A cross-border network for the development of precision oncology medicine: the launch of NERD, an Interreg project involving DIMIT, takes place on 17 April in Como.

The University of Insubria is among the partners of the NERD – Next Generation Diagnostics: a cross-border network for the development and transfer of molecular methodologies in precision oncology medicine project, an initiative funded by the Interreg Italy-Switzerland Programme and led by Bio4Dreams. The aim is to develop new key competencies to strengthen the competitiveness of precision oncology medicine in Lombardy and the Canton of Ticino, in a sector where the availability of highly specialised professionals represents one of the principal challenges for the growth of the research and innovation ecosystem.

The NERD kick-off meeting is scheduled for 17 April at 9.30 am in the Aula Magna of the Chiostro di Sant'Abbondio in Como. The University of Insubria will be represented by, amongst others, Acting Pro-Rector Umberto Piarulli, the Head of the Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation Giulio Carcano, and DIMIT professors Daniela Furlan, the project's scientific lead for the University, and Stefano La Rosa, who will take part in the round table dedicated to technical and scientific competencies and to training as a strategic lever for clinical and entrepreneurial development.

The project was conceived to address the shortage of professionals with interdisciplinary expertise in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and technology transfer – fields that are increasingly decisive for the development of personalised medicine in oncology. To this end, NERD envisages a structured training programme comprising researcher exchanges between partner laboratories, courses within doctoral schools, two summer schools dedicated to bioinformatics and entrepreneurship, and the launch of a first-level Master's in Molecular Pathology.

Alongside training, the project also aims to develop an innovative platform to support the early identification of tumour responses to targeted therapies. Validation of the model will be carried out through two proof-of-principle studies, focusing respectively on glioblastoma and prostate carcinoma, with the objective of transferring advanced methodologies into clinical practice and the productive system.

Within the consortium led by Bio4Dreams, the University of Insubria joins six academic and industrial organisations active in the fields of biotechnology and bioinformatics: Nuova Genetica Italiana, StemGen, the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Fondazione per l'Istituto Oncologico di Ricerca of the Canton of Ticino, and BigOmics Analytics SA. The project was submitted under Specific Objective 1.1 of the Interreg Italy-Switzerland call, dedicated to the development and strengthening of research and innovation capacities and technology transfer.