PhD Sangaletti Sabina

Dr. Sangaletti’ research is focused on stromal mechanisms that regulate immune homeostasis, and the expansion and functionality of myeloid cells in the bone marrow, under both physiological and pathological conditions such as leukemias and solid tumors. Dr. Sangaletti recently demonstrated the role of ZEB1 in the simultaneous regulation of pro-tumoral and immunoregulatory functions of leukemic cells, in a study supported by an AIRC Investigator Grant 2018. 

Since 2023, a new AIRC grant has been funding her research aimed at studying the early cross-talk between lung cancer and the bone marrow, with the goal of identifying circulating biomarkers predictive of transformation and/or relapse. In collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano, Lund University, and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, and supported by EIC funding, she is contributing to the development of an organ-on-chip sensor for the early diagnosis of lung cancer relapse. The device will be built starting from signals that are exchanged between the tumor and the bone marrow. 

Dr. Sangaletti has made contributions to the study of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), demonstrating their pathogenic role in the development of ANCA in autoimmune diseases, and their ability to support the proliferation of malignant B cells (Cancer Discovery, 2014) and hematopoietic stem cells (Cancer Research, 2017), in lymphomas and leukemias, respectively. 

She is involved in translational studies promoted by the Medical Oncology Unit (e.g., Apollo 11 and I3Lung), aimed at dissecting the peripheral immune landscape of non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, innovative therapies, and immunotherapy, with the goal of identifying new biomarkers of response or resistance to therapy. 

Team members: 
PhD students: Anna Zanichelli, Arman Mandegar Khorasani, Marta Brambilla (Medical Oncology), Teresa Beninato (Medical Oncology) 
Fellows: Giorgia Corbo, Laura Gioiello 
Lab technician: Paola Portararo