13 February 2026
Lorenzo Calviello and his group of the Human Technopole’s Research Centres for Genomics and Computational Biology have been awarded a five-year My First AIRC Grant by Fondazione AIRC per la Ricerca sul Cancro. The grant provides over €99,000 for 2026, for an expected total of €500,000, to support a project aimed at identifying cancer-specific proteins that could serve as new immunotherapy targets in colorectal cancer.
In the research led by Calviello, in collaboration with the groups of Andrea Sottoriva and Alice Giustacchini, the scientists address a major unresolved clinical challenge in the treatment of colorectal cancer. While immunotherapy has significantly improved outcomes for some patients, it remains largely ineffective in tumours with microsatellite stability (MSS), the most common form of the disease. This appears to be mainly due to the lack of suitable molecular targets that are specific to tumour cells alone.
“The data generated by this project should provide a robust set of gene segments, RNA molecules and proteins specific to this type of cancer, going beyond current genomic annotations, with a particular focus on identifying new potential targets for immunotherapy,” explains Lorenzo Calviello. “In parallel, we will develop and make available advanced software tools that can be freely used by the entire research community.”
The project combines computational analyses with experimental validation of in silico results. Laboratory experiments will be carried out, in collaboration with the group of Andrea Sottoriva, using organoids – three-dimensional cultures generated from patient samples stored in a biobank coordinated by Dr Filippo Pietrantonio at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori. Advanced sequencing and proteomics approaches will be used to map active protein production in these experimental tumour models, including proteins derived from genomic regions traditionally considered non-coding.
The research will also leverage Human Technopole’s National Facilities for genomics, structural biology, and data handling and analysis. In particular, state-of-the-art mass spectrometry technologies will enable the detection of cancer-derived proteins, including those presented to the immune system and potentially exploitable for immunotherapy.
Through functional studies, the scientists will further assess the biological relevance of the selected targets and analyse how epigenetic drugs may influence their expression. As part of an international collaboration with Dr Benjamin Greenbaum at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, immunological assays will be developed and opportunities for clinical translation explored, including strategies based on mRNA vaccines.
The project contributes to Human Technopole’s Flagship Programme Evolving Diseases, which investigates how diseases such as cancer and immune-mediated and inflammatory conditions evolve over time, through integrated multi-omics analyses, experimental research systems, and close collaboration with clinical partners.
The Calviello Group will shortly open recruitment to hire two students for both experimental and computational research activities. Updates will be available on the Careers website.
