Research projects:
1) Clinical and translational studies in solid tumors (selection)
- Phase I, II, and III studies with new drugs and procedures in lung cancer, mesothelioma, breast cancer, gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and other solid tumors; studies on supportive measures.
- Germ cell tumors: role of miRNA in germ cell cancer; studies on stem cell transplantation (Reference group of the EBMT / solid tumors).
- Cell therapy in solid tumors in collaboration with the Cell Factory unit and Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù.
- Preclinical studies in Collaboration with UniPV and San Matteo Labs (selection): decoding the peripheral biomarkers associated to long-term or short-term response to immunotherapy in lung cancers, decoding plastic changes of cancer cells and tumor microenvironment associated to immunotherapy, implementing diagnostic tools for the stratification of patients addressed to immunotherapy (including radiomics, in collaboration with Radiologists), single-cell RNA profiling of liver-infiltrating immune cells of patients with NASH- and virus-related hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), identification of new targets for cancer vaccines able to prevent resistance to immunotherapy, and single-cell RNA profiling of peripheral blood mononucleate cells of patients with hepato-biliary cancers treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Alliance against Cancer (ACC) studies: Gersom study; and Lung Working groups / Radiomics studies, in collaboration with Radiotherapy and Radiology Units; working group supportive measures and survivorship care.
- Additional Preclinical studies in small bowel adenocarcinoma, GI tract cancer, thoracic cancers, and breast cancer.
2) Nutritional support in cancer patients, including drafting of national and international recommendations
- Assessment of nutritional risk and body composition in various oncological settings;
- Effects of amino-acid supplementation on lymphocytes in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers;
- ACC Working Groups: Survivorship care and Nutrition Support in cancer patients;
- Immunonutrition in head&neck cancer (improving tolerability of CT/RT), lung cancer (improving efficacy of immunotherapy), and in various surgical settings;
- Drafting of national (AIOM) and international recommendations/guidelines;
- Effects of protein, leucine, and vitamin D in patients with gynecologic cancers.
3) Viral diseases and cancer, including drafting of national guidelines
- Immunogenicity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 and HZ vaccines in cancer patients;
- Evaluation of T-cell response in patients with occult hepatitis B infection during immunotherapy;
- Evaluation of gut microbiota in breast cancer and in patients undergoing immunotherapy;
- Evaluation of the risk of developing HCC among relevant subgroups of patients wuth hepatits C virus-related hepatitis treated with direct anti-viral agents (in collaboration with the infectious disease unit);
- Drafting of national guidelines about vaccination for vaccine-preventable infections.
- Greco R, Ruggeri A, McLornan DP, et al. Indications for haematopoietic cell transplantation and CAR-T for haematological diseases, solid tumours and immune disorders: 2025 EBMT practice recommendations. Bone Marrow Transplant 2025 Nov; 60 (11): 1499-1525.
- Vanoli A, Colella T, Parente P, et al. HER2, HER3 and mismatch repair protein expression in stage IV small bowel adenocarcinoma: results from a multicenter series. Mod Pathol. 2025 Nov;38(11):100825.
- Sciortino C, Nichetti F, Bergamo F, et al. A phase III randomized clinical trial of Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel as switch maintenance versus continuation of modified FOLFIRINOX as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: The PANThEON Study. Dig Liver Dis 2025 Dec; 57 (12): 2470-77.
- Lenti MV, Ribaldone DG, Borrelli de Andreis F, et al. A 1-year follow-up study on checkpoint inhibitor-induced colitis: results from a European Consortium. ESMO Open 2024 Jul; 9 (7):103632.
- Lasagna A, Mele D, Bergami F, et al. The immunogenicity and the safety of the adjuvanted glycoprotein E (gE)-based recombinant vaccine against herpes zoster (RZV) in cancer patients during immunotherapy. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023 Dec 15; 19 (3): 2288282.
- Agustoni F, Yu H, Ellison K, et al. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer: analyses of prevalence, clinical correlations and prognostic impact in 2 large patient cohorts. Front Immunol 2025 May 22; 16: 158682.
- Cereda E, Casirati A, Klersy C, et al. ONCO-BIVA Collaborative Group. Bioimpedance-derived body composition parameters predict mortality and dose-limiting toxicity: the multicenter ONCO-BIVA study. ESMO Open. 2024 Aug; 9(8): 103666.
Cell culture: vertical flow cabinets, inverted microscope, optic microscope, inverted fluorescence microscope, Leica Thunder Imager 3D cell culture, incubators, heating bath, cell counter, nucleofector, ImageXpress Confocal HT.ai High-Content Imaging System (Molecular Devices);
Molecular analyses: T100 Thermal Cycler-Biorad; Biorad CFX96 C1000 Touch; Chemidoc Imager-Biorad; Western Blotting apparatus (Biorad and Thermo Scientific); 10x Chromium (10X Genomics) coupled with Illumina platform; Visium CytAssist-10X Genomics; PhenoCycler-Fusion (AkoyaBiosciences);
Facilities: citofluorimetry [cytometer BD FACS Lyric (Becton Dickinson), cytometer ImageStreamX MARK II (Amnis/Luminex), cell sorter BD FACS ARIA III (Becton Dickinson)], confocal microscopy (inverted Leica DMI 6000 microscope, Leica TCS SP5 II confocal microscopy system, Leica TCS SP8 STED 3X (Stimulated emission depletion) microscope, Leica DMi8 S TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) microscope, Leica TCS SP8 DLS); imaging MRI and microCT (Bruker PharmaScan MRI scanner), Skyscan 1276 system; animal facility; liquid nitrogen storage facility.
ACC, PRIN, Ricerca Corrente San Matteo, Regione Lombardia, Grants/research supports as investigators in trials sponsored by Pharma Companies.
ACC, AIOM, EBMT, ESMO, EORTC, SINPE, FAVO, CNAO, INT Milan, IGG, ATLAS platform, OPBG Rome, University of Pavia.
Francesco Agustoni, Alessandra Ferrari, Elisa Ferraris, Michela Festari, Giulia Galli, Chiara Gandini, Ilaria Imarisio, Angioletta Lasagna, Stefania Mantovani, Daniela Montagna, Benedetta Montagna, Teresa Monaco, Anna Pagani, Arianna Palladini, Lorenzo Perrone, Erica Quaquarini, Giampiero Rizzo, Giovanni Rosti, Salvatore Corallo, Patrizia Comoli, Emanuele Cereda, Silvia Chiellino, Daniela Cicognini, Cristina Travelli, Bianca Rovati, Simona Secondino, Francesco Serra, Giulia Maria Stella, Carlo Francesco Tomasini, Andrea Zuccarini.
Ultimo aggiornamento: 20/01/2026
