LINFA
is a structure that performs its research within
the laboratories of the Callerio Foundation
and is based on an Adivisory
Board and an Executive
Committee, the latter composed by
research experts on fundamental oncology representing
knowledge fields complementary to the programmed
studies.
Advisory Board
The Advisory
Board is the vouching and responsible
organ for LINFA.
It checks the ethics of the studies, verifies
the achieved progresses by means of annual checkpoints,
and approves the assignment of LINFA's
grants. It is composed by the below-mentioned
Presidents/Chancellor or their representatives,
by Prof. Tomatis, by Prof. Cartei and by the
Chairman of the Executive Committee.
The President of the Fondazione CRTrieste
The President of the Fondazione Callerio
Onlus
The Chancellor of the Università
degli Studi di Trieste
The President of the Area Science Park
di Trieste
The President of the Comitati Regionali
AIRC
Prof. Lorenzo Tomatis, oncologist
Prof. Giuseppe Cartei, oncologist at the
CRO, Aviano
Prof. Gianni Sava, Chairman of the Executive
Committee
Executive Committee
The
Executive Committee
is the structure governing the scientific activities
of LINFA.
It is in charge of the continuous monitoring
of the activitiews being carried on, and of
the definition of the research targets to be
undertaken. Furthermore, the
Executive Committee coordinates
the achievement of total autonomy by researchers
involved at Fondazione Callerio-onlus and by
university teachers having specific competences
in the various sectors of competence required
by
LINFA
, independently within the laboratories
of the Callerio Foundation. In the activation
of
LINFA
, the
Executive Commission
is composed by the Scientific Director of the
Fondazione Callerio-onlus and by university
teachers having specific competences in the
research sectors required by
LINFA
. Its members are:
Prof.
Gianni Sava, Biologist, teacher
of Pharmacology at the University of Trieste,
Scientific Director of the Callerio Foundation-onlus.
Expert of experimental pharmacology on anti-metastasis
drugs, author of over 170 full-length scientific
publications, most of them on this subject.
Prof.
Giuliano Zabucchi, Biologist, teacher
of General Pathology at the University of Trieste.
Expert of inflammatory cells, co-operator and
consultant at the Callerio Foundation for the
studies on leukocyte infiltration of tumour
masses.
Dr. Sonia
Zorzet, Biologist, Pharmacology researcher
at the University of Trieste. Expert of pharmacological
experimentation on models of transplantable
mouse tumours and co-operator of Callerio Foundation-onlus
for the in vivo studies and the cellular
migration studies.
Prof.
Spiridione Garbisa, Biologist, teacher
of Histology at the University of Padova. Expert
of the matrix metallo-proteinase enzymes responsible
for tumour malignancy, author of internationally
relevant studies.
Prof.
Isabella Freitas, Biologist, teacher
of Histology at the University of Pavia. Expert
of the structure of tumour micro-environment,
author of several works on cell viability in
the diverse areas within tumour masses.
The possible extension of LINFA
to further research areas is pursued by including
reference researchers expert in those areas
and capable of providing their contribution
both to the guidance of research programs and
to the setting up of suitable laboratories within
the Callerio Foundation.
Research Structure
The research activities of
LINFA
are carried out by the researchers
of the Callerio Foundation and by co-operators,
engaged by means of fellowships or temporary
contracts, and chosen among young post-doc students
coming from biological or medical Faculties.
The selection for the assignment of fellowships
or contracts is operated, subject to the final
approval of the Executive
Committee, among the available
candidates and on the base of the resources
provided by the Callerio Foundation-onlus upon
the endorsement of the
Advisory Board.
The research activities are
performed by activating laboratories specifically
equipped for the development of the programmed
research plans according to the above-mentioned
methods.
Cellular cultures experimentation
unit
The Callerio Foundation has equipped an independent
laboratory for the study of the pharmacological
effects on cultured cells, with the equipment
required both for their cultivation and their
storage. Moreover, if necessary it is also
feasible to use the satellite laboratories
belonging to the institutions from which the
members of the Executive Committee proceed.
Flow cytometry unit
The Callerio Foundation-onlus has an own laboratiory
for cell studies by flow cytometry, equipped
with an air-cooled laser-beam 4-fluorescence
cytometer produced by Coulter Instrumentations,
model XL, updated with the latest systems
of graphic display and data processing and
interpretation.
In vivo experimentation
unit
The in vivo experimentation, constrained
to the smallest amount of studies considered
essential by the Advisory Board, is carried
out in specific laboratories provided with special
equipment, under the surveillance of the animal
experimentation centre of the University of
Trieste.
Histology research unit
The histology research unit of the Callerio
Foundation-onlus is equipped with all systems
required for microscopic investigation by light
transmission, also by means of fluorescent probes
and by the visual analysis system provided by
a last generation image acquisition cam. The
use of electron microscopy, equipment belonging
to the University of Trieste and hosted in the
premises of the Callerio Foundation-onlus, is
also made possible by agreement with the consultants
of the Executive Committee.
Atomic absorption unit
The research by means of atomic absorption techniques
is performed within the laboratories of the
Callerio Foundation as far as the preparation
is concerned, whereas measurements are carried
out by means of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer
made available by Polytech, at the Area Science
Park of Trieste.
The returns that can be expected
upon the activation of LINFA
are of diverse nature and concern
mainly the top-level innovative scientific research.
It is believed that the creation of LINFA
will trigger the development
of an international reference centre for base
pharmacological studies on ruthenium complexes
active against the metastases of solid tumours.
Employment
returns
LINFA
is a reference for the performing of base research
with highly innovative contents. The forseen
research programs will tend to concern all areas
of biomedical disciplines. It is therefore quite
plausible that, if on the one hand
LINFA
makes the most of the studies
carried out by the Callerio Foundation-onlus
team, with whom it comes into being, on the
other hand it imposes to expand the research
teams thus covering all necessities that will
arise in the future. It is predictable that
the operative structure of LINFA
will include new branches of knowledge. The
inclusion of new highly technologically specialised
research units allows the preparation of researchers
that will fit in the proper research environment,
both in the concerned industry and within the
scientific research institutions.
Educational
returns
The placement of LINFA
within the Callerio Foundation-onlus, in tight
contact with the biomedical structures of the
University of Trieste on the one side and the
organization of the Executive
Committee among the universitary
teachers on the other, allows a direct knowledge
transfer to the academic world and thus to the
students of the biomedical Faculties such as
Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine. In this way
LINFA
can improve the educational service already
rendered by the Callerio Foundation-onlus, thus
allowing the expansion of the number of students
who are present in the laboratories to develop
their theses, to attend to seminaries and to
work at their post-doc masters.
Scientific
returns
The main scientific return
originating from the activation of
LINFA
consists of its scientific organisation that
allows a fully integrated research on the problem
of pharmacological treatment of metastases of
solid tumours. Such a research is often fragmented
across the different areas of specific interest
(the synthesis of complexes, the in vitro
evaluation of their cytotoxic potential, the
in vivo studies) in different laboratories.
LINFA
's target to contain these knowledges
within a homogeneous group for the comparative
evaluation of the different aspects of metastasis
pharmacology, allows to shorten the time required
for the comprehension of the pharmacological
potential offered by the approach proposed to
LINFA
's evaluation and to provide the scientific
community with complete answers to the problems
that arise case by case.
Economic
return
The Callerio Foundation does
not get any economic benefit from the activation
of LINFA
and from the connected research plans. All resources
that are made available to the Callerio Foundation-onlus
are entirely invested in the human capital and
the equipment that will allow
LINFA
to grow and offer its reliability
in order to provide suitable answers to the
questions that will be posed.
The economic returns concern
the organisations in charge of providing the
funds. It is reasonable to think that these
organisations will finance aimed and integrated
projects, with a consequent reduction of the
spread of resources allotted for scientific
and technological research. The total study
integration aimed at by LINFA
contains also the spread of the information
deriving from the separate activation of single
research projects, just occasionally capable
of delivering complete answers to the demand
of the scientific problem.
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