#TalentiUniSR: Andrea Piunti

Andrea Piunti is one of the 16 best Italian researchers under 40 working in the United States. Graduated in Biotechnology (with an honorary mention) at our University, he is one of the finalists of the Issnaf Award, the award that brings together over 4 thousand Italian researchers and teachers in North America. Today Andrea works as a postdoc at the Northwestern University (Chicago, Illinois): his studies aim to understand the molecular mechanisms that can help to identify a therapy to defeat the diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a fatal pediatric tumor. The results of his research have recently been published in the prestigious journal “Nature Medicine” and the first phase 1 clinical trial will start soon to treat children affected by the disease.

Andrea Piunti

Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo ‘, then Master’s Degree in Molecular and Cellular Medical Biotechnology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. I also obtained a PhD from the European School of Molecular Medicine at the European Institute of Oncology.

The quality of the courses of the Master’s Degree in Biotechnology at San Raffaele is absolutely incomparable: I was sure that attending the San Raffaele would have given me an extra gear

The ability to develop critical thinking necessary to interpret results and formulate theories. In my opinion, the flagship of this University is the opportunity to receive accurate information and detailed explanations regarding innovative technologies and theories by professors and researchers, professionals of international relevance in different research fields. Cutting-edge education and teaching how to apply basic or translational research to real clinical problems are the pillars of the San Raffaele educational offer.

I am working as a postdoctoral fellow at a project on a rare pediatric brain tumor. During my doctorate I became interested in how the chromatin remodeling processes are regulated (or better deregulated) in tumor development. Studies in mouse models have confirmed the validity of our strategy and we are close to starting a clinical trial in 2018

If you truly like the research and you are willing to study and work hard, I would definitely recommend to enroll this University

I think I have a good memory

“Ego cogito, ergo sum, sive existo” (Descartes)

Being able to do my job in my hometown [San Benedetto del Tronto]; this is probably an unattainable project, but…never say never!