From our campuses

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.

A groundbreaking research project, supported by the European Research Infrastructures Consortium CERIC-ERIC, has shed new light on one of the most unusual and little-known chapters of human history: how human skin used to be tattooed – and then preserved – centuries ago. The study, recently published in the journal Heritage Science, combines history, chemistry, anthropology, and conservation science to better understand and protect rare tattooed skin fragments, many over a century old, held in the historic “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax Collection at the University of Bologna. The research, which involved a multidisciplinary team from CERIC-ERIC, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, the University of Bologna, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), offers a unique window into past tattooing practices, cultural traditions, and the ways museums once collected and studied the human body. Tattooing is an ancient human practice found across cultures and eras, from the 5,000-year-old tattooed “Ötzi” mummy discovered in the Alps to medieval Christian pilgrims who marked their bodies as signs of faith. But alongside this rich history lies a darker legacy: the collection of tattooed human skin by early scientists, criminologists, and museums, particularly during the 19th century. At that time, tattoos were mistakenly viewed as signs of criminality or “primitive” behavior, ideas promoted by influential but now-discredited figures such as Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso. This led to the preservation of tattooed skin in museums and research institutions across Europe. The tattooed fragments studied in this research primarily represent the Loreto tattooing tradition – a devotional practice geographically confined to central Italy and intimately connected to pilgrimages to the Holy House of Loreto, a major Catholic sanctuary in the Marche region. “These tattoos – explains Monia Vadrucci, researcher at ASI and first author of the study – reveal intimate stories of individuals who lived in central Italy between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Religious subjects – Madonnas of Loreto, monstrances, Sacred Hearts – testify to pilgrimages made to the Sanctuary of the Holy House, a journey that for peasants and people of humble origins represented a difficult undertaking, often accomplished on foot through the countryside. The date “1881” inscribed next to a Madonna, for example, immortalizes not only the year of the pilgrimage but probably a crucial moment in that person’s life: a grace received, a promise kept, or an act of thanksgiving”. The tattoo, performed with rudimentary three-pointed iron tools, became a permanent ex-voto, a physical bond with the divine imprinted on the skin – primarily on the wrists – recalling the stigmata of Christ and Saint Francis. Alongside sacred symbols, profane and erotic tattoos also emerge, evidence of a popular culture that mixed devotion and carnality without apparent contradiction. “The differences observed among the specimens, which suggest individuals of varying ages,” adds Stefano Ratti, Professor of Human Anatomy at the University of Bologna and scientific expert of the “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax Collection, “indicate that these people carried their tattoos throughout their lives-indelible marks of moments that defined their spiritual and social identity in an era when the body itself became a book of memory”. The tattooed skin pieces were rediscovered only recently in museum storage. With little documentation surviving about their origins, researchers saw an opportunity to study them with modern, non-invasive investigation methods that would protect the extremely fragile specimens while revealing their secrets: “Through advanced spectroscopic analyses conducted at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste – explains Chiaramaria Stani, former CERIC researcher who is now beamline scientist at Elettra – we identified traditional pigments such as plant-based carbon black for black tattoos, natural earth pigments for browns, and a mixture of cinnabar and minium for reds. But we also discovered traces of zinc and lime compounds, possibly suggesting the museum conservation methods of the time. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to document a nearly extinct cultural practice and develop specific conservation protocols for these unique materials”. This research offers valuable insights into the moral, social, and religious dimensions of tattooing in 19th century Italy, contributing to the understanding of tattooing evolution from a devotional and identity-based practice to a contemporary art form. It also establishes a framework for museums worldwide that care for similar materials – many of which also lack documentation or face conservation challenges. Future investigations aim to expand the scientific techniques used and explore archival sources to better understand who these individuals were and how their tattooed skin came to be preserved. The research team also emphasizes the importance of addressing the ethical dimensions of studying and exhibiting human remains, recognizing them as sensitive materials that require respectful treatment while acknowledging their cultural and scientific value.

The results of an important study published in the scientific journal Cell Reports describe the development of a new model capable of reconstructing key physiological features of the human liver, allowing the pathological processes that drive liver degeneration to be closely observed in the laboratory. The study, supported by AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, has been coordinated by Giovanni Sorrentino, Group Leader, Advanced Disease Models at ICGEB, and Associate Professor of Histology at the University of Trieste, and comprises a multidisciplinary team including biotechnologists, physicists, and clinicians, to integrate cellular biology, genomics, tissue engineering, and direct clinical observations to develop the unique research platform. “The new system makes it possible to recreate the pathological activation of liver stem cells in the laboratory,” says Sorrentino, an expert in in vitro tissue engineering based on stem cell technologies and three-dimensional organoids. “In the early stages of chronic liver disease, this process has regenerative purposes. However, when it persists, it becomes one of the main factors in inflammation, tissue scarring, and progression toward advanced liver disease, including liver cancer.” For the first time, the model developed by researchers allows the observation of the pathological processes that drive liver tissue degeneration in chronic diseases and tumour progression in a three-dimensional environment that faithfully reproduces the complexity of the human liver, preserving the interactions between different cell populations. The researchers have discovered that reactive stem cell populations are critically dependent on their ability to synthesise cholesterol. Drugs widely used in clinical practice to lower cholesterol (such as statins) can halt the process of blocking abnormal stem cell activation, reducing inflammation and significantly slowing disease progression in chronic liver diseases. “In recent years,” comments Sorrentino, “clinical data from large patient populations have shown that people taking statins for the treatment of cardiovascular disease also show a slowdown in the progression of chronic liver diseases and a reduced risk of developing liver tumours such as cholangiocarcinoma, which results from prolonged abnormal activation of stem cells.” This study could reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying this connection, explaining why statins exert a protective effect. Beatrice Anfuso, Suresh Velnati, and Davide Selvestrel, the study’s lead authors, confirm that these results represent a decisive step forward. Thanks to the diverse expertise of team members, it has been possible to develop a platform that clarifies how the disease manifests itself and also reveals its initial vulnerabilities. The fact that one of these vulnerabilities can be treated with already approved drugs makes the discovery promising for early therapeutic intervention and disease prevention.

The ICGEB and the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) have launched a Technology Transfer Training Programme with the aim of equipping low- and middle-income countries with the necessary knowledge and skills to accelerate the production of vaccines that can protect against emerging infectious diseases. The training course includes the participation of ten delegates from nine DCVMN member companies from countries such as Argentina, Ghana, India, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Vietnam. The training programme includes a five-week online component and a one-week laboratory training session. The first part covers the theoretical foundations of technology transfer, including Intellectual Property (IP) and licensing, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and regulatory considerations, different vaccine process platforms, and a roadmap for successful execution. The second phase takes place at the ICGEB’s Biotechnology Development Unit in Trieste and offers a practical and immersive experience in a GMP-like environment, allowing participants to put the learned concepts into practice. At the conclusion of the course, participants will return to their organizations with the necessary know-how to share the knowledge, amplify the impact of the training, and translate the learnings into concrete actions for vaccine development and production in their countries.

An international group of researchers from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, led by Gianluca Petris — now Principal Investigator of the Genome Engineering & Biotechnology Unit at the Fondazione Italiana Fegato and lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Udine – has achieved an unprecedented result: transferring, modifying, and replacing entire human chromosomes while keeping their structure intact. The study, published in Science, represents a decisive breakthrough for synthetic and generative biology and for future advanced genetic therapies. The researchers developed a technology that makes it possible to move entire human chromosomes from one cell to another without damaging their DNA, to modify them in special “factory cells” made from mouse embryonic stem cells, and then to reintroduce them into final human cells. In these factory cells, the telomeres of human chromosomes – structures whose shortening is critical in aging processes and genomic stability – lengthen up to tenfold, then spontaneously return to typical human lengths once the chromosomes are transferred back into the recipient cells. It was also possible to eliminate the original chromosome from human cells and replace it with the engineered one, completing for the first time a full cycle of chromosome transplantation with unprecedented genomic fidelity. This approach allows scientists to address biological questions that have so far remained beyond the reach of traditional genome-editing tools (such as CRISPR-Cas). The new technology makes it possible to modify and causally analyze the human genome as an integrated system rather than gene by gene. It therefore becomes easier to evaluate the contribution of large regulatory regions, the role of so-called “dark DNA”, and the three-dimensional organization of DNA in the cell. Moreover, it offers a unique model for studying the chromosomal alterations typical of cancer, as well as the mechanisms underlying aging, including the dynamic behavior of telomeres. Looking ahead, this work paves the way for building synthetic chromosomes and genomes, designing cells with entirely new functions, generating cells and tissues with greater immunological compatibility and intrinsic resistance to viruses, and developing a new generation of gene therapies capable of addressing even complex and rare diseases. The experimental part of the research was conducted entirely in the United Kingdom thanks to the support of the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr. Petris during his time abroad. The continuation and expansion of this line of research in Italy is now being carried out by Dr. Petris at the Fondazione Italiana Fegato and the University of Udine, thanks to competitive funding such as the My First AIRC Grant (AIRC) and the PNRR (Next Gen EU) – Young Researchers program. As Gianluca Petris emphasizes, “this is a result that only a few years ago would have been considered unattainable, and today it opens the door to a new generation of knowledge and technologies destined to have a major scientific, medical, economic, and social impact”.

The Interreg COHERENCE project – Cross Border Health Regulatory Alliance for Advanced Therapies – has launched a digital platform that supports researchers and clinicians in regulatory compliance for cell-based Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products. COHERENCE promotes a collaborative approach to research and development processes by capitalising on the experience gained by interregional partners in Italy and Slovenia. ICGEB, as the lead partner in the project, is pleased to announce the launch of a digital platform that supports researchers and clinicians in regulatory compliance for cell-based Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The web platform is available in three languages (Italian, Slovenian, and English). It offers a clear map of national (Italian and Slovenian) and European regulations, provides templates and checklists of the necessary forms for both countries (including the CTIS guide), and includes experimental protocols, publications, and conference information. Through a pilot action, the project aims to develop an open platform to guide researchers in regulatory compliance. It involves the design and conduct of a clinical trial to treat difficult wounds. In addition to advancing the development of an effective treatment for difficult wounds, the trial will test the platform, which will then be opened and expanded to encourage the participation of other research groups at the European level. The platform has been designed as an open, modular, and scalable tool to accelerate the transition from preclinical to clinical safely and ethically and to incorporate and integrate regulatory updates and new content.

A new study, supported by the research infrastructure consortium CERIC-ERIC, has found that microplastics – tiny fragments of plastic less than 5 mm in size – have begun to infiltrate even the most remote terrestrial ecosystems on Earth: the uninhabited lands of Antarctica. The research, conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Kentucky, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, reveals that while microplastics can be ingested by the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica, immediate physiological harm appears limited. However, the findings underscore the need for expanded monitoring as human activity and plastic pollution continue to rise globally, even at the most unexpected locations. Plastic pollution has become a defining environmental issue worldwide. Although Antarctica is geographically isolated, previous research has already shown that microplastics can reach the continent through marine transport, atmospheric deposition, tourism, and even scientific operations. However, until now, little was known about how these pollutants affect the tiny soil-dwelling invertebrates that form the foundation of Antarctic land ecosystems. “In our study – explains Nicholas Teets, entomologist at the University of Kentucky and coordinator of the research – we examined both lab-exposed and wild-collected midge larvae, offering the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic ingestion and its physiological impacts in B. antarctica, the continent’s only endemic insect and one of its most abundant terrestrial animals”. In fact, despite their size, Antarctic midges play a crucial role in nutrient recycling and soil ecosystem health: with only a handful of terrestrial animal species inhabiting the continent, any pollutant that threatens these invertebrates could affect the entire food chain. “Thanks to the use of advanced imaging techniques, such as micro–Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy – adds Elisa Bergami, ecologist at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia – we detected for the first time microplastic fragments inside the digestive tracts of wild midge larvae. Although ingestion was rare and detected in fewer than 7% of field-collected individuals, these findings confirm that plastics are reaching Antarctic soils”. Interestingly, when larvae were experimentally exposed to varying concentrations of microplastic beads for 10 days, researchers found neither effect on survival (even at doses far exceeding expected environmental levels) nor detectable change in metabolic rate, suggesting that short-term exposure does not disrupt core physiological processes. “However, we observed a decrease in lipid reserves at high doses, indicating possible impacts on energy metabolism that could have consequences during harsh Antarctic winters” points out Jack Devlin, researcher at the University of Kentucky and first author of the study. “Besides highlighting the advantages to use, in modern entomology, a multidisciplinary approach based on advanced, complementary analytical techniques (as the ones available in Elettra and in the CERIC Consortium) – comments Lisa Vaccari, senior scientist at SISSI-Bio facility of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste – this work also shows the importance of minimizing contamination from scientific activities themselves, recommending non-invasive techniques such as μ-FTIR imaging as the most reliable method for future assessments”. While the immediate physiological effects on Belgica antarctica appear minimal, the long-term consequences – especially under increasing environmental stress – remain unknown. More in-depth studies are then urgently needed, also to examine possible tissue damage or molecular responses within insects exposed to plastics.   CERIC-ERIC is a European research infrastructure consortium established by the European Commission and the Government of eight Countries in 2014. It offers researchers and industry access to more than 60 experimental analytical and synthesis techniques in advanced research facilities in eight Central and Eastern European countries, and associated institutions. This supports multidisciplinary research down to the micro- and nano-level in the fields of advanced materials, biomaterials and nanotechnology. In CERIC’s facilities, materials can be analysed and their structure investigated by combining techniques based on the use of electrons, ions, neutrons and photons. Access to CERIC’s research services is through international calls for proposals that allow free access to multiple techniques and reward the best projects, provided their results are open and published. In addition, there is commercial access for proprietary research open to companies, and support for technology transfer.

The creation of a more efficient entrepreneurial ecosystem, a network of business acceleration programs, and new support services for enterprises and startups. These are some of the objectives achieved by the EU4EG – “EU for Economic Growth”,project, started in 2021 to relaunch North Macedonia’s economy and strengthen its competitiveness in the context of the country’s accession to the EU. Area Science Park was among its partners. In particular, the organisation contributed to the capacity building of Macedonian companies by creating an online training platform and offering specialist support to companies and start-ups. EU4EG officially concluded on November 26 in Skopje with an exhibition that brought together all the project’s partners, key institutions, and other stakeholders. Among the speakers was Luca Mercatelli of Area Science Park (Institutional Relations Office), who presented three successful cases of research-industry cooperation: a training grant model for companies located in the Science and Technology Park, the Deep Tech Revolution call to support innovative businesses, and support for participation in EU funding programs. The protagonists of the exhibition were 24 startups and 25 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that benefited from funding provided by the project. They presented the results achieved over the past four years in terms of innovation, from the purchase of new machinery to the development of new production methods. Coordinated by the German Federal Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), EU4EG involved Area Science Park, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate, and the Central European Initiative (CEI). For more information, visit: EU4EG – EU for Economic Growth – Area Science Park.