05/10/2020 WEBINAR
On 5 October 2020 at 17:00, Dr. Andrea Carfì (Moderna – Cambridge USA) will hold the webinar titled:
“Rapid development of a mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: preclinical and early clinical data”.
The seminar organised by the Department of Biology and Biotechnology of the University of Pavia and the PhD in Biotechnology of IUSS Pavia will be on zoom after registration (max 300 participants)
26/09/2020 Conference on the World Alzheimer’s Day
World Dementia Day is celebrated all over the world in September to draw everyone’s attention to this disease which is far more widespread than cancer and heart disease and currently without a cure. On 26 September 2020 in Pavia, at the Salone degli Affreschi of the Borromeo College, the conference titled “Courage, let’s talk about dementia: the two faces of Alzheimer’s disease, the disease and the person” will be held.
With this conference the MONTH OF ALZHEIMER will be celebrated by bringing a contribution of knowledge and support to “those who have no more mind”, their families and an acknowledgment to researchers who dedicate their lives to study the disease and seek a possible cure.
When the cell loses control: understand cancer to defeat it
Giovanni Maga has written a new book entitled: “Quando la cellula perde il controllo: capire il cancro per sconfiggerlo” and edited by Zanichelli. This is a popular book on tumors, suitable for both high school students and university students or curious but not experts adults. The World Health Organization has estimated that in 2018 alone, over 35 million people worldwide have developed cancer. Nearly ten million have died as a result of the disease, making it the leading cause of death in the world. Today we know over 100 different types of cancer, but why are they so many? The answer is in the complex molecular basis at the root of the disease. It is precisely because of this complexity that finding a cure for cancer is one of the most difficult challenges facing modern medicine. Thanks to the knowledge on the molecular basis of cancer, today we can recognize cancer cells, trace their genetic identikit and choose personalized therapies. We can read DNA in search of mutations that cause cancer and develop drugs that only affect diseased cells. We act on our immune system and make it capable of recognizing and attacking tumors. We recruit viruses and bacteria to attack and kill cancer cells. Alternative treatments are a threat instead. Homeopathy, crystal therapy, miraculous diets based on shark cartilage or bicarbonate are deadly traps. Scientific research is the only safe investment to treat cancer.
CNR and University in Pavia are allies in the fight against arbovirosis
Thanks to the generous contribution of Banca del Monte di Lombardia Foundation, a project aimed at developing a new strategy can start for fighting against viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. The project is based on a collaboration between the Molecular Virology Laboratory of the Molecular Genetics Institute “Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza” – CNR of Pavia, directed by Dr. Giovanni Maga, and the Laboratory of Insect Evolutionary Molecular Biology by Prof. Giuliano Gasperi and Prof. Anna Malacrida at the Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani” – University of Pavia,.
The tiger mosquito Ae. albopictus, of Asian origin, is now widespread in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy. This mosquito is a vector of many viral agents including Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya. Every year over one hundred cases of infections by these viruses are recorded in Italy, imported as a result of tourism and movement of people from areas where these viruses constantly circulate. On these bases the high density presence of the tiger mosquito on our territory, involves the risk of possible epidemic outbreaks, such as that of Chikungunya registered in Emilia Romagna in 2007 and in Lazio in 2017. At the moment there are no specific therapies for these infections and the the most effective strategy for preventing them remains the control of vector insect populations
Dr. Maga’s laboratory has shown that by inhibiting a human cellular enzyme, used by many viruses to replicate in the cell, it is possible to block the infection of numerous viruses, including those transmitted by the tiger mosquito. Thanks to the collaboration with the Prof. Gasperi and Prof. Malacrida, it was possible to demonstrate the existence of an analogous enzyme also in Ae. albopictus. Hence the idea behind the project: to generate genetically modified mosquitoes, in which this enzyme is permanently inactivated, thus making insects unable to transmit viruses.
This is an ambitious project and it will certainly require many studies and checks, but at the same time it could offer new strategies to combat arbovirosis.
IGM EXTERNAL SEMINARS
Thursday, October 3rd at 11:30 Dr. Martina Peritore (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry) will hold a seminar entitled: “The fate of nucleosomes at DNA double strand breaks”
Researchers’ Night in Bologna
Friday, September 27, 2019, IGM-Bologna researchers will be present at the Researchers’night in Bologna, Scaravilli Square from 18:00 to satisfy the curiosity on DNA.
IGM EXTERNAL SEMINARS
Tuesday, September 24th at 11:30 Prof. Barbara van Loon will hold a seminar entitled: “Role of DNA repair in neurodevelopment”.
Brief CV:
Barbara van Loon obtained MSc in Biology at the University of Zagreb (Zagreb, Croatia) in 2006. She then moved to the University of Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland) and was, under supervision of prof. Ulrich Hu?bscher, awarded PhD degree with honors in 2010. After Postdoctoral stay in the group of prof. Leona D. Samson at the MIT (Cambridge, USA), Barbara returned to the University of Zurich and established her research group. In 2016 Barbara was awarded Onsager Fellowship, and as associate professor joined the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway). Barbara’s major scientific contributions include, unraveling role of DNA polymerases and glycosylases in the oxidative and alkylation DNA damage response, and demonstrating links between impaired genome integrity maintenance and onset of neurological disease. Currently Barbara’s research primarily focuses on exploring the importance of DNA glycosylases, and consequently recognition of aberrant DNA bases, in ensuring unperturbed neurodevelopment.
IGM EXTERNAL SEMINARS
Tuesday, June 25 at 3 pm Prof. Valter Longo will hold a seminar entitled: “Fasting mimiking diets, multi-system regeneratio and healthspan”. Valter Longo is Professor of Biogerontology and Director of the Institute on Longevity at the USC (University of Southern California) – Davis School of Gerontology in Los Angeles and director of the Oncology and longevity program at IFOM, Milan.
The seminar concludes the course Frontiers in Molecular Biology: “DNA and RNA metabolism in normal physiology and disease” for the PhD Program in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology.
8th Arturo Falaschi Lecture
Professor Tullio Pozzan (Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences – National Research Council) will hold the 8th Arturo Falaschi Lecture titled “Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of second messengers in living cells”.
The Lecture will be held on May 17th 2019 at 11:00 at the Institute of Molecular Genetics Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza – National Research Concil – Via Ferrata 9 – Pavia.
For further information contact: IGM CNR, Via Ferrata 9A Pavia tel. 0382 546361 – e-mail: direttore@igm.cnr.it – http: www.igm.cnr.it