Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to Automate the Total Marrow Irradiation: The AuToMI Project

Total marrow and (lymphoid) irradiation (TMI/TMLI) is a radiotherapy (RT) treatment that selectively irradiates the entire bone marrow and lymphatic system. TMI/TMLI is used in conditioning regimens before hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for acute leukemia and multiple myeloma. Compared with traditional total body irradiation (TBI), where the entire body of the patient is irradiated, TMI/TMLI offers a targeted approach with reduced risk of toxicity and improved efficacy. This treatmen...

NOVEL IMAGING TOOLS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR VULNERABLE PLAQUE CHARACTERIZATION

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, with coronary artery disease (CAD) being the primary contributor. The identification of high-risk plaques in coronary arteries, particularly non-flow-limiting lesions, is vital for improving risk stratification and reducing adverse cardiac events. This thesis investigates the application of novel imaging tools and artificial intelligence (AI) in evaluating vulnerable plaque characteristics, focusing on wall shear stress (WSS)...

High-throughput profiling of innate immune cells following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-based vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 natural infection

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has posed significant global health challenges due to its complex pathogenesis and continuous emergence of new variants. This has made it necessary to develop prophylactic vaccines to achieve herd immunity. Beyond adaptive immunity, vaccines may also activate the innate immune system, contributing to the establishment of "trained immunity". Despite advances in understanding the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV2, there is...

Building a prediction model of pathological complete response in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Aim of the study Building a model to predict the pathological complete response (pCR) of breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Introduction Breast cancer (BC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. The treatment of BC is complex, with multiple strategies tailored to the tumor’s subtype, stage, and molecular characteristics. These strategies include adjuvant and neoadjuvant approaches. In the adjuvant setting, systemic therapies like ch...

Circ_Lrp6: novel circRNA playing a central role in VSMC biology orchestration by acting as a miR-145 sponge

Rationale: microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression by repressing translation of targeted genes. Several reports have established the role of short non-coding RNAs such as miRNAs in regulating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) biology. Nonetheless, whether circular RNAs, previously described as potential endogenous modulators of miRNAs, are involved in the modulation of miRNA activity in VSMCs is unknown. Objective: We aimed to identify circular RNAs interacting with miRNAs enriched in VS...

Tumor-Associated Macrophages: toward a better understanding of their cancer driver capability in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer of the serosal cavities, characterized by a non-resolving, long-lasting inflammation driven by the presence of non-degradable asbestos fibers. MPM is strongly related to professional or environmental exposure to airborne asbestos. About 1400 new cases/year are observed in Italy, and its peak incidence is estimated around 2020- 2025. Chronic inflammation, eventually causing irreversible DNA damage, has been established as the main pa...

Single Cell Sequencing approach for defining cardioinflammatory mechanisms driving Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction in metabolic stress

Molecular characterization of cellular heterogeneity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by transcriptome profiling

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with an extremely aggressive behavior due to both the advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis and the peculiar biology of this tumor. The current classifications of PDAC in different subtypes failed to associate defined molecular properties with specific morphological features and disease outcomes, thus making the histopathological classification of PDAC not informative for patient stratification for therapy choice. In order to pr...

IMPACT OF EARLY DISEASE CLEARANCE ON LONG-TERM OUTCOMES IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS: A MULTICENTER COHORT STUDY

Background: Clinical remission and endoscopic mucosal healing are the main treatment targets in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Recently, the concept of disease clearance has been proposed as a potential target in UC. Aim: To evaluate the impact of disease clearance on long-term outcomes in UC patients. Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Humanitas Research Hospital-IRCCS (Italy) and at the Nancy University Hospital (France). Disease clearance wa...