2020-2023 Recipient: Elisa Facen

Dr. Elisa Facen “Targeting RBPs in Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours”at the Genomic Screening Laboratory, led by Prof. Alessandro Provenzani (CIBIO, University of Trento).

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST) is a highly aggressive sarcoma, known for its ability to spread rapidly and for the current lack of effective treatments.

Supporting a fellowship means funding research into rare and aggressive cancers, offering a real chance of a cure where therapeutic alternatives are currently lacking.

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What does Elisa’s project involve?

This doctoral project aims to unravel the biological mechanisms driving the growth of this type of tumor.

The primary objective is to identify specific proteins (RBPs) that the tumor uses as ‘fuel’ and momentum to grow and metastasize. Once these key proteins are identified, researchers will have a precise roadmap to design and create new drugs in the laboratory capable of blocking them at their roots.

The research team has already achieved a major initial success: they identified one of these crucial proteins, called HuR, and developed the first drug prototypes to inhibit it.

Thanks to the Pezcoller – Marina Larcher Fogazzaro PhD Fellowship, Dr. Elisa Facen was able to:

• Analyzed the newly synthesized HuR inhibitors to enhance their efficacy.
• Studied how to make the action of these molecules as targeted and specific as possible, minimizing side effects for the patient.