The study Self-assembling dendrimer nanosystems for specific fluorine MRI and effective theranostic treatment of tumours has been published in the scientific journal PNAS. Among the researchers is Sabrina Pricl, associate professor of Chemical Engineering, scientific director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology at the University of Trieste and head of the international collaboration COST Cancer Nanomedicine - from the bench to the bedside. Erik Laurini, associate professor at UniTS, co-authored the study. 

In a world first, the research group have analysed and developed a new imaging system based on the use of fluorinated contrast agents. The system, aimed at early diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases (even in their most invasive and aggressive forms), outperforms traditional hydrogen-based nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Since water, and therefore hydrogen, constitute more than 70 per cent our body weight, classic MRI often has limitations in identifying differences between diseased tissue and surrounding tissue, especially for very small tumours. On the other hand, the use of fluorine-based contrast agents, which are not naturally present in human tissue, appears very promising. Precisely because of the absence of fluorine in most biological systems, it has the potential to provide clearer, more specific and resolute images compared to traditional techniques.

The use of fluorine MRI has so far been limited due to the lack of safe imaging agents, which are often characterised by limitations such as low signal-to-noise ratio, low fluorine content or instability or insolubility in water. Researchers, for the first time, have been able to create effective, efficient and non-toxic fluorine-based contrast agents.

Among the distinguishing features of the molecules designed by the researchers (nanosystems of self-assembled dendrimers) is their ability to perform multiple functions. More specifically, they belong to the category of teragnostics, since they are able to perform the function of diagnosis and therapy at the same time. Once the tumour has been detected, the molecules can be used to monitor its progress and release the appropriate therapy drug on site.

‘Interest in the use of fluorine MRI with fluorinated imaging agents is growing. Such nanosystems of teragnostic dendrimers represent the future in the field of personalised medicine. Being able to record and monitor the progress or regression of a tumour and at the same time continue to treat the disease is a real accomplishment in terms of therapeutic outcome and treatment endurance, which as a consequence are less invasive, toxic or harmful, while fully respecting patients,' explains Prof. Pricl.

The University of Trieste took part in the following phases: molecular design and engineering, performance computing, analysis and experimentation.

Among the funders were also AIRC, Cinema and ICSC, National Research Centre in HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing.

In the year of UniTS Centenary, the Art relationship project continues the university’s commitment to enhancing its artistic heritage and creating a closer bond with the Friuli Venezia Giulia territory. The project is organised by the University of Trieste in collaboration with the University Museum Services (SmaTS) and the Cultural Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia (ERPAC).

Following the success of the artist in residency programme Shine Bright Like a Diamond in 2023, which involved the Departments of the University of Trieste in an unprecedented collaboration between lecturers, artists and students, Art Relations focuses on the relationship between important artists and the University and the city of Trieste.

The project kicks off on 18th June with exhibitions of internationally renowned artists Serse Roma and Manuela Sedmach and will continue in the coming months with Antonio Sofianopulo and Elisa Vladilo.

The six graphite drawings that make up ‘Serse. The ambiguities of representation’ will be exhibited in the right and left wings of the central building of the University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1.

“The form is that of still life, of the object arrested in its natural process. The figure, on the other hand, is linked to the dynamic continuity of the living being. In Serses' work, all things, even an isolated object in the most stable of configurations, are brought to life by this dynamic continuity. And it is thanks to the technique he has adopted and defended over all these years; drawing,” said art critic Alessandro Del Puppo.

The exhibition ‘Manuela Sedmach. Al di sotto della sostanza cromatica, nell'intercapedine della pittura' (Underneath the substance of colour, inside painting’s cavity wall) will instead be on display at the UniTS Department of Humanities in Via del Lazzaretto Vecchio where some twenty of the painter's works will be on display.

“It was no accident, but rather a purposeful choice by Sedmach to distribute her works in the Library of the Archive of Writers and Regional Culture of the University of Trieste in order to relate them to a cultural heritage intimately perceived and experienced over the years. Alongside the development of shelves that preserve and protect the ‘written memories’, making them available to the 'gesture' of consultation, the 'pictorial-narration' offers itself to a visual reading characterised by development within the same space, sustained by a 'stabilised wind' that intersects the top and the bottom, from the centre to the borders of the canvas, now reinforcing itself on the left with a mass moving to the right, now stabilising in a depression, and then extending horizontally, revealing itself only to a careful gaze,' stresses art critic Andrea Del Guercio.

Serse Roma

Born in San Polo di Piave on 14 November 1952, Serse has lived and worked in Trieste since 1980.

Serse Roma focuses exclusively on graphite drawing on paper. Over the years, the artist, an adopted Triestine, has produced a considerable series of images that have earned him inclusion in the volume Vitamin D, New Perspectives in Drawing, published by Phaidon Press, London (2006), and a chapter in Lorand Hegyi's new essay ‘Drawing in the Age of Uncertainty’, Silvana editions (2021), as well as participation in major international exhibitions like Pastels du 16°au 21°siecle at the Fondation de L'Hermitage in Lausanne.  His work is characterised by a consistency and recognisability that make it unique in today's national panorama. In Serse’s case, drawing is not a merely a classical tool for sketching out the invisible scaffolding of a painting, nor does he use it, like many contemporary artists, as a precarious and fragile visual note. In Serses Rome, the work in its absolute completeness is due to drawing alone. Drawing represents 'no more than this'. It is an instrument subjected to a vertiginous analysis that probes its full potential. From Serse Roma's graphite has sprung one of the most intense re-readings of landscape in contemporary art: Seas, Cloud Skies, High Mountains, Snowy Woods, Reeds, Reflections of Water. In other words, the non-human, sublime dimension of Earth in its elementary condition of first and ultimate things. Almost as if it were possible to probe, through the concrete materiality of graphite, the mineral soul of the earth, whose transformations occur on a time scale other to our anthropological one. In recent years, Serse Roma has delved even deeper into what could be included, or at least brought back, to the graphite that has marked his career. The reference to the minerality of graphite is captured in his astonishing series Diamonds, whose perfect and unalterable form recalls the crystallographic origins of the primary forms of geometry and building. We thus return to Serses' reflection on his instrument, graphite, a material that by its very nature recalls the minerality (graphite and diamond are allotropic forms of carbon) behind a not-only-human geometry of the constructed.

Manuela Sedmach

Born in Trieste in 1953, she began exhibiting in the 1970s after attending the "E. Nordio" State Institute of Art in Trieste with teachers such as Ladislao de Gauss, Maria Campitelli, and Enzo Cogno. But her most heartfelt activity began in the 1980s with Officina in Trieste, Avida Dollars in Milan, Rasponi in Ravenna, Fuxia Art in Verona, Emporium in Ivrea and Arte3 in Trieste. In 1991, she was part of the Art exposition in Chicago where she featured in an exhibition of 5 Italian artists at Navy Pier. She also received the important Pollok - Krasner Foundation Grant, New York. In the 1990s, more precisely in 1992, she began her relationship with Galleria Continua, which was at that time based in a small but precious space near the Cathedral of San Gimignano.

Manuela’s relationship with Galleria Continua continues to this day with exhibitions, international fairs and exhibition relationships with other galleries such as Van Laere in Antwerp, Schroeder in Cologne, Dina Carola in Naples, G7 in Bologna, Jaqueline Arets in Knokke in Belgium. In 2003, a beautiful underwater installation 'Occhi bianchi' (White eyes) in the Ponterosso canal followed a personal exhibition at the Revoltella Museum in Trieste in Palazzo Gopcevich, kindling an important relationship with Galleria Torbandena in Trieste.

In 2009, she exhibited at Le Moulin-Boissy le Chatel (Paris) and 2005/2010 Beijing 798 Art Zone (both extensions of the Continua gallery), studio G7 in Bologna, 3G Artecontemporanea in Udine, Plurima and GAMUD – also in Udine. Her series ‘Passare al Bosco’ (A Walk in the Woods)  inspired by ‘The Rebel's Treaty’ by Ernst Junger, was developed from 2015-2017 in Tellaro (SP), in the oratory Santa Maria Telaà, in Galleria Continua, in ARCA-ITIS in Trieste, and Colonos in Villacaccia di Lestizza, before it arrived at its current title ‘Dubito ergo Cogito’,(I doubt therefore I think)  inspired by a docufilm by Werner Herzog in which he finds the characters that accompany him in his work: slowness, fatigue, doubt and many more. In 2020, she moved to Portugal in Braga where she continued her activity with an important collaboration with the Nuno Centeno gallery in Porto. The meeting with two particular artists Pedro Vaz and Filipe Cortez was especially important. In 2023 she put on the exhibition ‘Nunca pare de ver – N'arrête jamais de voir’ (Never stop seeing) with Galleria Continua. In recent years, Manuela Sedmach has brought the Portuguese atmosphere into her work.

The University of Trieste confirms its markedly international and professional vocation and its attractiveness for students: the most dynamic and attractive university in the region, the University of Trieste guarantees its graduates a better salary and an employment performance above the national average, ensuring an excellent post-graduate transition.

This is the picture that emerges from the Almalaurea 2024 report, which examined about 300,000 graduates from 78 universities in 2023.

In detail, as regards work and salaries, the University of Trieste guarantees employment for more than 91.1% of master’s graduates (+1.1% compared to 2023) after five years of graduation (88.2% national figure) and 81.3% after one year (Italian average 75.7%).

77.2% of bachelor’s graduates find work twelve months after their degree, compared to 74.1% of the national average and 79% of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Finally, the University of Trieste ensures a salary higher than the local and Italian average with € 1,437 for bachelor’s graduates and, for master’s graduates, € 1,513 after one year and € 1,826 after five.

41.5% of university graduates come from outside the region, compared to the regional average of 34.1% and the national average of 24.8%, with an excellent 4.5% coming from abroad (regional average 3.6%). Particular mention should be made of the number of foreign bachelor’s students: with its 3.9%, the University of Trieste exceeds the Italian average (3.2%).

More than 12.2% of bachelor’s graduates (+2.2% compared to 2023) undertake study experiences abroad, compared to 9.3% of FVG and 7.3% of the Italian average. Moreover, the total number of graduates who took a mobility period abroad recognised by their degree course also confirms the internationalisation of the academic experience promoted by UniTS: with an average of 11.9% (the previous year it stood at 9.5%) the University of Trieste is more than two percentage points higher than the national average (9.8%).

 The knowledge and skills acquired in Trieste and abroad result in an excellent rating for the effectiveness of the qualification, particularly in terms of its applicability within the relevant sector: more than 66% of bachelor’s graduates define their qualifications as ‘effective’, compared with the FVG average of 62% and 61.7% in Italy. This trend is also confirmed by master’s graduates, reaching more than 73% after one year of their degree (national average 69.5%; regional 71.7%).

In addition to its international vocation, UniTS confirms the markedly professional nature of its degree courses: in particular, 76.6% (an increase of 2.2% compared to 2023) of two-year master’s graduates (63.6% national; 70.5% regional) and almost 60.2% of integrated master’s graduates (national 58%; 59.3%) have, in fact, been able to benefit from a wide range of curricular internships offered to students by the university.

As for the relationship with the teaching staff, study workload, available facilities: more than 87.7% of students are satisfied with their overall university experience in Trieste. 

In animals, as in humans, each individual has its own personality. The personality of small mammals – i.e. the boldness, curiosity and aggressiveness of an individual – influences all stages of seed dispersal. This has been shown by numerous studies conducted by Alessio Mortelliti, Associate Professor of Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste and former Associate Professor in Wildlife Habitat Conservation at the University of Maine.

The relationship between rodents and plants is ambivalent. In some circumstances mice are antagonistic as they prey on acorns, in other circumstances both mice and trees benefit and then the relationship is termed mutualistic. Past studies have shown that certain individuals, the more daring or curious ones, are more likely to disperse seeds, meaning that these individuals are particularly important for the functioning of an ecosystem. Understanding which characteristics are crucial to ecosystems and how to conserve them is of primary importance for the adaptation of species to global changes. 

The aim of the research project is to study this relationship between the individual personality of small mammals and seed dispersal. The project is entitled ‘Predicting the range-shifts of woody plant species by incorporating the critical role of small mammal scatter-hoarders’ and is financed by a PRIN (Research Projects of National Interest) – NRRP. Research is currently underway in the Alba Valley, but will be conducted for the first time in Europe by the research group from the University of Trieste, under the leadership of Professor Alessio Mortelliti and in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome and the Julian Pre-Alps Park.

The hypothesis is grounded on numerous studies that Professor Alessio Mortelliti's research group has conducted over the past decade in Maine (USA). In particular, the researchers have discovered that courageous individuals are those who travel greater distances with their seeds and hide them in optimal sites for germination. Within a species and an ecosystem, therefore, some individuals are particularly important for seed dispersal and, consequently, also for a plant's adaptation to climate change. It is these individuals, in fact, that will allow plants such as oaks and beeches to adapt to climate change by migrating in latitude and altitude.

The researchers will conduct two field experiments, also helped by scholars from the University of Maine, who are visiting Italy in early June. In the first phase they will measure the personality of rodents and expose them to new seeds. The chosen seeds belong to a woody species not yet present in the ecosystems under investigation, but which may arrive in the future precisely as a response to climate change. The hypothesis is that the boldest individuals will be the ones to interact the most with these new, unfamiliar seeds. By tracking the seeds with a fluorescent powder and measuring germination rates, the researchers will associate each individual rodent with the final arrival point of the seeds. In addition to assessing whether certain personality traits increase the likelihood of dispersal, the researchers will also identify seed traits (e.g. mass, shape) that increase the likelihood of seeds being preyed upon or dispersed. Finally, by conducting a series of simulations, they will evaluate the potential effects of personality on the composition of forest communities and the adaptability of species to global changes.

The project will also lead to the creation of a guide on how to exploit the role of rodents to improve assisted migration, (i.e. the human-assisted movement of plants to more climatically suitable habitats) and a checklist of traits and plant species with a high probability of successful expansion.

Alessio Mortelliti has cultivated 20 years' experience in studying the ecology and behaviour of mammals and how this knowledge can facilitate their conservation. In the past, he has carried out numerous field projects in Italy, Austria, the United States, Indonesia, Kenya, Tunisia and Mauritania.

The University of Trieste is opening enrolment for the next academic year fromMonday 3rd June: students can find all the information on the UniTS website https://portale.units.it/en/study/courses-and-programmes. 

A wide-ranging and multidisciplinary course catalogue will be made available to all future students, including 43 bachelor’s and integrated master’s degrees, as well as 37 master's degrees in the three main areas of technology and science, life and health sciences, social sciences and humanities.

NEW COURSES

The University of Trieste's educational offerings are extremely dynamic, with 8 new degree courses having been activated in the last three years. 

The first level course in Dietetics (awaiting official accreditation) will be new for the 2024/25 academic year, and will be running at the Pordenone Campus. 

The course qualifies students as dieticians, a profession which aims to promote proper nutrition in the various stages of life and in both preventive and clinical settings, including catering, research and teaching. There are 30 places available and the student must pass the National Health Professions Test. 

The University of Trieste is organising a free preparation course on 17th and 18th July for the admission tests to healthcare courses (Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics and Healthcare Professions). Prospective students can enrol so long as places are available (460 places in total) by filling in the form on this page no later than 15th July 2024: https://portale.units.it/en/studiare/orientarsi/preparazione-test-area-medico-sanitaria. 

On 1st July, the Master's degree courses in Engineering for the Energy Transition and in European Policies for digital, ecological and social transitions will be officially introduced, two absolute firsts respectively at international and national level.

NO TAX AREA RAISED TO 30,000 EURO, SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE AND MERIT-BASED GRANTS

For the academic year 2024-2025, UniTS has further increased the no-tax area (accessible to all students with an Equivalent Financial Situation Index – ISEE – specific for universities up to € 30,000), and has maintained its comprehensive system of total and partial exemptions, fee reductions and merit-based grants.

The total tax and fee exemption for the winners of ARDIS scholarships (Regional Agency for the Right to University Education) remains in force. In recent years these scholarships have been awarded to 100% of eligible candidates.

Merit-based grants have also been confirmed, which account for half of the total contributions for partial exemptions and fee reductions. This reflects both the excellent results achieved by UniTS students and the University's commitment to rewarding deserving pupils.

TOP EMPLOYMENT RATE AMONG GRADUATES

The employment rate of UniTS bachelor’s graduates twelve months after graduation was 81.6%, compared to the national average of 75.4% and 80.2% in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Finally, 90% of master's graduates are employed five years after graduation (88.7% national figure) and 83% one year after graduation, surpassing the Italian average of 77.1%.

This is the clearest picture emerging from the Almalaurea 2023 report. 

GUIDED TOURS OF THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AND ORIENTATION TALKS

During the summer, the Unit for Prospective Student Support and School Liaison are organising guided tours of the Campus in Piazzale Europa by course tutors. Booking is compulsory at https://portale.units.it/en/studiare/orientarsi/vieni-a-conoscerci.

Students can also meet UniTS guidance professionals and student tutors in person at their front office, open Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 12:30 and, additionally, on Mondays from 15:00 to 17:00. They are also available remotely in a virtual classroom on the days and times indicated in the compulsory booking form, available at https://www.units.it/aula-virtuale.

Lastly, two free sessions of Summer Training Modules (Moduli Formativi Estivi) have been scheduled (in July and September). This is the orientation initiative dedicated to third- and fourth-year high-school students who want to get to knowthe University of Trieste better and learn more about their favourite topics, test their interests and get a taste of the university world. All information on programmes and timetables can be found at https://www.units.it/moduli-formativi. Enrolment is still open!

Brochure on UniTs course catalogue

For more information please contact the Unit for Prospective Student Support and School Liaison, tel. +39 040 3473787, mail: orientamento@units.it

Now that the Italy-Austria Interreg project SENSHOME has come to an end, the University of Trieste has obtained new funding from the European Union, enabling the university to continue its studies. The funding will strengthen research and innovation and help to introduce advanced technology, more know-how and the best practices regarding architecture for people with cognitive disabilities.

This is the specific objective of the new Italy-Austria Interreg project "BeSENSHome: Sensors in sensitive environments. Inclusive spaces which accommodate the needs of those with cognitive disabilities".

As part of the BeSENSHome project, advanced systems and smart sensor networks will be specially installed into residences, day-care centres, workplaces and facilities hosting people with neurocognitive disabilities, in order to enhance environmental comfort for occupants. To achieve this innovative goal, these systems must be customisable in order to accommodate the needs of the residents, providing individuals with the maximum level of agency possible over their built environment. Thanks to artificial intelligence coupled with the sensor network, the environment will be able to learn the preferences or requirements of the occupant, identifying stressful triggers and adjusting environmental conditions. It will also be able to alert assistants if intervention is needed, pre-emptively preventing any potentially dangerous conditions from arising. The insertion of these sensor networks into people’s environments will be implemented to the finest detail to ensure optimal integration into existing contexts. To achieve these goals and make the system as useful and user-friendly as possible, a collaborative research and design approach will be adopted throughout the project.

The developed system will then be put to the test, implementing the technologies discreetly and unobtrusively in environments where neurodivergent people and their family members/caregivers need support in their daily lives.

This support will be enhanced by the study of architectural solutions for the spaces. For example, the appropriate choice of materials for furniture and upholstery, lights and light dimming devices will facilitate sight, tactility and comfort within the various environments. The chosen spaces will also be investigated from an acoustic, visual and thermo-hygrometric point of view. This is both in order to optimise the operation of environmental sensors and to study their appropriate positioning to ensure privacy, increase autonomy, and render everyday environments more inclusive and safe.

The UniTS scientific coordinator is Giuseppina Scavuzzo, Associate Professor in Architectural and Urban Composition, Coordinator of the Architectural Studies Course of the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Trieste.

Project partners include: Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (lead partner), the University of Trieste, Kärnten University of Applied Sciences, Eureka system s.r.l., Fondazione Progettoautismo FVG onlus, MCI Management Center Innsbruck GmbH.

 BeSENSHome   

The University of Trieste today awarded the honorary Master’s Degree in Law to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and to Borut Pahor, former President of the Republic of Slovenia, two personalities who are contributing to writing the history of the Adriatic border.

The motivation for the double award is, in fact, the policy of reconciliation pursued by the two Presidents, which has made the eastern border area, scarred by the wounds of 20th century history, an example of cooperation between peoples bound by their common membership to the European Union.

This is the motivation: ‘Sergio Mattarella and Borut Pahor courageously repudiated the narrow perspective of nationalistic egoism to pursue instead a policy of reconciliation, based on the creation and consolidation of spaces and symbols dedicated to collective memory, as the foundation of authentic peace among peoples. These two statesmen interpreted the love for their homelands with high European values at heart, helping to transform the Adriatic border from a territory afflicted by harsh ethnic and cultural conflict to a space of dialogue, cooperation and friendship, in the common awareness of human rights and in the light of democratic freedoms.

The text of the motivation was read out in Italian by Prof. Gian Paolo Dolso, Head of the Department of Legal, Language, Interpretation and Translation Sciences (IUSLIT) of the University of Trieste, which proposed the double awarding of honorary degrees. The Slovenian version was entrusted to Professor Tereza Pertot.

Professors Davide Rossi and Fabio Spitaleri read out the two laudations.

‘Our University’s task is to build bridges, not walls; to make a concrete contribution to the social, cultural and ethical growth of new generations,’ explained Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste. ‘In a historical moment like this one, marked by war scenarios, universities are open to everyone, they are inclusive, they protect and support above all the weakest among us, but universities must also be granted autonomy in choosing their collaborators to produce science and develop human and social culture.’

‘Science is produced by doing research, and this involves both cooperation and competition with other universities and research bodies. Together, we progress hand in hand, supporting the most advanced minds and souls, even in suffering societies,’ the Rector continued, calling for a balanced and rational management of the tension that agitates Italian universities.

The ceremony began in the University’s Main Hall, in the presence of the University Rector, the academic community, civil, military, diplomatic and religious authorities, and students.

Set in the broader context of the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans and the political and diplomatic action carried out by the two Heads of State and their predecessors Giorgio Napolitano and Danilo Turk, today’s celebration confirms the role of the University of Trieste as a place of exchange and dialogue and constitutes a new opportunity for the two Presidents to meet, showing a solid relationship that has continued even after Pahor’s term of office ended.

Over the years, in fact, there have been numerous initiatives involving Mattarella and Pahor, such as the ceremony ‘Europe as a place for overcoming conflicts’ on the centenary of the union of Gorizia with Italy on 26 October 2016 and the meeting on 21 October 2021 to celebrate the joint designation of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as ‘European Capital of Culture 2025’, a recognition destined to increase the sense of union of the two cities, which were divided by barbed wire until thirty years ago.

Also to be remembered as a fundamental moment in the new season of relations between Italy and Slovenia, a model of cooperation for the European continent, is the bilateral meeting in Trieste on 13th July 2020, with the Presidents’ homage to the sites symbolic of the tragedies of totalitarianism.

This is not the first time that the University of Trieste has conferred an honorary degree to a President of the Republic: we remember Luigi Einaudi on 4 November 1954, on the occasion of Trieste’s return under Italian sovereignty, and Antonio Segni in 1963, on the threshold of the establishment and launch of the Special Statute Region.

The ceremony was enriched by the performance of the Italian, Slovenian and European anthems by the Choir and Orchestra of the University of Trieste, conducted by Riccardo Cossi.

At the end of the ceremony, the University’s centenary anthem ‘Sorprendi la sorte’, with lyrics by Marcela Serli, was also performed. 

Eugenio Fornasiero of the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste has been awarded € 248,000 by the Telethon-Cariplo Call for Proposals to fund a research project on neurodevelopmental disorders.

The initiative, which the two Foundations commit to continuing into the future, is dedicated to clarifying those still obscure aspects of the human genome potentially responsible for rare diseases.

Now in its third year, the Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Telethon call for proposals has led to the selection of 14 new research projects, for a total of € 3.2 million and 22 research groups involved.

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, € 248,000 have been allocated to fund a project of the University of Trieste.

This brings the total joint investment by the two Foundations to almost € 14 million, which has led to the funding of 59 research projects involving 90 Italian research centres.

This initiative, inspired by a programme of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims precisely to ‘illuminate the darkest portion of the human genome’, inviting researchers to study genetic aspects and molecular mechanisms that are still largely unknown or poorly understood, but which represent potential for the development of new therapies for rare diseases. In particular, projects were to focus on the study of so-called T-dark targets, for which information on structure, function and interaction with molecules and drugs is unknown. Although the human genome has been completely sequenced, we still know very little about many genes and the proteins they encode. Suffice it to say that of the 4500 human proteins considered to be possible pharmacological targets, only 700 are currently in the crosshairs of approved drugs: this means that of all the others, more than 80 per cent, there could be proteins that are suitable to be studied in order to develop new therapies, but for several reasons are not being studied.

Eugenio Fornasiero from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste will coordinate a study on neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, the project focuses on a specific gene called CCDC32, classified as TDark of which we have very limited knowledge. The loss of function of CCDC32 is the direct cause of a rare and non-specific syndromic intellectual disability,

often accompanied by physical abnormalities. By delving into its function, the fundamental basis for understanding not only this specific gene, but also the more general mechanisms underlying rare intellectual disabilities and associated physical malformations will be provided.

As far as the geographical distribution of the research centres involved is concerned, most - 14 out of 22 - are located in Lombardy; the others are in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Piedmont and Tuscany. Among the pathologies under study are certain forms of muscular dystrophy such as Duchenne’s and facio-scapulo-humeral dystrophy, blood diseases such as haemochromatosis, haemorrhagic telangiectasia and thalassaemia, but also neurodevelopmental disorders and rare tumours.

A total of 77 project proposals were submitted by Italian non-profit, public or private research organisations. Of these, 69 were deemed suitable and submitted to the evaluation process, entrusted to a medical-scientific commission of 15 internationally renowned scientists from all over the world and chaired by Dr. Massimo Pandolfo of Mc Gill University in Montreal (Canada). For the evaluation of the projects, the peer-review method was used, which indicates the critical assessment that a work or publication receives from specialists with similar skills to those of the person submitting it, guaranteeing the transparency and fairness of the evaluation.

From Maine (USA) and tested for the first time in Italy and Europe, the new monitoring system allows the identification of the so-called ‘umbrella species for monitoring’, making it possible to simultaneously track other species thus maximising the effectiveness of their observation and control. The concept of umbrella species has long been known in conservation biology, but is being readapted in this case for monitoring purposes. The creator of the protocol is Alessio Mortelliti, associate professor of Ecology in the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste, and first associate professor in Wildlife Habitat Conservation at the University of Maine.

Under its coordination, the University of Trieste and the Julian Prealps Natural Park, who are already engaged in a study on the behaviour of micromammals, will collaborate as partners in the project Optimal Monitoring of Mammals. This project was won on the call for the National Biodiversity Future Center, one of the five national centres dedicated to frontier research, funded by NextGenerationEU, Ministry of Universities and Research and NRRP.

Launching in April 2024 and scheduled to end in December 2025, the project aims to develop a mammal monitoring system within the park and surrounding areas, spanning 100 km2 of extraordinary biodiversity and located in Friuli Venezia Giulia on the border with Slovenia. It was also recognised in 2009 as a cross-border protected area by the EUROPARC Federation. 

Specifically, the project has two highly innovative objectives at national and international level. The first is to identify the protocol with the most cost-effective ratio for a specific management purpose and budget, which is also adaptable according to variable economic availability and aim of the institution. The second goal is to identify the so-called umbrella species. 

Alessio Mortelliti, associate professor of Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste explains, ‘Identifying umbrella species means identifying species on which to focus our effort, but at the same time ensuring that other species will be included in the monitoring. This approach is therefore an excellent tool to minimise the cost of monitoring while maximising the number of species covered. For example, monitoring the wild cat by means of phototraps makes it possible to simultaneously monitor other species, such as martens, roe deer and foxes.’

The data, collected in two field campaigns using traps, nest tubes and phototraps (the first during spring/summer 2024, the second in spring/summer 2025), will be used for the development of protocols and statistical analysis able to detect significant trends in the decline of umbrella species. As another distinctive feature of the project, a number of citizen scientists, i.e. pupils of local primary and secondary schools, will participate in the sampling activities as part of the environmental education activities promoted annually by the Park, accompanied and supported by the students of the course in Ecology of Global Changes of the University of Trieste.

 Additionally, in order to ensure sustainability in the medium to long term and remain achievable in relative autonomy, the project includes various training activities for Park staff on field techniques, the acquisition and management of data, and the identification of species. The protocol is also structured to allow for its replication in other protected areas characterised by similar forest types, and to export the results related to umbrella species in different contexts.

‘There is a passing of the baton and a transfer of know-how between the University of Trieste and the Julian Prealps Natural Park. The protocol is to be understood as a real investment for the institution. It is applied research, a model that becomes professional practice in the field’, continues Alessio Mortelliti, ‘The involvement of schools and the local community is also fundamental, so that they may feel part of this great ecosystem and become increasingly informed, conscious and empowered.’

President of the Park Annalisa Di Lenardo expressed satisfaction with the funding obtained, and emphasises that, ‘the project is significant for the area due to its innovation and capacity to create a network between a research institute, a managing body of a protected area and the local community. The data collected will increase the knowledge available to administrations and citizens in order to raise awareness of the importance of protecting biodiversity and its proper management.’

Alessio Mortelliti has twenty years of experience in the development of monitoring protocols and is co-author of some of the Ispra monitoring protocols. He has developed others for the state of Maine (USA), the Regional Agency of Lazio Parks (formerly ARP), the Selva del Lamone Nature Reserve and the monitoring of babirusa (Sus celebensis) in Indonesia. In the past, he has conducted numerous courses specifically focused on field techniques and the analysis of monitoring data in numerous countries, including Italy, Austria, the United States, Indonesia, Tunisia and Mauritania.

The #100UniTS Corsa dei Castelli (Castle-to-Castle race), was presented today (Monday 25th March) in a press conference at the Cammarata Hall of the University of Trieste. It is a 10 km road running event approved by FIDAL and organised by Promorun for Sunday 20th October 2024. Promorun marks a new and very important partnership with the University of Trieste, which this year celebrates a century of research, excellence, creativity and human ingenuity to which a sporting event has now been added.

UniTS will be well represented in the 2024 Corsa dei Castelli: medals and race T-shirts will bear its 100th anniversary logo alongside splashes of the anniversary’s official colour, a vibrant cherry red.

By holding events that have consistently represented a flagship in technical quality, environmental care, social issues and economic impact, Promorun has proven itself more than worthy of the trust proudly extended by many institutions, now including the historic University of Trieste, thus continuing to cultivate a two-way relationship between Promorun and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. 

THE 100th ANNIVERSARY - ‘In the programme that the University is dedicating to Trieste and its visitors, we absolutely needed great sporting event,’ emphasises Rector Roberto Di Lenarda. ‘On 20th October, the UniTS community will take to the track with the public and top-level athletes, in order to collectively celebrate its first one hundred years. I invite everyone to visit 100anni.units.it to discover this and other unmissable events.'

THE RACES – A snapshot of Trieste, starting from the Miramare Castle and arriving at the Castle of San Giusto (the city's patron saint), along a route that displays the city in all its architectural, scenic and cultural richness. The first 8 km riepilogo will be run at full throttle before entering the city and reaching the stunning Piazza Unità, where the last kilometre known as 'The Wall' will begin, finishing at the San Giusto Castle. A day for everyone, two additional races have been organised: the Non-Competitive Ten, a side event for which no membership card or sports medical certificate are required, and the 8 km Family Run, which will finish in Piazza Unità, and for whom the renewal of the charity project for the Burlo Garofolo Foundation is already in the pipeline. 

Many UniTS students and staff are expected to celebrate the University's 100th anniversary with a day of sport and wellbeing. After the success of the first edition, the International Road Race Running Match u.23 10k will take place once again and will see participation from U23 athletes from foreign federations, enriching the international cohort.

THE HISTORY - Since the first edition, the event has had a technical focus of the highest quality thanks to people of great international calibre, such as Ezekiel Kemboi, Sammy Kipngetich, Hagos Gebrhiwet,Birhanu Balew and Muktar Edris. Over the years, Promorun has broadened its focus to amateurs, conceiving and realising the Family Run first and then the Non-Competitive Ten. Both these successes run alongside fundraising for local health organisations and side projects involving the world of education. Promorun's tradition of renewing the event every year has not stopped there. In 2023, the 1st International Road Race Running Match U.23 10k began, and saw the participation of European national teams.

SPORT AND TOURISM - Sport and tourism: the winning combination of the present and the future. The association Promorun is committed to promoting theregion, which is still little-known due to its geographical location at the edge of the Italy’s Boot. Promorun wants to turn the event into an opportunity to unveil the scenic beauty of the Adriatic Sea, the mountainous headland of the Karst, the city’s rich history involving numerous gruelling battles, the artistic expression resulting from the fusion of cultural influences, and the regional food and wine tradition.

REGISTRATION - Registration is open on the website (https://join.endu.net/home). Next rate change on 30th May. Registration for the Family Run 8 km is open on the website. Special promo: two adults accompanying a child under 16 for €9.00. Club Promo with a minimum of 10 participants. Children and young people aged 18 or younger participate free of charge.

Info: segreteria@promorun.it; info@promorun.it

Speakers at the press conference included Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste, Fabio Scoccimarro, Regional Councillor for Environmental Protection, Energy and Sustainable Development, Pierpaolo Roberti, Regional Councillor for Local Authorities, Public Function, Security and Immigration, Caterina de Gavardo, Municipal Councillor for Citizens' Security Policies, Erika Dessabo, Friuli Venezia Giulia Coordinator of Sport and Health, Ernesto Mari, CONI delegate for the Province of Trieste (representing Giorgio Brandolin, President of CONI FVG), Silvia Gianardi, President of Promorun and Michele Gamba, former Italian national team athlete and Technical Director of the competition.

Photo: Michele Gamba, Roberto Di Lenarda and Silvia Gianardi