Research and Preclinical Development of Innovative and Predictive Therapeutic Strategies for the Optimisation of Brain Cancer Treatment
While waiting to publish an article with the latest research news for the fourth two months of 2023, it seems important to me to write an article dedicated to an important project on the treatment of gliomas active in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Last month the workshop dedicated to the presentation of the results obtained so far from the Glioma Friuli Venezia Giulia project was held, directed by Prof. Miran Skrap. The latest advances in the research and development of innovative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of brain tumors were presented during the workshop.
The study day, which took place on 19 July in the conference room of the Udine hospital, saw the participation of numerous sector experts from various institutions participating in the project.
After the institutional greetings of the Medical Director of the Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, David Turello, Dr. Simona Rizzato provided an overview of the treatment of gliomas in adults, presenting the state of the art and the most recent innovations in the field.
Subsequently, several innovative approaches to address the disease were presented. Dr. Daniela Cesselli of the University of Udine illustrated the importance of precision medicine in the diagnosis and development of patient-based in vitro and in vivo models for gliomas. Professor Enrico Pegolo, also from the University of Udine, presented the results of the research conducted on the samples collected, while Dr. Serena Mastantuono addressed the issue of the tumor microenvironment as a new therapeutic target.
Interesting perspectives on glioma therapy were also presented. Dr. Ivana Manini highlighted tumor infiltration as a therapeutic target, while Professor Pierfrancesco Del Mestre illustrated the evaluation of the antitumor activity of metal-based complexes.
During the day, an animated discussion was held on these interesting topics, moderated by Prof. Miran Skrap and with the participation of the General Director of the Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, Denis Caporale, and the Councilor for Health, social policies and disability, Riccardo Riccardi.
Other internationally renowned experts enriched the study day with their presentations. Professor Giuseppe Toffoli of the Aviano Oncological Reference Center discussed the development of new drugs and new therapeutic strategies in glioblastomas, while Professor Maurizio Polano illustrated the use of artificial intelligence models to integrate glioma therapy. Professor Vincent Torre of the CNR-IOM of Basovizza also contributed with a presentation on the effect of the cocktail on the patients’ U87 and GSC.
Finally, Dr. Anna Menini of the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati of Trieste investigated the heterogeneous expression of ion channels in cells derived from gliomas of different patients, while Dr. Paola Storici of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste presented the updates on the activities of the Protein Facility of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste and dr. Roberto Pugliese, also representing the Volunteer organization Glioblastoma.IT ODV, closed the day with a presentation on radiomics and the predictive diagnostic possibilities.
The workshop represented an important opportunity to deepen knowledge on innovative therapeutic strategies in the treatment of brain tumors. Experts presented their research and discussed the results, paving the way for new treatment options for glioma patients. The concrete result is that a clinical trial will probably be activated at the Udine hospital within the year which will allow for the design of a personalized therapy based on the genetic characteristics of the specific patient’s glioma thanks to the collaboration of the entire project team and the services offered partners from the different. A great result!
