On the 29th of April 2024, ICCVS successfully conducted two seminars as part of the Science, Biotech & Beyond series. The first seminar was delivered by Dr. Stefano Persano, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology of the University of Milan Statale and an Affiliated Researcher at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy. The talk was titled “Design and Development of mRNA-based Therapeutics for Cancer Treatment”. Dr. Persano discussed the manufacturing procedure of mRNA therapeutics, emphasizing how sequence design, purification, and formulation can be tailored to ensure better therapeutic outcomes, particularly for cancer vaccines. Additionally, he presented preliminary data on Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) formulation refinement aimed at improving the spleen-tropism of LNPs upon systemic administration.

The second seminar featured Dr. Maria Guevara Lopez from the University of Genoa, Department of Experimental Medicine. Ms. Lopez discussed the advantages of Natural Killer (NK) cell-based therapies for cancer treatment. The focused was put on how memory-like NK cells can overcome significant barriers that limit the full implementation of NK cells as cellular therapies, focusing on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Following the seminars, Dr. Persano and Dr. Lopez enjoyed a tour of ICCVS facilities. We discussed how their expertise could be integrated into ICCVS’s ongoing projects and research interests and vice versa. Our guests were particularly impressed by the translatability of ICCVS’s laboratory research.