The body’s cells can “change identity”: this occurs during growth, to heal injuries, but also in cancer. Studying the cellular mechanisms involved in this process will open up new paths in the fight against cancer, improving both the efficacy of therapies and the overall health of patients.

This is the conviction of Marta Kovatcheva, winner of this year’s EACR-Mark Foundation-Pezcoller Foundation Rising Star Award for her studies in this field.

Originally from Bulgaria, trained in Canada, and active in New York and Barcelona, Kovatcheva works at IFOM in Milan, where she heads the Laboratory of Cell Plasticity & Aging.

“Health, lifestyles, and early diagnosis”

To clarify this complex disease and the strategies to defeat it, the Pezcoller Foundation organized the meeting “Genetica o stili di vita? Il cancro visto da vicino” (“Genetics or lifestyle? Cancer looked at closely”) at CICAP Fest in Padua, with the President of the Pezcoller Foundation, Dr. Enzo Galligioni and Cristina Da Rold, data journalist.

Cancer is a disease of the genes, but “genetic” does not necessarily mean hereditary. And healthy daily habits — physical activity, nutrition, but also good motivation — can promote an “integrated approach” to longevity.