In recent days, the ranking and the list of projects admitted to the financing of the Operational Health Plan (POS) of the Ministry of Health.
Plan, organized in 5 development trajectories, awarded the richest endowment, more than 90 million euro, to the trajectory 4: "Biotechnologies, bioinformatics and pharmaceutical development "for the creation of a basic and clinical research hub for the development of innovative therapies.
The project presented by the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro (A G) it was the third best at the national level and the first among the projects proposed by the Institutions of the South, obtaining a loan of approx 40 million euro.
The project is aimed at the realization of a Hub Calabrese named CAL. HUB. RIA (CALabria HUB for Innovative and Advanced Research) in the pharmaceutical sectors, of Biomedical and Biotechnology.
The goal is to create an ambitious innovative platform, functional and highly accessible at theUniversity of Catanzaro Magna Graecia - Lead Partner-, through an active synergy of specific skills in the aforementioned areas with theUniversity of Calabria of Cosenza and theUniversity of Mediterranean Studies of Reggio Calabria, the main Calabrian hospital hubs (Materdomini University Hospital, Pugliese Hospital, e GOM of Reggio Calabria) in partnership with some of the main scientific excellences of the Center-North (Biomedical Campus University of Rome, - Politecnico di Milano, - Polytechnic of Turin, the IRRCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute in Rome, the IRCCS Monzino Cardiology Center in Milan, the IRCCS European Institute of Oncology in Milan, the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato of Milan, the IRCCS Carlo Besta Neurological Institute of Milan and the IRCCS SDN SYNLAB of Naples).
Biotecnomed is a corporate partner of the CAL.HUB.RIA project
CAL.HUB.RIA has the inter-university public-private consortium as its business partner Biotecnomed s.c.a.r.l. – high-tech business incubator aimed at basic and industrial research in the bioscience sectors with particular regard to the areas of biomedical, biotechnology e pharmaceutical.
The objectives of the project are to develop convergence between basic research, preclinical and clinical for the production and evaluation of large-scale and cutting-edge innovative therapies for oncological diseases and chronic - degenerative neurological and cardiological diseases.
In particular, CAL.HUB.RIA provides for the construction of the first "cell factory”, that is, a pharmaceutical workshop authorized to produce drugs for cell therapies that, along with gene therapy drugs and tissue engineering products, constitute the family of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products o ATMP.
CAL-HUB.RIA, indeed, has among its main objectives the clinical trial of immunotherapy with cells "CAR-T”, cells capable of selectively recognizing cancer cells allowing their selective elimination, and bi-specific antibodies for the personalized treatment of tumor diseases.
The project CAL.HUB.RIA. will develop within the Germaneto university campus, than with its modern buildings intended for biomedical and pharmacological areas, to the areas of psychology and sociology and to the juridical-economic ones, it hosts high-tech biomedical facilities equipped with the most modern technologies for basic research, preclinical and clinical.
Scientific coordinator of the CAL.HUB.RIA and the Prof. Daniele Torella, Full Professor of Cardiology, of the University of Catanzaro. The Prof. Giuseppe Viglietto, Full Professor of General Pathology and Director of the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, together with Prof. Francesco S. Costanzo, Gennaro Ciliberto, Pierfrancesco Tassone e PieroSandro Tagliaferri they will be responsible for innovation for gene therapy for cancer, focusing research activities on the development of CAR-T-based cell therapy.
Research activities on neurodegenerative diseases will be coordinated by Prof. Aldo Quattrone, emeritus of neurology and former rector of the university, head of the Neuroscience Research Center and the UOS "Neuroimmagini" of CNR in collaboration with Prof. Giovambattista De Sarro, Rector of the University of Catanzaro and the Prof. Giovanni Cuda, Full Professor of Molecular Biology.
In the end, - Prof. Daniele Torella will coordinate the research activities in collaboration with i Prof. Massimo Fresta e Donatella Paolino, on the development of innovative cell therapies and new RNA drugs, and their cardiac release, for heart failure.
The approval and financing of the project CAL.HUB.RIA once again underlines the scientific excellence in the Italian and international panorama of the University of Catanzaro, that as leader and leader of the HUB being established will have the opportunity to contribute directly and as a protagonist to the major challenges for the near future of our country: that of bridging the gap between basic research and clinical application, placing itself at the forefront in the construction of well-being, understood as health and as an economy and that of strengthening and making the link between research and business even more effective by promoting scientific innovation, technology transfer, qualified entrepreneurship and the development of the biotechnology industry also in Calabria.
