. Bioinformatics approaches for the analysis of spatial transcriptomic data in solid tumors (PhD Student Martina Brunetti; Supervisor Prof. Z. M. Besharat)
  3. Computational analysis of multi-omic data for the early detection of solid tumors (PhD Student Alessandro Caioli; Supervisor Prof. M. Moretti; Co-supervisor Prof. F. Conte).
  4. Study of the role of magnetic resonance imaging and VI-RADS in the staging and follow-up of patients with bladder cancer (PhD Student Ailin Dehghanpour; Supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
  5. Study of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in breast cancer (PhD Student Gabriella Gentile; Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli).
  6. Using a multiomics approach to identify biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors (PhD student Giorgia Gugliuzza; Supervisor Prof. E. Ferretti; Co-supervisor Prof. A. Po).
  7. Integrating Artificial Intelligence and microRNA to improve the diagnosis and classification of breast cancer (PhD student Andrea Maroncelli; Supervisor Prof. S. Mezi; Co-supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
  8. Application of an automated model based on magnetic resonance radiomics to predict histological diagnosis in patients with endometrial cancer (PhD student Roberta Valerieva Ninkova; Supervisor Prof. A. Po; Co-supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
 
39th Cycle
  1. Application of artificial intelligence and molecular biology tools to identify diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers of malignant melanocytic lesions (PhD Student Andrea Ascione; Supervisor Prof. G. D’Amati).
  2. Study of the hereditary predisposition to the development of pediatric cancers to identify new potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets (PhD Student Roberto Carta; Supervisor Prof.ssa I. G. Zizzari; Co-supervisor Prof. A. Mastronuzzi).
  3. High-throughput analysis of microRNAs in solid tumors and development of preclinical cellular models of neoplastic diseases, with particular attention to patient-derived organoids (PDOs) in brain tumors (PhD Student Sara Cassandro; Supervisor Prof. A. Po; Co-supervisor Dr. Elena Splendiani).
  4. Genomic characterization of intrinsic resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapy in renal cell carcinoma (PhD Student Mattia Alberto di Civita; Supervisor Prof. D. Santini).
  5. Analysis and characterization of tissue and circulating biomarkers in solid tumors, with a particular focus on biliary tract and brain tumors. (PhD Student Nicole Feverati; Supervisor Prof. M. Moretti; Co-supervisor Prof. E. Ferretti).
  6. Research projects on radiological and oncological topics, in the fields of precision medicine and big data, radiomics, and other "omics" sciences. (PhD Student Giorgio Maria Masci; Supervisor Prof. V. Panebianco).
  7. Precision medicine in ovarian and endometrial cancer: an integrated approach between clinical practice and molecular biology (PhD Student Lucia Musacchio; Supervisor Prof. E. Ferretti).
  8. Research and evaluation of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, in the absence of driver mutations, undergoing immunotherapy. (PhD Student Lucrezia Tuosto; Supervisor Prof. C. Napoletano).
  9. Study of molecular models of immunosuppression and immune exhaustion in glioblastoma. (PhD student Flavio Valentino; Supervisor Prof. A. Rughetti).
 
PhD Alumni
 
38th cycle:
Dr. Angela Asquino - Supervisor: Prof. Ilaria G. Zizzari
Dr. Tanja Milena Autilio - Supervisor: Prof. E. Ferretti
Dr. Federica D’Antonio - Supervisor: Prof. A. Mastronuzzi
Dr. Martina Pecoraro - Supervisor: Prof. V. Panebianco
Dr. Daniele Marinelli - Supervisor: Prof. D. Santini
Dr. Fiorenza Santamaria - Supervisor: Prof. A. Botticelli
 
The two main lines of research conducted by the working groups and the relevant professors were: molecular studies and network analysis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain tumors.
 
37th cycle:
Dr. Caterina Alfano - Supervisor Prof. L. Farina
Dr. Edoardo Cerbelli - Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli
Dr. Giuseppe Caruso - Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli
Dr. Giada Del Baldo - Supervisor Prof. A. Mastronuzzi
Dr. Angelica Pace - Supervisor Prof. A. Rughetti
Dr. Simona Pisegna - Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli
Dr. Giuseppe Caruso - Supervisor Prof. A. Botticelli
 
36th cycle:
Dr. Marco Filetti 
Dr. Alessio Ugolini 
Dr. Alessio Cirillo 
Dr. Mario Occhipinti 
Dr. Fabio Scirocchi 

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