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Eleonora Calabretta, a young hematologist and researcher, is awarded a Fellowship in the second edition of the Call dedicated to the memory of Gianni Bonadonna. The fellowship is funded by Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna, with Prada Group as Supporting Partner, and Fondazione AIRC. The winning project will be presented tomorrow, on the International Day of Women in Science
In continuing the shared commitment to support the training and education of physician-scientists in oncology and hematology, Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna, with the support of Prada Group, and Fondazione AIRC are pleased to announce the winner of the second edition of the Call for international Fellowship, named in memory of the pioneer of medical oncology, Gianni Bonadonna.
The announcement comes on the eve of the International Day of Women in Science: a young hematologist and researcher, Eleonora Calabretta, has been awarded a Fellowship that will allow her to spend a three-year training period in a renowned international research center, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. There she will study diffuse large B cell lymphoma, to learn innovative approaches to cancer, and carry out her research program, with the goal of offering more effective treatments to patients affected by the disease.
Eleonora Calabretta, from the Humanitas University in Milan, is starting a new professional experience at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, which is focused on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In particular, she will study some recently described genetic signatures of the tumor in newly diagnosed and relapsed or refractory patients affected by diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. The aim is to assess potential differences in response to a novel first-line combination therapy and to define genetic features of relapsed tumors, respectively. The results of this translational research project will contribute to the progress of knowledge on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Molecular patterns may be identified to guide clinicians to rational delivery of conventional as well as innovative therapies. Furthermore, a molecular framework for a personalized therapy may be produced.
“The training of world-class clinicians and scientists was one of Gianni Bonadonna’s main purpose, and the Foundation named after him, that I have the honor to lead, is determined to pursue it” – says Luca Gianni, President of Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna – “With this goal we launched a Fellowship program that, after the first two rounds of selection, is already providing to three young researchers training and career development opportunities in outstanding cancer centres around the world. We are proud of the extremely positive outcome of this initiative, a strong reason to keep investing in our oncologists and haematologists, that have shown the right spirit to drive scientific.”
“The Gianni Bonadonna Fellowship offers an extraordinary opportunity for growth and specialization in an international laboratory of excellence – underlines Federico Caligaris Cappio, Scientific Director at Fondazione AIRC –. This Call is specifically designed for young medical researchers who can thus deal with the best cancer research in the world, and then return to our country and put what they have learned to good use. The scientists’ generational turnover is a central point of Fondazione AIRC strategy. We dedicate great attention to the training and education of young researchers, and for this reason we have recently launched a wide-ranging plan to which we are dedicating significant resources. For 2023 only, we are distributing over 21 million euros in support of young scientists, who represent approximately 55% of grant and fellowships holders. The aim is promoting their stability and professional growth in order to ensure the continuity of excellence of our country’s oncological research”.
In view of the confirmed participation of young physicians in this initiative and the quality of the innovative projects evaluated, Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna and Fondazione AIRC are excited to announce the third edition of the Call for “Gianni Bonadonna” Fellowship 2023. The new Call will be published in the upcoming months on the institutional websites of FGB and AIRC.
Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna (www.fondazionebonadonna.org) was launched to honor and pursue the legacy of Gianni Bonadonna, founding father of modern oncology who developed key new therapies for women with breast cancer and patients with lymphomas. Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna’s mission is to promote therapeutic innovation from the earliest phases of research and support the education of new generations of physician-scientists in oncology.
AIRC Foundation for cancer research in Italy supports innovative scientific projects thanks to a transparent and efficient fund- raising activity, and a selection by merit through the international method of peer-review. Also, AIRC disseminates scientific information and encourages a culture of cancer prevention at home, in schools, and anywhere possible. Today AIRC can count on 4.5 million supporters, 20.000 volunteers, 17 regional committees, all over the country, to ensure the necessary resources to more than 6.000 researchers - of whom 54% are under 40s and 63% are females - working to make cancer ever more treatable. In 57 years of activity, AIRC allocated over 1,9 billion euros to cancer research (as of January 10th, 2023). For further information airc.it
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