RNA: National Center for gene therapy and drugs based on RNA technology
The aim of the National RNA Centre is to share knowledge and resources in the field of gene and drug therapies using RNA technology in order to accelerate the development of cutting-edge therapies and translate them into pharmacological products
NRRP intervention area: Mission 4 – Education and Research
Component: 2 - From research to business
Investment: 1.4 – Strengthening research structures and creating “R&D national champions” on some Key Enabling Technologies
Duration: the project will end on 31/10/2025
Total project funding: €320,036,606.03
Proposer: Università degli Studi di Padova
To accelerate the development of cutting-edge gene and RNA therapies
The project was set up to promote research into the molecular and cellular dynamics underlying precision medicine.
The two main objectives of the programme are:
- to increase the technological knowledge required to develop and deliver RNA-based medicines and gene therapy
- to identify promising drug and gene candidates for cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory and infectious diseases.
The aim is to develop a class of drugs that can target any class of protein with unprecedented precision, thanks to the power and flexibility of nucleic acids.
Project structure and participation
Foundation Composition
Universities and research institutes
- Università degli Studi di Padova
- Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
- Sapienza Università di Roma
- Università degli studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”
- Università degli studi di Brescia
- Università degli Studi di Cagliari
- Università degli studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
- Università degli Studi di Catania
- Università degli Studi di Catanzaro "Magna Graecia"
- Università degli Studi di Firenze
- Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti – Pescara
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca
- Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
- Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II"
- Università degli Studi di Palermo
- Università degli Studi di Pavia
- Università degli Studi di Salerno
- Università degli Studi di Siena
- Università degli Studi di Verona
- Università degli Studi di Torino
- Università degli Studi di Trieste
- Università di Pisa
- Università di Roma Tor Vergata
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - CNR (National Research Council)
Private actors
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
- Humanitas University
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT (Italian Institute of Technology)
- Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù
- Ri.MED Foundation
- Tettamanti Foundation
- Fondazione Telethon
- Dompè Farmaceutici SpA
- Takis Biotech Srl
- Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA
- Eurofins Biolab Srl
- Novartis International AG
- Pfizer INC
- Stevanato Group SpA
- PBL Srl
- Innovavector Srl
- Sanofi
- Astrazeneca
- Bracco SpA
- BioNTech
- Antares Vision Group Spa
- Orgenesis Italy Srl
- IRBM SpA
- Intesa Sanpaolo Spa
Areas of action
- Spoke 1 - Genetic Diseases (leader: Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia)
- Spoke 2 - Cancer (leader: Università di Roma La Sapienza)
- Spoke 3 - Neurodegeneration (leader: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT (Italian Institute of Technology)
- Spoke 4 - Metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (leader: Università degli Studi di Padova)
- Spoke 5 - Inflammatory and infectious diseases (leader: Università degli Studi di Siena)
- Spoke 6 - RNA drug development (leader: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - CNR (National Research Council)
- Spoke 7 – Biocomputing (leader: Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”)
- Spoke 8 - Platform for RNA/DNA delivery (leader: Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II")
- Spoke 9 - From target to therapy: Pharmacology, Safety and Regulatory Competence Center (leader: Università degli Studi di Milano)
- Spoke 10 - Preclinical development, GMP manufacturing and clinical trials of GTMP (leader: Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù)
The University of Bologna participates in spoke 1, spoke 2, spoke 3 and spoke 6.
Project team
University of Bologna participants
Scientific coordinator
Professor Caterina Garone
Teaching and research Staff
- Angela Abruzzo
- Sofia Avnet
- Nicola Baldini
- Manuela Bartolini
- Maria Laura Bolognesi
- Elena Bonora
- Walter Cabri
- Laura Calzà
- Giovanni Capranico
- Valerio Carelli
- Duccio Maria Cordelli
- Gabriele Matteo D'Uva
- Federico Falchi
- Caterina Garone
- Giuseppe Gasparre
- Patrizia Hrelia
- Luisa Iommarini
- Ivana Kurelac
- Elena Maestrini
- Valentina Marassi
- Stefano Masiero
- Francesca Massenzio
- Giorgio Milazzo
- Barbara Monti
- Emanuele Panza
- Giovanni Perini
- Gloria Ravegnini
- Luigi Ricciardiello
- Marinella Roberti
- Santi Mario Spampinato
- Alessandra Tolomelli
- Pier Luigi Zinzani
Staff hired with project funds
Researchers
- Sara Carli
- Margherita Cortini
- Chiara Diquigiovanni
- Lucia Ferrazzano
- Giorgio Medici
- Giulia Miglietta
- Marta Viggiano
Staff with a research fellowship
- Tioli Gaia
- Bagnolini Greta
- Salis Luca
- Palombo Marta
- Giusti Veronica
PhD students
- Manna Clelia
- Dell'Anna Elisa
- Libotte Manon Elise C.
- Sdei Federico
- Rapisarda Leonardo
- Bozzini Niccolò
- Ramadan Sherin
- Sabeni Silvia
Departments involved
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" - CHIM
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences - DIMEC
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences - DIBINEM
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences - DIMEC
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology - FaBiT
The work carried out so far by the university research teams on this project includes:
- the generation of pluripotent stem cells, derived from real patients suffering from genetic diseases caused by from mitochondrial cell dysfunction
- the identification of a specific protein in the fruit fly, Drosophila, that closely resembles a human protein involved in mitochondrial diseases
- research intoRNA-based treatments to fight tumours and metastases
Activities in progress:
- differentiation of stem cell lines into neuronal and muscle lineages
- creation of stem cell models for rapid testing of mRNA drugs and gene therapies using bioprinting technology
- investigating specific treatments for osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer
- the research carried out to date will be modelled using 3D printing technology: these models will not only allow direct interactions between different cell lines to be tested, but will also take into account the response to drugs