Sapienza
Sapienza University of Rome, founded in 1303, is one of the world’s oldest and Europe’s largest universities, with 122,000 students, including 11,000 international students, and over 4,700 professors and researchers. Its mission is to advance knowledge through research, quality education, and international collaboration.
Sapienza offers 309 degree programs (over 66 in English), 95 PhDs, over 200 professional courses, and 85 specialization schools across 59 departments and 11 faculties. Its research spans disciplines such as archaeology, physics, astrophysics, humanities, nanotechnologies, gene therapy, aerospace, and social sciences. Distinguished faculty include Nobel Laureate Giorgio Parisi.
Sapienza ranks 3rd in Italy and 181st globally (QS Rankings), 1st worldwide in Classics & Ancient History, and 116th globally for CWUR. It actively participates in European and international research projects, securing over 220 Horizon 2020 and 130+ Horizon Europe projects.
In the LaserBlood project, Sapienza collaborates with FLIM LABS to investigate the protein corona formed on nanomaterials interacting with plasma, aiming to identify molecular signatures of early-stage pancreatic disease. The Sapienza team is led by Professors Daniela Pozzi and Giulio Caracciolo, experts in nanomedicine and bio-nanointerfaces, overseeing experimental design and coordination. Drs. Erica Quagliarini and Serena Renzi, postdoctoral researchers at the NanoDelivery Lab, conduct experiments optimizing nanoparticle characterization protocols. They are supported by Dr. Manuela Iacobini, a PhD candidate contributing to experiments and data analysis. The project involves two phases:
- Phase A: Plasma sample analysis from murine models to refine methodology.
- Phase B: Validation using human plasma samples from IPMN patients to identify biomarkers for clinical use.
This multidisciplinary approach integrates nanotechnology, proteomics, and computational methods to enhance early pancreatic cancer detection.
Sapienza’s WP leaders – Profs. Daniela Pozzi and Giulio Caracciolo
Graduated in Physics in 2000 with full marks at the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Pozzi received her PhD in Physics in 2004 at the University of Roma Tre. From 2003 to 2005 she was the holder of a research grant at the Physics Department of the Sapienza University of Rome. From 2005 to 2009 she was the holder of scholarships and a research grant at the Chemistry Department of the Sapienza University of Rome.
In 2010 she was a guest for 3 months at the Biomedical Engineering Department, University of California Irvine (Irvine, California, USA). Since 2010, Dr. Pozzi has been a permanent researcher at the Department of Molecular Medicine of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine of the Sapienza University of Rome and since 2019 Associate Professor. She was national coordinator of a research project funded by the Ministry of Health and currently coordinates an AIRC Investigator Grant project.
She is a member of several projects granted by the Ministry of University and Research and of projects granted by AIRC. Daniela Pozzi is co-author of over 120 scientific publications, numerous participations in international congresses, four Italian patents and two PCT applications.
Graduated in Physics in 1999, Prof. Giulio Caracciolo obtained his Ph.D. in Biophysics in 2003. From 2007 to 2010, he was a university researcher at the Department of Chemistry, and from 2010 to 2015, he worked at the Department of Molecular Medicine (SSD FIS/07). Since 2015, he has been an associate professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine.
He is the national coordinator of research projects funded by the Ministry of University and Research, the Ministry of Health, and the AIRC Foundation. His main research activity focuses on the development, validation, and patenting of nanotechnologies for the delivery of drugs and nucleic acids in vitro and in vivo. Another research line concerns the study of interactions between nanomaterials and biological fluids for the development of technologies for early cancer diagnosis.
Giulio Caracciolo is the co-author of over 160 scientific publications, has participated in numerous international conferences, holds four Italian patents, and has filed two PCT applications. Prof. Giulio Caracciolo coordinates an international network of researchers active in the field of drug delivery and bio-nano interactions and collaborates closely with small, medium, and large pharmaceutical companies, both national and international (Novartis Pharma, Roche).
