On Friday, 24 October 2025, on the occasion of GO!2025 – European Capital of Culture, the ICGEB – International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology presents ‘At the border between skin and heart: the emotions of science in the fight against cancer’, the last in a series of five theatrical performances that took place during 2025 in Trieste, Udine, Gorizia and Nova Gorica.

The show, dedicated to schools, will take place at 10 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Gorizia University Campus of the University of Trieste, in Via Alviano 18.

The initiative is funded by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The University of Trieste is also a partner in the project, with the participation of Serena Zacchigna, professor of Molecular Biology at UniTS and head of the ICGEB Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory. Together with prof. Domenico Prattichizzo of the University of Siena and the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, Serena Zacchigna presents a scientific and personal story inspired by an innovative research challenge: to develop new cancer therapies inspired by the heart, an organ rarely affected by cancer, thanks to the use of wearable robots that mimic its beat.

The project combines science, storytelling and theatre to bring the public closer to the world of biomedical research through accessible, emotional and engaging language. On stage, researchers retrace the stages of their scientific adventure: hypotheses, obstacles, insights, 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 sign language translation, to ensure maximum accessibility.

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