Written on 01 December 2023.
The new instrumentation is able to recreate the same environment present at the tissue level in the laboratory
A tool that recreates the conditions in which particular tumor cells develop and act which could help preclinical research activities in the study of certain pathologies. The Biosciences Laboratory of IRST “Dino Amadori” Irccs has been equipped, for a few days, with a new latest generation hypoxic hood, available to all researchers thanks to funding from the IOR – Romagna Oncology Institute of approximately 82 thousand euros. It is a device capable of recreating an environment with low oxygen contentin which it is possible to manipulate and grow normal and tumor cells in a very similar way to what happens in the human body.
“The tumor – explains the prof. Giovanni MartinelliScientific Director of IRST “Dino Amadori” Irccs – it lives predominantly in an oxygen-free environment, unlike our cells. And it uses hypoxia to its advantage to develop, making full use of its fuel, which is sugar. Being able to establish preclinical models, as realistic as possible, allows us to better study the disease and target cells in a differentiated way. With this instrumentation, our Institute is therefore in a position to create the conditions for the creation of new effective treatments and therapies for our patients.”
““Thanks to this hood – adds the Dr. Anna Teseibiologist, head of the Drug discovery and radiobiology Unit of the Biosciences Laboratory – we are able to obtain oxygen concentrations on the cells equal to the tumor tissue level. A situation that makes the results that emerge from our experiments much more realistic. Oxygen, in fact, impacts both the aggressiveness and invasiveness of the tumor, as well as influencing the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments“.
In particular, the instrument represents the ideal research platform for studying the mechanisms of action, resistance and response to pharmacological treatment and radiation therapy. The hypoxic environment inside the hood also recreates the optimal growth conditions for the in vitro study of tumor stem cells considered responsible for the recurrence of neoplastic disease.
“The IOR-IRST combination – conclude the doctor Fabrizio Miserocchi, IRST President and IOR General Director – has always been synonymous with the promotion of quality research; that research that brings the most precise and personalized treatment opportunities to the patient’s bedside, in the shortest possible time. I would underline the “time” issue: although we all agree that the progress made in recent years has made the idea of an increasingly cancer-free future a realistic prospect, rather than a vague hope, there are people who are diagnosed with cancer every day that they cannot afford to wait too long for new treatments. Too often we look at research as something abstract: I think the instrumentation we are inaugurating today is the concrete testimony of the concept of “restitution”. For this reason, patients and professionals can only say thank you once again to IOR and to those who support IOR; a support which, however, must not be a mere act of trust: supporting IOR means demanding that, for a donation made, there is a tangible compensation that can improve the situation in the fight against cancer in Romagna. I hope that the tool we are inaugurating today, in addition to making a difference for IRST researchers, gives a clear idea of the seriousness with which we have taken on this commitment. It is important to support the many initiatives that IOR will implement this Christmas in support of research, the most effective weapon we have to erode the disease which, more than any other, takes years of life away from women and men.”
From left: Chiara Liverani, Fabrizio Miserocchi, Paola Ulivi, Anna Tesei, Lorenzo Maffioli, Giovanni Martinelli