BuonMarrow Team is based on a multidisciplinary/multisectoral Consortium of 4 partners involving 3 EU Countries (Italy, Spain and Sweden) from Academia (POLIMI, LUND, IBEC) and Hospitals (INT). Each partner represents a necessary ingredient for the successful implementation of BuonMarrow, which aims to tackle an urgent and unmet clinical need, i.e. the lack of current methods to predict the relapse of lung cancer.
Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) – Coordinator
The POLIMI team is led by Prof. Marco Rasponi, head of the Microfluidics and Biomimetic Microsystems (MiMic) Lab at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy). MiMic Lab develops innovative microtechnologies for biological applications. In particular, MiMic Lab has a consolidated expertise in developing microfluidic devices for cell manipulation and culture, microscale 3D bioreactors and advanced Organ-on-Chip models. The continuous and manifold collaborations with biologists and clinicians have fostered the implementation of unconventional technological solutions able to provide new insights in several biological problems, while paying attention in their design to keep the use of the devices accessible to most final users. POLIMI core team is supported by Paola Occhetta, Associate Professor at MiMic Lab who was recently awarded an ERC Starting Grant from Horizon Europe to develop OoC solutions based on Artificial Intelligence.
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (INT)
The National Cancer Institute of Milan (INT), foundation and government-designated centre for treatment and research (IRCCS), has been treating cancer patients and carrying out clinical and basic research in cancer, since its formation in 1928. It is recognised as a leading cancer centre in Italy. The INT has recently been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Centre by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) in recognition of its excellence both in patient care and the development of new treatments. Within BuonMarrow, the INT team is led by Dr Sangaletti, who has more than 15 years of experience in the field of tumor and BM microenvironment. In the Molecular Immunology Unit directed by Dr. Colombo she coordinates projects focused in characterizing stromal mechanism involved in BM T-cell homeostasis but also malignant transformation. INT core team will be supported by Dr. Arsela Prelaj (Medical Doctor), that will coordinate the clinical study and will be responsible for the enrolment of patients.
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
Within IBEC, the “Biosensors for Bioengineering” group led Dr. Javier Ramón work on several research lines with the common goal to integrate sensor technology, microfluidics, biomaterials, and nanotechnology with tissue engineering. The idea is to integrate biosensor technology and nanotechnology with stem cell research and tissue engineering. Engineered tissues are integrated with biosensing technology to obtain microdevices to detect cellular responses to external stimuli, monitor the quality of the microenvironment (e.g., metabolites, nutrients), and support diverse cellular requirements.
Lund Universiteit (LUND)
The LUND team is led by Prof. Paul Bourgine, Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Cell, Tissue and Organ engineering of Lund University (Sweden). LUND has key expertise in the in vitro and in vivo engineering of human bone marrow systems. Through the impulsion of EU fundings (ERC Starting Grant and ERC Proof-of-Concept), LUND has developed unique technologies (e.g. 3D-printed bioreactors, humanized ossicles, mesenchymal lines) offering the personalized modeling of the bone marrow niche processes. LUND’s expertise in the manipulation and characterization of human mesenchymal/hematopoietic stem cells, and their cellular/molecular reprogramming in disease context (e.g. leukemia) will be an important and valuable contribution to the BuonMarrow Consortium.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101130604. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.