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Doha
On the occasion of the Italian Research Day in the World, which will be celebrated on April 15, the Embassy of Italy in Qatar has created a social media campaign to promote Italian researchers working in Qatar, as well as the network of contacts between research centres and universities in the two countries.
The network is currently expanding and strengthening thanks to the dedication and commitment of the Italian professionals. It has resulted in a growing number of collaborations, projects and shared knowledge, all contributing to consolidate Italy-Qatar relations, improve the bilateral cooperation on scientific matters and set ambitious common goals benefiting progress, prosperity and wellbeing for the local society and the international community.
The communication campaign has been produced by the Embassy of Italy in partnership with Sidra Medicine, a state-of-the-art hospital for women and children and a member of Qatar Foundation.
The Sidra Medicine Research team, which includes over 35 different nationalities, is actively engaged in precision medicine from improved diagnostics of rare genetic diseases to cancer research and new therapies, aiming to boost patients’ immune responses through innovative approaches in personalised medicine.
Ambassador of Italy to Qatar HE Alessandro Prunas said, “Sidra Medicine hosts a group of Italian researchers who studied in some of the best universities in Italy and worked in top-class facilities and research centres. In Qatar, they have been engaged for years in developing projects beneficial to patients and the entire community. Let’s not forget that their work consistently contributes to the growth of scientific research that is becoming increasingly important in the relations between the two countries now.”
“The Embassy of Italy in Doha carries out scientific diplomacy targeted actions aimed at enhancing the value of Italian research and, more specifically, the importance of our researchers in Qatar, an excellence we are very proud of,” he added.
The embassy’s communication campaign, which will be kicked off by a video of Ambassador Prunas on April 15, consists of a series of testimonial video clips for social networks – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – showing the Italian researchers at Sidra Medicine.
The video clips illustrate research projects with a strong relationship with Italy and daily activities of the researchers, focusing also on their educational and professional experiences.
“The Italian Research Day in the World is an opportunity to highlight that Italian researchers are a symbol of excellence for our country and a resource for the international scientific community. In Qatar, they have brought an added value to research studies recognised by Qatari authorities that appreciate the Italian higher education,” Ambassador Prunas added.
The Sidra Medicine researchers who have collaborated with the Embassy of Italy to create the social media campaign and shared their professional stories are:
Davide Dedognetti, director of the Cancer Programme, oncologist and researcher. Thanks to a work of genetic mapping that will lead to the development of a genetic ‘archive’, Prof Bedognetti is developing a genomic test that will allow to understand which treatment the individual cancer patient can benefit from and to elucidate the role of the immune system in the control of metastatic evolution. The aim is to develop ultra-personalised immunotherapeutic treatments. He is also adjunct associate professor at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University and associate professor at the University of Genoa.
Chiara Cugno, director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core Laboratory, paediatric oncologist and haematologist. Dr Cugno, together with her team, set up a laboratory to deliver advanced cell and gene therapies to treat genetic diseases and cancers. She carries out also research activities in the field of childhood cancers, specifically leukaemia, in cooperation with IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo of Pavia.
Sara Deola, physician and researcher, is conducting a study on clinical complications after bone marrow transplantation from a donor, called allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The research project followed by Dr Deola, is in collaboration among others with the Bone Marrow Transplant Center of Bolzano Hospital in Italy, and aims to deepen the understanding of post-transplant complications.
Cristina Maccalli, researcher Dr Maccalli carries out a research project in cooperation with San Raffaele Hospital in Milan to generate engineered immune cells to redirect their anti-tumour functions for hematological malignancies. In cooperation with University of Palermo, she is studying cancer stem cells to better understand the mechanisms behind the responsiveness of patients to therapies in the framework of precision medicine. These projects are conducted also in collaboration with local and US institutions.
Massimino Miele, manager of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core Laboratory where he contributes to the development of cell and gene therapies in bone marrow transplantation. He deals with research and applications of regenerative medicine. He promotes principles and standards – as well as their implementation - of regulatory bodies such as the European JACIE-FACT and the Italian National Transplant Center.
Annalisa Terranegra, researcher and adjunct professor at Qatar University. Dr Terranegra formed a research team named Laboratory of Precision Nutrition. She is studying the mechanisms underlying the role of food and nutrients on gut microbiota and epigenetic mechanisms. Also thanks to local and internationals collaborations, among which University of Milan and in the future Politecnico di Torino, the laboratory is currently running many studies on diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases and perturbation of the mother-baby axis during the pregnancy and early baby life.
Sara Tomei, scientist in the genomics field and manager of the Omics Core Facility, Integrated Genomics Services at Sidra Medicine. The Core she manages provides centralised genomic services, including DNA and RNA isolation, DNA sequencing and high-throughput molecular profiling. Her interest is focused on the application of cutting-edge genomic technologies to improve the diagnosis and therapeutics of human diseases. Dr Tomei is currently leading a national effort to apply genomic technologies for the study of the prehistorical Qatari population, in collaboration with the Qatar Museums Authority and the University of Rome Tor Vergata in cooperation with Sidra Medicine.
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15/04/2021
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