During GO!2025 - European Capital of Culture, the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) will present ‘Between skin and heart: the emotions of science in the fight against cancer’, a cycle of five theatre performances scheduled between May and October 2025 in Trieste, Udine, Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The initiative is financed by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

The University of Trieste is also a partner in the project, with participation from Serena Zacchigna, professor of Molecular Biology at UniTS and head of the ICGEB Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory. Together with Prof. Domenico Prattichizzo (University of Siena and IIT Genoa), Zacchigna brings a story which is both scientific and personal to the stage, inspired by an innovative challenge in research: to develop new anti-cancer therapies inspired by the heart, an organ rarely affected by cancer, using wearable robots that mimic a heartbeat.

The project interweaves science, storytelling and theatre to bring the public closer to the world of biomedical research, through an accessible, emotional and engaging language. On stage, researchers retrace each phase of their scientific adventure: hypotheses, obstacles, eureka moments, failures and progress, told in the first person and without the aid of slides. The show will be performed in Italian, with Slovenian subtitles and translation into sign language, making it accessibile to all.

The texts and script are by Alessandra Cotoloni and Sarita Massai, with participation from Davide Costabile, Giuseppe Di Mauro, Maryen Vasanthakumar and Alberto Villani.

Calendar of events

• 10th maggio 2025 at 15:00 – Trieste
  Scienza e Virgola Festival (SISSA) – Miela Theatre
  (event for schools)
• 11th May 2025 at 16:00 – Udine
  Vicino/Lontano Festival – Chiesa di San Francesco
  (with sign-language interpreters)
• 27th September 2025 – Trieste
  Trieste Next – Miela Theatre
  (with sign-language interpreters)
• 24th October 2025 at 18:00 – Nova Gorica
  University of Nova Gorica – Palazzo Lanthieri
  (in Italian with English subtitles)
• 25th October 2025 at 11:00 – Gorizia
  University of Trieste – Gorizia Campus – Main Hall
  (event for schools)