Integrated approach to the study of hematological diseases and the immune system /
Transfusion Medicine

Cardiometabolic diseases in subjects at low risk of disease:
research aims to promote and improve primary cardiovascular prevention in the Italian population through the development and application of new informatics methodologies designed for monitoring, education and remote management of the most important risk factors, to detect and correct incorrect lifestyles both in the short term (reduction of risk factors, improvement of lifestyles) and in the long term (reduction of cardiovascular events).

Liver disease:
Research activity is focused on the analysis of the genetics of metabolic liver disease and liver cancer, the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of inflammation, fibrosis, and liver cancer, and the development of three-dimensional liver cell models for the study of tissue regeneration and tumor progression.

COVID-19:
The research activity, conducted in close collaboration with the Foundation's entire COVID-19 network, is focused on identifying the main heritable genetic determinants to susceptibility to the development of SARS in Italian SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects through a genomewide genetic association study (GWAS).
A study of the effects of "LONG-COVID" is currently underway in a subgroup of previously recruited patients, whose biological samples and associated data were collected during the acute phase of the disease and in follow-up.

Cell and gene therapies:
Several research projects have been initiated in recent years to produce simple (organoids and spheroids) or complex three-dimensional models by co-culturing different cell lines (assembloids), used both to study the mechanisms involved in certain diseases, e.g., hepatocarcinoma, and to test the efficacy of new therapeutic approaches, e.g., antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs).

A novel drug delivery system (extracellular vesicles) is also being tested to silence PNPLA3/HSD17B13 in human hepatocytes.

Blood-borne diseases:
For more than 30 years, Transfusion Medicine has been a national and international reference in studies aimed at establishing the transmissibility of infectious agents of transfusion interest and describing their natural history in donors and recipients.

Research in immunohematology:
Our Transfusion Medicine, which includes Regional Rare Blood Bank, participates in collaborative studies in immunohematology . In addition, partly due to its specific expertise in genetics, it is part of the Blood transfusion Genomics Consortium (BGC), an international consortium of transfusion facilities, research institutes and industrial partners that aims to improve transfusion practice using new genetics-based technologies.

Innovative Hemocomponents:
Research activity aims to evaluate the efficacy of innovative treatments developed from blood components for transfusion and non-transfusion use, such as infiltrative treatments with cord blood platelet-rich plasma (CB-PRP); management of anemia in the premature infant through transfusion support based on cord blood cells, which has been shown to be more effective than standard support based on adult donor red blood cells; standardization and characterization of platelet concentrate from placental blood for non-transfusion use from which to produce medical devices and drugs (platelet gel, eye drops); as well as validation of a protocol for rapid cooling of platelet concentrates for use in cases of massive transfusion.