Dr. De Santis Francesca

After obtaining a Master's degree in Biological Sciences and qualifying as a professional biologist, Francesca earned a PhD in Molecular Medicine with a curriculum in Molecular Oncology at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan (IEO). 

She is a molecular biologist with extensive knowledges in epigenetics, chromatin dynamics, and genomics, applied to both hematologic diseases and solid tumors. Since 2017, in the Unit of Clinical Immunotherapy and Innovative Therapies led by Dr. Massimo Di Nicola, Francesca have been working on immunotherapy and novel pharmacological combinations. In recent years, she has been involved in the development of a new CAR T cell therapy targeting the tumor-associated antigen Globo H. 

Currently, she is working to define the transcriptional and epigenetic profile of the engineered T cells in order to identify new therapeutic combinations using epigenetic drugs that could enhance their persistence and cytotoxic activity.