Istituto Europeo di Oncologia

The European Institute of Oncology Foundation (IEO Foundation) was established with the aim of promoting clinical and experimental research in the field of oncology. This objective is being met by advancing knowledge on the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer, either directly through biomedical and translational research carried out in our institute, or through collaborative projects. The IEO Foundation carefully selects neoplastic pathologies and areas of intervention towards which our research results and methodologies can be applied with maximum effect. One of the principal activities of the institute is financial support, including fund raising activities, and organization of projects within the Department of Experimental Oncology at the IEO. Furthermore, the IEO Foundation supports the formation and improvement, not only of its research personnel, but also of its medical and paramedic services. In order to carry out the activities detailed in the current proposal, the IEO Foundation will utilize the structures of the Departmental of Experimental Oncology at the European Institute of Oncology.

The Department of Experimental Oncology is composed of eighteen independent research groups, whose scientific interests include the basic mechanisms regulating cell proliferation and differentiation (cell cycle, signal transduction), molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis (genomic instability, chromatin alterations), tumor biology (stem cells, angiogenesis, tumor immunology), tumor models, functional and structural genomics, and bio-informatics. The department is directed by Prof. Pier Giuseppe Pelicci, who has been its Chairman since the foundation in 1996. The Department of Experimental Oncology has been very successful in securing funds to support its research activities both at the national and international level. Success in fundraising has been crucial for the steady expansion of the Department during the past several years from its original size of 5-6 research groups to the current state of 18 groups flanked by a number of associated core facilities. Hiring of new group leaders has been made possible by competitive start-up packages including provisions to fund students and postdoctoral fellows and the availability of many state-of-the-art core facilities. The Department of Experimental Oncology is organized in an open structure that is meant to promote communication and collaboration between research groups. The research activities are supported by a number of centralized high-quality departmental support units, run by the members of the department and coordinated by a lab manager.