Presentation of the Centre
The 'Giovanni Paolo II' Tumour Institute, housed in the historic 'Domenico Cotugno' hospital building, has been an IRCCS since 1985, specialising in oncology. Accredited as an OECI Clinical Cancer Centre in 2015, it focuses on cancer diagnosis, treatment, research, and humanisation of care. The Institute prioritises translational research to improve therapies, integrating clinical and basic research, and is committed to excellence in prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.
Main Research Activities
Research includes clinical and translational fields. Clinical research focuses on active studies involving physicians and biologists, while translational research covers omics analyses (genomics, proteomics, radiomics) on liquid biopsies, leveraging AI to study tumour biology and identify biomarkers, neoantigens, and drug targets. Collaborations in nanotechnology will support new drug formulations. Pharmacological screenings using organoids and tumor fragments will explore tumour microenvironment roles in therapy response.
Core Facilities
The Institute is developing a research infrastructure with 8 core facilities: 1) Tumour Biology and Molecular Therapies; 2) Biomarkers and Molecular Targets; 3) Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy; 4) Omic Sciences; 5) Nanotechnology; 6) Oncological Virology; 7) Oncological Haematology and 8) the Laboratory of Bioinformatics and.
Education
Training is essential for enhancing healthcare professionals' skills and improving services. The Institute offers educational activities for medical, nursing, and technical staff to improve care quality. Continuous Education programs focus on oncology expertise, also engaging General Practitioners for patient care continuity. In collaboration with the University of Bari, the Institute provides training for medical students and graduate researchers. Starting in 2024, a Nursing Degree branch will be offered at the Institute.