Scientific Report 2013 Ongoing Research 2014 Scientific Report 2013 Ongoing Research 2014 Colophon Title IEO Scientific Report 2013. Ongoing Research 2014. Publisher IEO European Institute of Oncology©, Milan (Italy) Number 20 Month/Year May 2014 Editor Pier Giuseppe Pelicci Secretary of editing Roberta Carbone Graphic Layout Andrea Rovatti Photographer Roberto Benzi, Marta Rovatti Studihrad Typographer Italgrafica Srl, Printed in Italy Paper Printed on the uncoated paper On Offset whose elementary chlorine free pulps came from susteinaible forests We thank all the authors for their contribution to this report Chairman’s message The European Institute of Oncology prepares to celebrate its twenty years of activity within a framework of financial stability and significant growth in treatment and research. At the same time the scientific publications have shown a further increase in impact factor with respect to an already record-breaking 2012. Our innovative capacity and appeal on the national stage thus appear to be gaining in strength. The IEO model has demonstrated its sound validity over time, as the first private not-for-profit hospital in Italy, where scientific expertise and managerial skills have been combined, along with the principles of both public and private healthcare. Our statute provides for the reinvestment of any profits into research and development, and thanks to this, the IEO has always been able to rely on its founding members who have constantly invested in, and supported, the outstanding ideas and commitment of the doctors, researchers, and staff. This is exemplified by the technology we employ in diagnostic imaging, robotics, radiotherapy, as well as our being at the forefront in Europe for DNA sequencing methods. All this enables us to provide our patients with the most advanced treatment that science has to offer. We have therefore been able to maintain high quality standards even at a time of national and international economic crisis. All the above gives us encouragement and hope for the future, and from this perspective we have already drawn up and launched a new and ambitious avenue of development for the next twenty years. Carlo BUORA Chairman Contents Chief Executive Officer’s Message 11 Disease-Oriented Research Applied Research Unit for Cognitive Chromatin Alterations in Tumorigenesis 198 Scientific Director’s Report 13 Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 72 and Psychological Science 139 Transcriptional Control in Inflammation and Cancer 200 • Ethics Committee 18 Medical Division of Urogenital, Epigenetic mechanisms in stem cell • Clinical Trials Office 19 Gastrointestinal, Head and Neck Tumors 74 Clinical Resources differentiation and oncogenesis 202 • Library 21 Research Activities 76 Division of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care 142 Biology and Signal Transduction of Normal • The IEO activities in Spain Day Surgery Division 144 and Cancer Neural Stem Cells 204 and in Latin America 21 Division of General and Laparoscopic Surgery 80 Robotic Surgery Research Program 146 Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer and Aging 206 • ecancermedicalscience 22 Division of Abdomino-Pelvic Surgery 82 Immunobiology of Dendritic Cells Division of Endoscopy 85 Division of Cardiology 148 and Immunotherapy 209 The Directive Board 25 Medical Division of Urogenital, Day Hospital Division 152 Stem Cell Epigenetics 211 CEO’s Office Gastrointestinal, Head and Neck Tumors 87 Mechanisms Controlling Chromosome • Communication, Marketing and Customer Service 26 Research Activities 89 Translational Research Segregation 214 • Finance and Administration 27 Drug Discovery Program 156 • Human Resources 28 Soft Tissue Sarcoma 92 Target Identification and Validation Unit 157 Educational Programs • Information Technology & Facility Management 29 Surgical Division of Dermato-Oncology 94 Drug Discovery Unit 159 IEO Education 218 • Medical Office 30 Medical Division of Melanoma 96 The Molecular Medicine Program 161 SEMM - European School of Molecular Medicine 220 Hospital Activities 32 Research Activities 99 SmartFood: Program in Nutrition Research Operation 36 Science & Communication 165 TTFactor and IEO Foundation Division of Clinical Haemato-Oncology 100 Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics 167 TTFactor Srl, the Technology Transfer Company 224 Clinical Research Tumor Registry 170 IEO Foundation 226 Multidisciplinary Research Programs Interdisciplinary Research Breast Tumor Program 40 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 104 Basic Research Publications, Clinical Trials, Division of Breast Cancer Surgery 42 Division of Pathology 105 Department of Experimental Oncology 176 Ongoing Grants and Seminars Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 45 Division of Laboratory Medicine 108 Functional Genomics 178 Full Papers 2013 230 Medical Division of Breast Tumors 47 Division of Laboratory Haematology-Oncology 110 Oncogenes, Chromatin and Cell Cycle Control 180 Clinical Trials in progress during 2013 254 Nuclear Proteomics to investigate Ongoing Grants, Research Agreements Gynecologic Tumor Program 50 Department of Medical Imaging multi-layered gene expression regulation 182 and Fellowships - 2013 & 2014 268 Division of Gynecologic Cancer Surgery 53 and Radiation Sciences 112 Biomedical Humanities 184 Seminars 2013. Basic science seminars (SEMM) 274 Medical Division of Gynecologic Tumors 55 Division of Radiotherapy 114 Viral Control of Cellular Pathways Seminars 2013. Clinical science seminars Division of Radiology 117 and Biology of Tumorigenesis 186 (IEO Education) 277 Lung Tumor Program 58 Division of Breast Imaging 120 Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Division of Thoracic Cancer Surgery 61 Division of Nuclear Medicine 123 Genomics of Cancer 188 Acknowledgments 278 Division of Thoracic Oncology 63 Medical Physics 126 Studying the regulation of chromosome segregation at centromeres, kinetochores and rDNA 190 Urogenital Tumor Program 66 Division of Early Drug Development Molecular Carcinogenesis and Stem Cell Division of Urologic Cancer Surgery 67 for Innovative Therapies 129 Biology Research 192 Medical Division of Urogenital, Division of Cancer Prevention and Genetics 133 Structural and Functional Studies of the Mitotic Spindle Gastrointestinal, Head and Neck Tumors 69 Division of Palliative Care 137 Orientation during Asymmetric Cell Divisions 195 Board of Directors International Scientific As of April 2014 Advisory Board Carlo BUORA Chairman Mariano BARBACID Madrid Carlo CIANI Deputy Chairman Anton BERNS Amsterdam Gian Luca SANTI Deputy Chairman peter BOYLE Lyon Mauro MELIS Chief Executive Officer Julian DOWNWARD London Giulio DRAETTA houston Alessandro Bertani Alexander M.M. EGGERMONT Villejuif Rosario BIfulco Carl-henrik hELDIN Uppsala Ausilia CARENA heinz hOEfLER Munich francesco ChIAppetta Jan hOEIJMAKERS Rotterdam Maurizio COMOLI David p. LANE Singapore Davide CROff Tomas LINDAhL London D.M. LIVINGSTON Boston paolo GRANDI J. Gordon McVIE Bristol pietro Scott IOVANE Liliane OLLIVIER paris Edoardo LOMBARDI Roberto ORECChIA Milan Aldo MAUGERI pier Giuseppe pELICCI Milan Enrico MIGLIAVACCA Ulrik RINGBORG Stockholm Vittorio OGLIENGO Walter VAN DEN BOGAERT Leuven Marco pATUANO Irene J. VIRGOLINI Innsbruck Giampiero pESENTI Karen h. VOUSDEN Glasgow Umberto Quadrino Umberto VERONESI Milan piero SIERRA Auditors Maurizio BOzzato - Renato Pagliaro - Graziano VISENTIN Secretary Mario CESANA Ex officio Umberto VERONESI - Oliviero Rinaldi Shareholders 8 9 Chief Executive Officer’s Message For the European Institute of Oncology, 2013 has been a year marked by strong growth, which confirmed both its clinical and scientific reputation and the economic viability of its hospital. The value of production grew as well as the net income, which is a driving force of our activities. These results are even more significant when considered in the national context, which still offers no concrete signs of overcoming one of the most serious economic and financial crises of recent times, and which, inevitably, has also greatly affected the health sector. We have challenged the economic downturn with the optimization of our available resources, which led to the re-structuring of the entire clinical organization in a series of programs, each dedicated to a single pathology. This process is already showing results: increased efficiency and, above all, greater focus on the patient by a multidisciplinary team of medical specialists and experts in the different aspects of their illness. We have also expanded our international activities preparing to receive the increased flows of patients from European regions and emerging countries. Our international outlook is taking a central role in our development strategy. We have identified shared objectives that indicate a clear path towards a personalized medicine, targeted to a person’s unique disease and therapeutic response. We will work on the establishment of an integrated care pathway (prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up) and on the development of clinical and translational research, so that every patient can be offered the best available diagnostic and therapeutic options, using the most advanced experimental therapies. Mauro MELIS We are thus facing 2014, the year of our twentieth anniversary, with renewed confidence in our future and a sense of belonging and Chief Executive Officer pride in our past. I would like to thank all our staff, who have made possible this new beginning. 10 11 IEO — Scientific Report 2013 — Ongoing Research 2014 Scientific Director’s Report Umberto