Alberto Verlato, a PhD student in Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences; Samuele Cesaro, a PhD holder in Biomolecular Medicine; and Khulah Sadia, a PhD student in Biomolecular Medicine, are the winners of the 11th edition of the “Emma Gianesini Fund” call for applications.
The award ceremony took place on Wednesday, January 15, in the De Sandre Lecture Hall at Borgo Roma’s Polyclinic. It was attended by Giuseppe Lippi, Dean of the Faculty; Pietro Blengino, Secretary of the Board of UniCredit Foundation ETS; Davide Sterza from the Emma Gianesini Fund Management Committee; and Professors Simonetta Friso, Roberto Salvia, and Giovanni Gotte from the University of Verona, who served as members of the selection committee. Representing the Gianesini family was Luisa Gianesini, the niece of Emma Gianesini, who passed away in early 2021.
Driven by her desire to support scientific research and assist young students from the University of Verona, Emma Gianesini generously enabled the establishment of this fund, which will continue to operate for years to come, offering talented young scholars opportunities to specialize abroad.
The initiative was promoted by UniCredit Foundation and the University of Verona, thanks to the generous donation from Mrs. Gianesini. The research grants, valued at €50,000 each, will allow the winners to undertake research-focused experiences abroad in the medical field, under the guidance of faculty members from the University’s School of Medicine.
Cancer, the research Projects
The title of Alberto Verlato’s project is “Spatial Profiling of Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis to Address Cancer Spread and Advance Precision Immuno-Oncology.” This research will be conducted at the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) with the research group led by Dr. Andrea Ponzetta from November 1, 2025, to November 1, 2026.
Samuele Cesaro will study “Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency: The Role of Metabolite Accumulation and the Basis for Enzyme Replacement Therapy.” This project will involve collaboration with Sabine Jung-Klawitter at the Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Germany.
Khulah Sadia will work on “A Multi-Omics Approach to Decipher Epigenetic Mechanisms in Liver Cancer.” She will carry out her research at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Colorado, collaborating with Angelo D’Alessandro on integrating omics approaches to decode epigenetic phenomena in liver cancer.
