To study physiologically relevant in vitro 3D models as platforms for a dynamic comprehension of physiopathology, providing a more reliable model in “drug discovery” that mimics the in vivo tissue morphology and microenvi

The tumor microenvironment is an important modulator of malignant growth. A deep understanding of the complex relationships occurring at the tumor site among stromal cells, immune cells, and soluble factors could provide important information on the recruitment of immune cells and the possible impairment of their anti-tumor properties. Elucidating the complex network in the tumor microenvironment can be crucial for understanding the mechanisms of tumor escape from immune recognition, and for developing new therapeutic strategies

Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILCs) are a recently identified family of innate immune cells. Their accurate analysis allows the understanding of how they contribute to host defense, tissue morphogenesis, homeostasis and repair, and pathological conditions such as immunodeficiencies, autoinflammatory diseases, and autoimmunity. The main interests of this research area are Natural Killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells circulating in the blood and detectable in tissues and characterized by the ability to efficiently kill tumor or virus-transformed cells

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) and immunotherapy are important instruments to fight hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Immunotherapeutic approaches include the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting tumor-associated antigens or blocking immune checkpoints (ICB), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T or NK cells.