From our campuses

A delegation from the Republic of Kosovo, led by the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation, Mimoza Kusari Lila, visited Area Science Park today with the aim of learning more about the activities of the national research institution and gaining insights into the development and management model of its science and technology park. Accompanying the Minister was the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Italy, Nita Shala. Both were in Trieste to take part in the economic forum “Doing Business in Kosovo,” an event dedicated to strengthening economic, trade, and investment relations between Kosovo and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The President of Area Science Park, Professor Caterina Petrillo. welcomed Minister Kusari Lila and Ambassador Shala, and presented the model developed by Area Science Park: a well-established research and innovation ecosystem that has recently integrated research and technological infrastructures within its framework. The delegation’s interest stems from a project launched by the Kosovar government to transform a large disused area in Prizren into an innovation ecosystem capable of integrating research, technology transfer, innovative entrepreneurship, and investment attraction. The delegation also explored various aspects of the project, ranging from logistics and services available to its tenants to sustainability and site management. “We were delighted to welcome the Kosovo delegation today and share the experience and best practices that we have developed and tested over nearly fifty years since the institution was founded,” said the President of Area Science Park, Caterina Petrillo. “Area can rely on extensive experience in capacity building and in sharing models, expertise, and tools to support the development of research and innovation ecosystems. Making this wealth of knowledge available to organizations engaged in transformation processes represents an important opportunity for collaboration and exchange for us.”  

Professor Giovanni Comelli has been appointed President of the Board of Directors of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., the non-profit company of national interest that manages one of the world’s most advanced research infrastructures based on the use of synchrotron light and free-electron lasers. A Full Professor of Experimental Physics of Matter and Applications at the University of Trieste, author of more than 250 scientific publications, and active in numerous national and European research programs and scientific infrastructures, Comelli was designated as a member of the new Board of Directors by the Italian Minister of Universities and Research (MUR), Anna Maria Bernini, and appointed President by the Shareholders’ Assembly. He succeeds Professor Alfonso Franciosi, who has retired from the University of Trieste after leading Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste for more than twenty years. Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste is owned by Area Science Park, the majority shareholder with 55.87% of the share capital, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (35.87%), the National Research Council of Italy (4.62%), and Invitalia Partecipazioni S.p.A. (3.64%). “The appointment of Giovanni Comelli, the member designated by MUR, as President of Elettra Sincrotrone is a choice of continuity, while also signaling enhanced development and renewed momentum for the company,” stated Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park, who added: “With Giovanni Comelli, Elettra will maintain a strong role within the national research system and gain a renewed international perspective. His expertise, together with a solid strategic vision and a strong openness to collaboration, are key elements in strengthening relations with Area Science Park. We look forward to working together on new projects and initiatives capable of enhancing the country’s scientific and technological competitiveness. I am certain that Professor Comelli will make a significant contribution to consolidating Trieste’s role as an international hub for science and innovation. We are grateful to the outgoing President, Professor Franciosi, for leading the company until today”. The new Board of Directors is now composed of Professor Giovanni Comelli (University of Trieste), President; Professor Anna Gregorio (University of Trieste); Dr. Caterina Vozzi (National Research Council of Italy); Professor Giorgio Rossi (University of Milan); and Dr. Paolo Valente (Director of the Rome Section of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics). The new Board of Statutory Auditors, also appointed by the shareholders, is composed of standing auditors Gianpaolo Graberi (Chairman), Francesco Battaglia, Sara Rossi, Gabriella Magurano, and Pietro Coluzzi, with Vittorio Pella and Paola Rodighiero serving as alternate auditors. Both governing bodies ensure significant continuity with the previous composition, while introducing new members with distinguished scientific, academic, and professional expertise

Area Science Park welcomed to its Basovizza Campus an international delegation of 39 students and 3 professors from Leiden University, in the Netherlands. The group is part of the Leidse Biologen Club, the student association bringing together students enrolled in Bachelor’s degree programmes in Biology and Bioinformatics, and the Master’s programmes in Biology. The visit to Trieste is part of an annual study trip that this year also includes the cities of Vienna and Graz. The aim of the club is to allow future biologists to explore new professional opportunities and discover how academic research translates into industrial applications and practical solutions. The students were particularly impressed by the variety of projects developed within the science park, thanks to the presence of multiple companies and laboratories concentrated in one location. Presentations on the activities of Area Science Park, CNR-IOM, and the PRP Platform (Pathogen Readiness Platform), were followed by visits to the Microfabrication, Microsensing and Mechanobiology Laboratory (3M), the Genomics and Epigenomics Laboratory (LAGE), Alifax Research & Development Srl, and the Italian Liver Foundation. “For many students, this was an opportunity to closely observe laboratories and instruments that are usually found only in major international research centres,” said Federico Boscherini, Director of CNR-IOM. “It was a pleasure to welcome students from different scientific backgrounds to the campus and to see their interest in the technologies and infrastructures available here in Basovizza. The campus’s open infrastructures are designed precisely for this purpose: to share expertise, technologies, and advanced research environments with international scientific and educational communities.” The Leidse Biologen Club’s stay in Trieste concluded with excursions to the Grotta Gigante cave and the Val Rosandra nature reserve.

The rhythmic beating of the heart may play an unexpected role in protecting it from cancer. An international study, published in Science and coordinated by the Cardiovascular Biology laboratory of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in collaboration with the University of Trieste, demonstrates that the mechanical forces generated by cardiac contraction can significantly slow tumour growth in both mouse and human hearts. The study, entitled “Mechanical load inhibits tumour growth in mouse and human hearts”, highlights a mechanism that has remained largely unexplored: the physical forces acting on the myocardium not only regulate cardiac function but also directly influence the behaviour of tumour cells, limiting their proliferation. The research brought together a broad European network of institutions, including the Medical University of Innsbruck, King’s College London, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Simula Research Laboratory in Oslo, IEO and Centro Cardiologico Monzino, ICGEB and the University of Trieste. This collaboration enabled the combination of experimental biology, clinical investigation, bioengineering and computational modelling. A long-standing clinical observation provided the starting point for the study: primary tumours of the heart are extremely rare, and even metastatic lesions in cardiac tissue are typically smaller than those found in other organs. While this phenomenon is well known in medicine, its underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. Researchers hypothesised that the answer might lie in the unique mechanical environment of the heart, a tissue constantly subjected to contraction, pressure and deformation. To test this, the team, headed by Prof. Serena Zacchigna, employed innovative experimental models. In mouse models, scientists examined what happens when the heart is mechanically “unloaded.” Under reduced mechanical stress, tumour cells proliferated significantly more. In parallel, engineered cardiac tissues developed in the laboratory allowed precise modulation of mechanical load. Across all systems analysed, the findings were consistent: when cardiac tissue beats and generates mechanical load, tumour growth slows; when this mechanical stimulus is reduced, cancer cells resume proliferation. Crucially, the study reveals that the impact of mechanical forces extends beyond the cell surface. The researchers demonstrated that cardiac mechanical load influences internal molecular mechanisms that regulate tumour cell division. This establishes a direct link between the mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment and epigenetic regulation within cancer cells. “Our findings show that the heart’s pulsation is not merely a physiological function but may act as a natural suppressor of tumour growth,” said Prof. Zacchigna. “This suggests that the cardiac environment is unfavourable to cancer cells not only for immunological or metabolic reasons, but also because its continuous mechanical activity physically constrains their expansion.” Prof. Giulio Pompilio, MD, Scientific Director of the Monzino Cardiological Centre IRCCS, added, “This work was made possible thanks to the collaboration of experts from various fields, ranging from cardiology and oncology to bioengineering and bioinformatics”. An important strength of the study lies in its translational dimension. Results obtained in experimental systems were compared with human cardiac metastases and analysed alongside lesions located in other organs from the same patients. The distinct biological patterns observed in laboratory models were confirmed in human samples, reinforcing the robustness and clinical relevance of the findings. Although the research does not propose an immediate therapeutic application, it opens an entirely new avenue of investigation as to whether mechanical stimuli could, in the future, be harnessed as a therapeutic strategy against cancer. The concept of a “mechanical therapy” remains to be developed, but the principle emerging from this work is clear – physical forces are not merely a passive context for disease; they can act as regulators of tumour growth. A deeper understanding of how cancer cells respond to pressure, movement and mechanical load could shed light on tumour behaviour in other organs and potentially inspire new therapeutic strategies that target not only molecular pathways but also the physical characteristics of tissues. In an increasingly interdisciplinary scientific landscape, this study exemplifies the power of integrating advanced experimentation, human sample analysis, computational modelling and international collaboration to uncover previously unrecognised dimensions of disease biology.