GRANT and AWARDS SERIES (Marie Curie Actions): Alessandro Carrer

Pubblicato il: 24.04.2020 13:27

Research Summary

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the deadliest form of malignancy, with abysmal prognosis (9% survival at 5 years post diagnosis) and negligible therapeutic options.

Significant benefit could be gained from a better understanding of molecular determinants of disease onset, with the ultimate goal to curtail its incidence and improve early detection.

Dr. Carrer’s work will study how alterations in metabolism influence cancer predisposition. In particular, Dr. Carrer will study the role of mitochondria in favoring oncogenic transformation when their function or shape is rewired in response to environmental stimuli.

PI's Biography

Dr. Carrer graduated in Medical Biotechnology at the University of Trieste, and obtained his PhD in Molecular Medicine working at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). He then moved to University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in Philadelphia, USA to work as a postdoc. During this time, Dr. Carrer was interested in the metabolic reprogramming occurring during pancreatic carcinogenesis, and became skilled with the use of mouse models of PDA, which will be extensively deployed for the MSCA project.