Translational Immunology Unit
Milano
Via Giacomo Venezian, 1, 20133 Milano MI
The mission of the Translational Immunology Unit is to analyze in depth the immune conditions of cancer patients to understand the mechanisms that regulate the interactions of the immune system with the tumor influencing its course and response to treatment, including immunotherapy.
Through the application of a multimodal platform developed over the years to capture the most extensive information on the composition and functional state of the immune response in the blood and tumor, we want to identify the traits that influence the aggressiveness of the disease and sensitivity to treatment, trying to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms and identify new ways to enhance the protective effect of immunity.
We are trying to understand whether the immune alterations that characterize some cancer patients (systemic immunosuppression) also appear in the early stages of the disease, and whether they may even pre-exist the tumor, thus representing an oncological risk factor. In collaboration with various clinical and research entities of INT, we verify whether it is possible to correct these immune alterations with specific drugs or through defined lifestyle interventions.
Our research is therefore based on the implementation of various biological, immunological, medical, genetic, pathological, biostatistical and data-science skills, for a final integration of the multiple immunoprofiling information the with clinical outcome data.
With the ultimate goal of offering new tools for a therapeutic personalization also based on the immune system state at individual patient’s basis, and contributing to define increasingly effective immunomodulation strategies.
The multimodal clinical-translational immunomonitoring platform includes high-resolution multiparametric cytofluorometry, plasma immunoproteomics, transcriptomics and deconvolution of specific immunological signatures, and ex-vivo panels of lymphoid and myeloid function (ELISPOT and TRAINED IMMUNITY).
- LINEE DI RICERCA – 2024_Linea 4. Argomento 5, “Generating innovative pipelines for the automatic identification of systemic immunotypes in pan-cancer setting - the PEACE (Predictive Evaluation by AI for Cancer immune Evaluation) study”, PI: L. Lalli
- LINEE DI RICERCA – 2024_Linea 3. Argomento 7, “Dissecting the Immunological Paradox of Desmoid Fibromatosis to Improve Prognostic Strategies and Personalized Patient Management”, PI: C. Colombo
- LINEE DI RICERCA – 2024_Linea 1, “Delta-tocotrienol-mediated constraIn oF systemic inFlammation induces intra-tumor immunity in Early bREast caNCer patiEnts. (the DIFFERENCE project), PI: C. Ferraris
- ROCHE 2024, “Impatto sulla qualità di vita e la risposta immuno-infiammatoria di percorsi personalizzati basati su modifiche dello stile di vita in pazienti con carcinoma mammario iniziale sottoposte a trattamento ormonale”, PI: C. Ferraris
- PNRR-TR1-202312378169, “DEVELOPMENT OF LIQUID BIOPSY BASED APPROACHES FOR PRECISION MEDICINE IN UVEAL MELANOMA PATIENTS”, PI. M.Angi
- PNRR-MCNT2-2023-12378234, “Improving the unmet need of early diagnosis of cancer in Lynch syndrome carriers: the role of differential microRNAs expression patterns, exome analyses, immunological profiles and tumor type- specific intracellular bacteria.” PI: M. Vitellaro
- JTC2023_NANOTECMEC_ERA4HEALTHNANO-363, “Synthetic Ago/antagoMIR nanovehicles for Immunoregulation: a possible approach in cancer and Lung transplantation. SAIL Study”, PI: V. Huber
- ROCHE 2023, “Quantificare l'immunosoppressione sistemica per personalizzare la terapia contro il tumore”, PI: L. Rivoltini
- (JTC 2023)_TRANSCAN2023-1858-121 Epigenomic regulation of cancer immunity by dietary intervention. DICE PI: L. Rivoltini
- LINEE DI RICERCA 2023_ L2-14 (B), “Dissecting translational correlates of response to anti-PD1 and anti-EGFR in patients with advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Cancer enrolled in the prospective phase II INT-sponsored trial I-Tackle (NCT03666325) by an ex-vivo 3D culture platform of patient derived tumor explants”, PI: V. Vallacchi
- LINEE DI RICERCA 2023_ L4-9 (B), “Exploration of myeloid Immunity eStimated by rAdiomics to predict curability in locally rEcurrent recTal cancer (ELISABETh)”, PI: E. Daveri
- LINEE DI RICERCA 2023_ L1-9 (B), “Tracing anti-cancer immunity in patients undergoing liver transplantation for HCC after downstaging with immunotherapy”, PI: S. Bhoori
- Next Gen Clinician Scientist 2022, “Dissecting immunological effects of neoadjuvant therapies in primary high-risk soft tissue sarcomas”, PI: S. Pasquali
- AIRC IG (2022) 27841, “Persisting myeloid dysfunctions after curative surgery: effect on cancer recurrence and impact of dietary intervention”, PI: L. Rivoltini
- BRI 2021 - Progetto 3 (UO4), “Harnessing the extracellular matrix to awaken the immune response in patients with peritoneal metastasis”, PI: E. Daveri
- BRI 2021 - Progetto 1 (UO6), “Genomic analysis and personalized preclinical model development to identify novel therapeutic targets and determinant of drug response in soft-tissue sarcomas characterized by chromatin regulator-associated abnormalities”, PI: A. Frezza
- AIRC IG (2020) 25078, “Genetic and epigenetic regulation of local and systemic myeloid cells in response to immunotherapy of cancer patients”, PI: V. Huber
- RF-2019-12369602, “Collecting Ducts Carcinoma: in depth exploration and biologically driven therapy (CICERONE)”, PI: F. De Braud
- ERAPerMed2019-320, “Quantifying systemic immunosuppression to personalize cancer therapy”, PI: L. Rivoltini
- Mail: grazia.convertino@istitutotumori.mi.it
- Tel: 0223903041
Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Office Hours for Scientific Informants: by appointment
Dott.ssa Rivoltini Licia
Responsabile struttura
MD, PhD Huber Veronica
Group Leader
Dott.ssa Mortarini Roberta
Group Leader
Dott.ssa Rodolfo Monica
Group Leader
Dott.ssa, PhD Vallacchi Viviana
Group Leader
Ricercatori Senior
- Vincenzo Lagano
- Francesco Sgambelluri
Ricercatori Junior
- Laura Bergamaschi
- Luca Lalli
Personale in formazione
- Stefano Bergamini
- Donato Cosi
- Elisa D’Angelo
- Giovanni Di Maio
- Michela Dosi
- Eleonora Ferè
- Allegra Lacchesi
- Gianpiero Lupoli
- Laura Martinez Vidal
- Francesca Redaelli
- Jeannette Salsetta
- Giusy Sammarco
- Ilenia Vizzari
- Marta Zorza
- Monica Zucchini
Personale di Supporto alla Ricerca
- Ilaria Bersani
- Barbara Cappetti
- Agata Cova
- Simona Frigerio
- Alessandra Molla
- Francesca Rini
- Martina Stroscia
- Claudia Vegetti
Personale amministrativo
Grazia Convertino
Ruolo della dieta nella modulazione del profilo immuno-infiammatorio intestinale per la riduzione degli adenomi nella Poliposi Adenomatosa Familiare: lo studio LIME-FAP
Dissecting immunological effects of neoadjuvant therapies in primary high-risk soft tissue sarcomas
Dissecting immunological effects of neoadjuvant therapies in primary high-risk soft tissue sarcomas
Network Terapia Avanzata (LHS-TA) Nell’ambito del Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Investimento E.3 “Ecosistema innovativo della salute”
REPRINT - Attività di Enfortumab Vedotin in associazione a Pembrolizumab in pazienti affetti da carcinoma dei dotti collettori e carcinoma midollare del rene
Ruolo della dieta nella modulazione del profilo immuno-infiammatorio intestinale per la riduzione degli adenomi nella Poliposi Adenomatosa Familiare: lo studio LIME-FAP
Last update: 24/06/2025