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Nicola Ferrari

Translational Research Scientist - Project Lead in Cancer Research - Preclinical/Clinical development - Biomarker Discovery

Dr. Nicola Ferrari is a highly qualified professional with a diverse educational background in Oncology, Cancer Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology. They earned a Ph.D. in Oncology and Cancer Biology from The University of Glasgow, an MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and a BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Università di Bologna / University of Bologna.

With a strong research background, Dr. Ferrari has held various key positions in prestigious organizations. They have worked as a Research Associate in Translational R&D at Astex Pharmaceuticals (UK) and participated in the Merck Serono Innovation Cup 2015 at Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany. Previously, Dr. Ferrari served as a Post-Doctoral Training Fellow in the Tumour Microenvironment Team at The Institute of Cancer Research and gained valuable experience as a PhD Student in the Transgenic Models Laboratory at Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute. Additionally, they completed an MSc Student Internship in the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli.

Highlights

Jul 9 · linkedin

Lymphocytes as a living drug for cancer

  • On 15 February 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new type of immunotherapy, lifileucel, as the first cellular therapy for a solid cancer (advanced melanoma that is refractory to other effective treatments).

  • This adoptive cell transfer (ACT) immunotherapy uses the patient’s own tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), which are isolated from a resected growing tumor; expanded to large numbers in the laboratory using interleukin-2 (IL-2), a T cell growth factor; and then reinfused under specialized conditions into the same patient where they target tumor cells.

  • These TILs thus represent a “living drug,” capable of proliferating many thousand-fold as they circulate in the cancer-bearing patient.

  • Challenges in TILs therapy include production complexity, high cost and distinct regulatory obstacles involved in the production of this “living” product, which are hindering commercial development and widespread availability of this treatment option.

https://lnkd.in/eXXawn99

#cancerresearch #immunotherapy #celltherapy #melanoma

Lymphocytes as a living drug for cancer

On 15 February 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (F
Jun 28 · linkedin

Single-cell analysis in rheumatic and allergic diseases: insights for clinical practice

This Review provides an overview of the achievements in single-cell analysis applied to clinical samples of rheumatic and allergic diseases, including RA, SLE and systemic sclerosis, with an expanded scope beyond peripheral blood cells to include local diseased tissues.

  • Since the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methodology, single-cell analysis has become a powerful tool for exploration of cellular networks and dysregulated immune responses in disease pathogenesis.

  • The importance of spatial information is also being increasingly recognized. Obtaining different information from each cell while preserving spatial information helps to visualize and assess local cell–cell interactions, allowing the identification of pathologically significant perturbations of cell states through serial tissue biopsies before and after treatment.

  • Despite the valuable insights that single-cell analysis has provided into disease pathogenesis, challenges remain in translating single-cell findings into clinical practice and developing personalized treatment strategies.

  • Single-cell data, coupled with accurate disease assessment, could be considered the ultimate clinical information. From the patient to the single cell and back to the bedside again, establishing a ‘bedside and laboratory’ system in which clinicians and analytical researchers work together is crucial in our new era of medicine.

https://lnkd.in/eSJyaztZ

#omics #scRNA #biomarkers #immunology #autoimmunity

Single-cell analysis in rheumatic and allergic diseases: insights for clinical practice

This Review
Nicola Ferrari
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Location

Greater Cambridge Area