Electric boating is today an increasingly strategic meeting point for engineering expertise, sustainability and industrial innovation.

Against this backdrop, the University of Trieste took part in the sixth edition of Villa d’Este Style Electric Yachting in Cernobbio, on Lake Como, an event dedicated to the development of electric technologies applied to sustainable navigation.

Representing UniTS were Giorgio Sulligoi, Director of the Department of Engineering and Architecture, and Vittorio Bucci, Coordinator of the Degree Programme in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, together with a delegation of students from programmes most closely connected to energy, naval engineering and technologies applied to mobility. Among them were also members of two of the University’s student teams: UniTS Racing Team, engaged in the development of electric car prototypes for university competitions, and Audace Sailing Team, active in the design of innovative and sustainable boats.

The experience is part of UniTS’s broader commitment to enhancing its student teams as spaces for applied learning. It also represents an opportunity to encourage, in the future, the creation of a new student group capable of bringing together the expertise of UniTS Racing Team and Audace Sailing Team.

“Electric boating,” underlines Giorgio Sulligoi, “is a rapidly expanding sector. At UniTS, we have been working for many years on electric applications in the naval and boating fields, integrating multidisciplinary expertise ranging from onboard electrical systems to the design of innovative solutions for the maritime sector.”

Monitoring the progression of advanced cutaneous melanoma through a simple blood draw or urine sample, in order to obtain information that can help personalise therapies and make them less invasive for patients. This is the goal of EXOMEL, the new research project coordinated by the University of Trieste, which will study the use of liquid biopsy to monitor a form of cancer in which the ability to observe disease progression accurately can have a significant impact on therapeutic decisions.

The project, entitled “Exosomal microRNA from liquid biopsy for the monitoring and personalisation of treatments for advanced cutaneous melanoma”, aims to develop and validate innovative diagnostic technologies, shared among the clinical centres involved, to make treatments increasingly targeted, effective and tailored to the characteristics of each patient. The most innovative aspect concerns the use of urine samples as a form of liquid biopsy: EXOMEL will study exosomes, small vesicles involved in communication between cells, and the microRNAs they carry, with the aim of identifying a combination of biological signals that may help distinguish patients who respond to immunotherapy from those who do not.

EXOMEL is funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy–Austria 2021–2027 cross-border cooperation programme, with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), for a total amount of 572,055.59 euros. The project, which will end on 31 March 2028, confirms the value of international cooperation in cancer research, bringing together healthcare institutions, universities and technological expertise from Italy and Austria.

The University of Trieste acts as lead partner and coordinates the project activities through its Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, involving a research team composed of Serena Bonin, Iris Zalaudek, Ilaria Gandin and Gabriele Grassi.

The partnership also includes the South Tyrol Health Authority, with the hospitals of Bruneck and Bolzano, an Italian small and medium-sized enterprise, and the University Clinic of Dermatology and Allergology of Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg.

“At the heart of EXOMEL,” explains Serena Bonin, lecturer in Technical Sciences of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Trieste and principal investigator of the project, “is the development and validation of liquid biopsy, a diagnostic approach that makes it possible to obtain relevant information about the disease from biological samples that are easy to collect, such as blood or urine. Today, plasma liquid biopsy is used mainly in research to detect circulating tumour DNA, that is DNA carrying tumour-specific mutations. However, this approach requires the mutations to be monitored to be already known. With EXOMEL, we instead want to study the microRNAs contained in exosomes, vesicles through which cells communicate with one another, to verify whether a combination of them can help discriminate between patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma who respond to immunotherapy and those who do not.

At present,” Bonin adds, “there are no predictive biomarkers used in hospital practice to systematically guide these therapeutic choices. For this reason, the aim of the project is to contribute to the development of tools that are more accessible, repeatable and potentially useful for the personalisation of treatments.”

During the project, liquid biopsy technology will be extended to the study of urine samples and applied in the clinical centres involved through the development of common and standardised protocols. This step will make it possible to test the robustness of the approach in different clinical settings, harmonise diagnostic practices among the partner healthcare facilities and foster the creation of a stable collaborative network between Italy and Austria.

The expected results may also have an impact beyond the strictly academic and clinical fields. EXOMEL may contribute to the development of new diagnostic tools based on liquid biopsy, opening up possible prospects for technology transfer and industrial valorisation of research, including through the interest of companies active in the biomedical and diagnostic sectors.

Europe Day is celebrated on 9 May, marking the Schuman Declaration of 1950, the political act that set the process of European integration in motion. It is an opportunity to return to the origins of a project that transformed cooperation between States into a stable framework for peace, law, economic growth and international presence.

The proposal put forward by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman was to place Franco-German coal and steel production under joint control, opening the initiative to other European countries. From that first nucleus came the European Coal and Steel Community, the premise for the later European Communities and today’s European Union. The choice was not merely economic: coal and steel lay at the heart of industry, reconstruction and the very possibility of waging war. Placing them under common management meant creating a concrete bond between countries that, only a few years earlier, had fought one another.

“With the Declaration of 9 May 1950,” observes Georg Meyr, Professor of History of International Relations, “Robert Schuman proposed a new model of international relations, going far beyond the logic of simple economic cooperation between States.” The context was that of a Europe struggling to recover from the Second World War and from the decline of its global primacy, consumed by the fractures of the first half of the twentieth century.

The strength of the proposal lay precisely in its visionary realism. It did not imagine Europe as a finished construction, but as a process: starting from essential functions, building common institutions, and gradually making what once seemed impossible both advantageous and necessary. The coal and steel sector, Meyr recalls, had been one of the most sensitive areas of tension between France and Germany; its supranational management pointed to a new path, open to those States ready to join. Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands did so immediately, while the geopolitics of the time effectively excluded countries under Soviet influence.

One of the most original features of European integration can be found in this method: not the abolition of States, but the gradual construction of shared sovereignty. “Only the functionalist approach,” Meyr underlines, “makes the realisation of the United States of Europe imaginable in perspective.”

Over time, that political intuition has acquired an increasingly broad legal form. “The European Union,” explains Giuseppe Pascale, Professor of International Law, “has not always been a Union.” Its roots lie in the European Economic Communities, established in 1957 by the Treaties of Rome, in which States acted mainly according to the intergovernmental method and decisions were almost always adopted unanimously.

Since then, the framework has changed profoundly. The European Union as we know it today is governed by the Treaty of Lisbon of 2007, that is, by the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Above all, however, it has extended its field of action well beyond the original common market. “The Communities,” Pascale recalls, “had no competence in the protection of fundamental rights, nor did they provide for a common European citizenship. In these areas, by contrast, the European Union is now competent, with countless advantages for anyone living on European soil.”

This is one of the less visible, yet most far-reaching, steps in the European construction: the market has also become a space of citizenship, and economic institutions have generated rights, procedures, safeguards, forms of representation and instruments for common action. The decision-making process also reflects this transformation. Most EU acts, Pascale notes, are no longer adopted unanimously but by majority vote, a sign of the growing interconnection among Member States and of an institutional solidarity that has become part of the European legal order.

The EU has also equipped itself with legal rules in the field of diplomatic relations and with its own diplomatic agents, who represent it in third countries and before other international organisations within the framework of the European External Action Service. “From 1957 to today,” Pascale concludes, “the federalist framework has therefore made significant progress, including and above all on the legal level.”

The question today is whether this architecture is sufficient in a more fragmented and competitive international context. For Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations, the European Union remains “one of the few actors capable of combining economic weight, regulatory strength and a multilateral vocation.” This is a rare combination, which has made Europe influential not only for what it produces or trades, but also for the rules, standards and principles it is able to project externally.

The crises of recent years, however, have revealed the limits of a model that, in order to truly matter, must be supported by a greater capacity for action. Industry, energy, technology and security have become central dimensions in global power relations. In this perspective, Donelli refers to the Draghi agenda, which places common investment, innovation, defence, the reduction of strategic dependencies and deeper integration of European markets at the centre.

“If it is to truly count in the world,” Donelli observes, “the EU must transform its internal interdependence into external political power, overcoming decision-making fragmentation and delays in the implementation of common policies.” The challenge is not to replicate traditional models of force, but to acquire the capacity to defend and promote its interests without giving up its own normative specificity.

In a system in which trade, energy and technology are increasingly used by global actors as levers of power, Europe cannot limit itself to being a large regulated market. It must continue to be a project founded on law, cooperation and values, but with faster, more cohesive and more incisive instruments.

There is also another aspect that is often overlooked in public debate: Europe’s role in progressively bringing closer together economies that started from very different conditions. “Those who criticise the European Union,” says Luciano Mauro, Professor of Political Economy, “often forget that its history is also a history of convergence, that is, of reducing economic distances among Europeans.”

Since the Treaty of Rome of 1957, integration has fostered growth and helped less wealthy countries catch up. The accession of Ireland in 1973, Greece in 1981, and Spain and Portugal in 1986 brought into the Communities economies that were still far from the more developed core. In the 1980s, Mauro recalls, Spain stood at around 70–75% of the European average, while Portugal was around 55–60%. After the single market of 1992, structural funds and foreign investment helped narrow the gap.

A similar process took place after the eastern enlargement of 2004–2007. Poland, for example, rose from around 51–52% of the EU average in 2004 to approximately 80% in recent years. “This is what convergence means,” Mauro explains: “those who start further behind can move closer to the wealthier countries. In concrete terms, it means more equality among European citizens.”

In this reading, the economic dimension is not separate from the political one. European integration has not only created a larger market; it has also helped reduce historical differences between countries, territories and citizens. For Mauro, rejecting the Union often also means rejecting this reduction of distances: “perhaps this is precisely what nationalisms do not like.”

What emerges is an image of Europe that is far removed both from rhetorical celebration and from oversimplified criticism. The Union is at once historical memory, legal order, economic space of convergence and an international actor still in the making. Its strength has been to transform national interests into common institutions; its difficulty today is to do so quickly enough in a world where strategic competition, technological transitions, energy dependencies and new political fractures call for more timely decisions.

This reflection is also part of the history of the University of Trieste and of its presence in Gorizia. The degree programme in International and Diplomatic Sciences, established in 1989 at the Gorizia University Campus and celebrated in 2024 on the thirty-fifth anniversary of its foundation, has long been a space for education and analysis dedicated to international relations, diplomacy, European politics, international economics and comparative political systems.

Gorizia, a border city and today a European laboratory, makes the meaning of this reflection particularly concrete. Here, Europe is not only an institutional framework, but a reality that crosses territories, languages, memories and everyday practices. In a place marked by the history of the twentieth century and by its dividing lines, studying Europe means looking closely at what integration has made possible and at the questions that remain open.

For this reason too, Europe Day offers an opportunity to connect memory, education and civic responsibility. In Gorizia, within the degree programme in International and Diplomatic Sciences, the European project continues to be studied not as an acquired legacy, but as a historical, legal, economic and political process to be understood in its evolution and in the challenges it faces today.

The security of supply chains is now one of the European Union’s central concerns, especially in strategic sectors such as critical minerals and rare earths. It is from this perspective that the new policy report by Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations at the University of Trieste, and Riccardo Gasco begins, identifying Turkey as a possible partner in strengthening Europe’s industrial resilience.

Published by the Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol) as part of the Foreign Policy Program series (April 2026-004), with the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation Turkey Representation, the report, entitled Critical Minerals, Rare Earths, and the Türkiye–EU Partnership. Supply Chain Resilience and the Restructuring of the Global Order, examines the relationship between strategic raw materials, economic security and European industrial policy, focusing on the role Turkey could play in building more resilient supply chains.

The report shows how supply chains have taken on growing importance in international competition and highlights, in particular, the issue of rare earth processing and refining. According to the authors, it is especially in this segment of the value chain that one of Europe’s main vulnerabilities can now be seen, also in light of the strong concentration of capacity in China.

Against this backdrop, Turkey is presented as a potentially important partner for the European Union, both because of its geographical proximity and because of its industrial base, refining capacity and already established economic ties with the European market. The paper also points to the existence of a Turkish national strategy aimed at strengthening the critical minerals sector and recalls, among the relevant factors, the role the country already plays in certain supply chains.

Alongside these strengths, the study also highlights the limits of the current European framework. The authors note that, although the Critical Raw Materials Act sets out important strategic goals, it is still facing difficulties in the implementation phase. At the same time, the report identifies a number of open issues for Turkey, linked to governance in the mining sector, environmental standards, deposit certification and the broader political and diplomatic context shaping relations with Brussels.

“The report,” explains Federico Donelli, “also connects the issue of critical minerals to the broader evolution of the international order. From this perspective, the conflict with Iran is cited as a factor that has made even more evident the interdependence between energy, logistics, the defence industry and raw material supply, reinforcing the need for Europe to equip itself with more effective tools of economic and strategic resilience.”

In its concluding section, the report sets out six recommendations addressed to the European Commission, Member States and the Turkish government. Among them, the authors point to the opportunity to launch a formal strategic partnership between the European Union and Turkey on critical raw materials, direct European investment towards processing and refining infrastructure in Turkey, and establish a joint working group focused on supply chain resilience and the modernisation of the Customs Union.

The paper also suggests making use of the current phase of regional instability to strengthen coordination between the two sides in the energy field, developing a joint pilot plant for rare earth processing, and ensuring a more timely European presence in the main international forums where priorities and frameworks for the sector are being defined.

Federico Donelli’s contribution is part of his broader research path devoted to new geopolitical configurations and the role of regional actors in the Euro-Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and African areas. In this case, the focus on relations between the European Union and Turkey provides a useful perspective on an issue that directly affects Europe’s industrial policy, economic security and international positioning.

UniTS welcomed today Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. The visit aimed to strengthen cooperation between the two universities within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Alliance and to support the internationalisation of PhD programmes.

More specifically, following the doctoral Summer School organised in 2025 by C.U.R. E. – the Centre for Interdisciplinary Advanced Studies of Saarland University – together with the Zentrum für Literaturforschung in Berlin, which is also scheduled for 2026, Professor Maria Carolina Foi, Professor of German Literature at UniTS, initiated the collaboration between UniTS and the Catholic University of Portugal in the field of doctoral education.

This cooperation adds to existing collaborations within T4EU activities and to the joint planning of a new Master’s degree programme in Romance languages, also involving the University of Alicante and Jean Monnet University Saint-Étienne.

The meeting was attended by Rector Donata Vianelli; Alberto Pallavicini, UniTS representative for the Transform4Europe European Alliance; Maria Carolina Foi, Professor of German Literature; and Sergia Adamo, Professor of Literary Criticism and Comparative Literatures and Deputy Director of the Department of Humanities.

It was a weekend full of sporting achievements for the sailors of CUS Trieste, competing for the first time in two major international regattas: the Naval Academies Regatta in Livorno and the Elafiti Slalom Regata in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The two Trieste teams were invited by CUS Bari for the Dubrovnik regatta and by the Italian Naval Academy for the International Sailing Week, a major sporting event now in its fifth decade.

The high level of competition in the two international regattas gave the Trieste teams the opportunity to compete against strong opponents. In Livorno, the crew made up of helmsman Luca Centazzo (first-year student in Economics, taught in English), Nicolò Coslovich (first-year Physics student) and Anna Tesser (first-year Management Engineering student) took 1st place in the National Tridente Regatta and also won the Under 23 category aboard a Tridente 16 one-design boat provided by the Livorno Naval Academy.

“It was an incredible four days,” said Nicolò Coslovich, “because it gave us the opportunity to enjoy a highly stimulating competitive experience and to discover the world of the Livorno Academy and of naval academies from all over the world. Looking back at the regattas, the three of us immediately developed good understanding and a very positive team spirit, even though it was the first time we had all sailed together on the same boat. Our starts were definitely our strong point, although we struggled a little with upwind speed, which forced us to make more complex tactical choices. However, we managed to overcome the difficulties and achieve excellent results.”

In Dubrovnik, the mixed CUS crew, made up of nine sailors — one professor and eight students — competed on an X-41 boat provided by CUS Bari. At the end of the three coastal races, the team finished 1st among the Italian crews and 2nd in the university ranking, on equal points with the winning university, the host institution.

Sailing under the CUS colours were Prof. Piergiorgio Trevisan (Professor of English Language and Translation at the Department of Humanities), Carolina Bontempo (20, first-year Chemistry student), Sara Calici (20, second-year Business and Management student), Leonardo Centuori (21, third-year Naval Engineering student), Lorenzo Centuori (19, first-year International Economics student), Kim Francesco Magnani (20, second-year Naval Engineering student), Giovanni Marchese (20, second-year Financial Economics student), Julia Rubesa Perini (19, first-year Business and Management student) and Samuele Trovò (20, second-year Computer Engineering student).

“I think this kind of experience is unique and extremely valuable,” said Prof. Trevisan. “I believe that CUS and the University should continue along this path. Personally, having less sailing experience than the students, I learned a great deal, especially about the tactical management of the races, and I was able to admire up close a group of enterprising young people and skilled sailors.”

“We competed,” added Kim Francesco Magnani, tactician of the crew, “in two days of racing marked by ideal wind conditions, during which we showed great solidity as a team, standing out for consistently precise and effective starts, as well as excellent cohesion on board.”

Dubrovnik event website: https://www.jk-orsan.hr/elafitislalom.html

Livorno event website: https://www.settimanavelica.it/

The heartbeat helps slow the growth of tumors in cardiac tissue. This is the finding of an international study published in Science, coordinated by the University of Trieste in collaboration with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the Monzino Cardiology Center IRCCS. 

The study, entitled Mechanical load inhibits tumor growth in mouse and human hearts, draws attention to a still little-explored aspect of cancer biology: the physical forces acting in the myocardium do not merely regulate heart function, but can also influence the behavior of tumor cells, even to the point of slowing their proliferation. 

The research involved partners in Italy, Austria, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, including the European Institute of Oncology, the Medical University of Innsbruck, King’s College London, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and the Simula Research Laboratory in Oslo. This broad and integrated network made it possible to combine experimental, clinical, bioengineering, and computational expertise. 

The work began from a medical observation that has long been known but remains only partly understood in its underlying mechanisms: the heart develops tumors very rarely and, even when it is affected by metastases, these tend to be smaller than those found in other organs. The researchers therefore investigated whether one explanation might lie precisely in the mechanical nature of cardiac tissue, which is constantly subjected to contraction, pressure, and deformation. 

To do so, they used different and innovative experimental models. On the one hand, they studied what happens when the heart is mechanically “unloaded”: under these conditions, tumor cells proliferate much more extensively. On the other hand, they used engineered cardiac tissues grown in the laboratory, where they were able to modulate mechanical load and directly observe the response of tumor cells. 

The result was consistent: when cardiac tissue beats and generates mechanical load, tumor growth slows down; when this stimulus is reduced, tumor cells resume proliferating. 

“Our findings show that cardiac pulsation is not only a physiological function, but can also act as a natural suppressor of tumor growth,” said Professor Serena Zacchigna, Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Trieste and head of the Cardiovascular Biology laboratory at ICGEB. “This suggests that the cardiac environment is unfavorable to tumor cells not only for immunological or metabolic reasons, but also because its continuous mechanical activity physically limits their expansion.” 

Professor Giulio Pompilio, Scientific Director of the Monzino Cardiology Center IRCCS and Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences of the University of Milan, added: “One of the most fascinating aspects of this research is that it shows how the mechanical forces regulating heart activity, already known to create an environment hostile to its regenerative ability, conversely exert a beneficial biological action in counteracting tumor growth. Perhaps these are two sides of the same coin. I would also like to stress that this work was made possible thanks to the collaboration of experts from different fields, ranging from cardiology to oncology, bioengineering, and bioinformatics.” 

The most interesting finding concerns the level at which this effect occurs. The study shows that the mechanical forces exerted by the heart do not stop at the surface of tumor cells, but also affect internal mechanisms that regulate their ability to multiply. 

This is an important step because it concretely links the mechanical dimension of the cellular environment with the epigenetic regulation of the tumor. In other words, the heart may be hostile to tumor cells not only for immunological or metabolic reasons, but also because its very movement physically limits their expansion. 

Another major strength of the study lies in its ability to connect basic research with clinical observation. The results obtained in experimental models were compared with human cardiac metastases, analyzed in parallel with lesions located in other organs of the same patients. This made it possible to verify that the molecular signatures observed in the laboratory are also found in human samples, reinforcing the robustness of the work and its potential impact. 

This research opens up a potentially transformative direction: understanding whether and how mechanical stimuli might one day be harnessed as a therapeutic tool against cancer. The idea that a “mechanical therapy” could complement or inspire new oncological strategies still remains to be developed, but the principle emerging from the study is clear: physical forces are not just a backdrop to disease, but could represent an important brake on it. 

Un equipaggio misto, una sfida internazionale e la volontà di misurarsi in mare con entusiasmo, caparbietà e spirito universitario. Venerdì 24 e sabato 25 aprile il CUS Trieste sarà in gara nel bacino di Dubrovnik/Ragusa per l’Elafiti Slalom Regata, appuntamento inserito nel programma della manifestazione organizzata dal JK Orsan.

La partecipazione triestina nasce all’interno della collaborazione con il CUS Bari e porterà in Croazia una squadra composta da nove velisti a bordo di una X-41, barca a vela da regata di circa 12 metri. L’equipaggio del CUS dell’Università di Trieste sarà formato dal prof. Piergiorgio Trevisan, docente di Lingua e traduzione inglese al Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, insieme a tre studentesse e cinque studenti: Carolina Bontempo, Sara Calici, Leonardo Centuori, Lorenzo Centuori, Kim Francesco Magnani, Giovanni Marchese, Julia Rubesa Perini e Samuele Trovò.

Per il gruppo universitario si tratterà di una due giorni di regate costiere, con percorsi definiti in base alle condizioni meteo, al termine della quale verrà stilata anche una classifica riservata alle sole barche universitarie. Un contesto competitivo di rilievo, dunque, ma anche un’occasione significativa per dare visibilità a un equipaggio che mette insieme esperienza velica, qualità sportive e percorsi di studio diversi.

La squadra triestina riunisce infatti atlete e atleti con esperienze maturate in classi giovanili e d’altura, in alcuni casi anche a livello europeo e mondiale, e conferma la capacità del CUS Trieste di valorizzare giovani che sanno conciliare attività agonistica e formazione universitaria. In questo senso, la trasferta di Dubrovnik rappresenta anche un passaggio coerente con l’identità marinara della città e con la volontà di rafforzare la presenza dell’Ateneo negli sport acquatici.

«Queste opportunità per le nostre studentesse e i nostri studenti nascono da consolidati rapporti di collaborazione e amicizia, come quello tra il CUS Trieste e il CUS Bari», osserva Michele Pipan, presidente del CUS Trieste. «Come CUS Trieste crediamo che questi possano essere i primi passi per ampliare la nostra sezione dedicata agli sport acquatici, avvicinando un numero sempre maggiore di studenti e rispettando l’identità marinara della nostra città. Crediamo che attraverso queste collaborazioni si possano creare opportunità fattibili e non onerose per i nostri tesserati».

La presenza a Dubrovnik aggiunge così un nuovo tassello al percorso con cui il CUS Trieste sta consolidando la propria proposta sportiva anche sul fronte della vela, puntando su collaborazioni, occasioni internazionali e coinvolgimento diretto di studenti e studentesse.

FameLab, the science communication talent show, is opening its doors to the public for the first time, not just schools. The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 6:00 PM at the Teatro Miela.

The Trieste leg of the competition will feature researchers on stage, each asked to explain a scientific topic in just three minutes, without slides or visual aids: just words, ideas, and the ability to engage. This competition rewards not only scientific expertise, but also clarity, charisma, and the ability to captivate an audience.

This year, Trieste will host candidates from the University of Trieste, Area Science Park, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, ICTP, INFN Trieste, OGS, SISSA, the University of Udine, and even the University of Catania. The top two will advance to the FameLab Italia National Final and a masterclass in science communication, as well as receive a cash prize. The winner will also be able to attend a course in the Master's Program in Science Communication at SISSA in Trieste. The national winner will represent Italy at the FameLab international final.

During the evening at Miela, in collaboration with the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival – La Cappella Underground, the short film "Il criaturo sintetico" by Sarah Narducci will be screened. The film tells the story of a world where births are controlled. Adele and Filippo, a couple struggling with a difficult housing situation, attempt the parenting test, aiming to secure an apartment in the luxurious Children's District.

Conceived in 2005 by the Cheltenham Science Festival, FameLab has also been held in Italy since 2012, organized by Psiquadro Perugia.

FameLab 2026 involves five cities: Bari, Cosenza, Ferrara, Genoa, and Trieste, where the local selection is organized by Immaginario Scientifico, the University of Trieste, the University of Udine, SISSA, and the Municipality of Trieste, as part of the Trieste City of Knowledge Protocol. With over 1,500 researchers involved and 28 participating cities over the years, FameLab represents one of the main platforms for science and the public to meet, offering the opportunity to experience science live, outside of academic contexts, and to discover its more human, direct, and engaging side.

In occasione della Giornata Mondiale del Fegato (World Liver Day), che si celebra il 19 aprile 2026, la comunità scientifica richiama l’attenzione sull’importanza della prevenzione e della promozione della salute epatica attraverso il tema di quest’anno: “Solid Habits, Strong Liver” (Abitudini solide, fegato forte).

Promossa dalle principali società scientifiche internazionali di epatologia (EASL, AASLD, ALEH, APASL e SOLDA), la campagna mira a sensibilizzare cittadini, istituzioni e operatori sanitari sull’impatto globale delle malattie epatiche e sul ruolo determinante degli stili di vita.

Un problema globale in crescita. Le malattie del fegato rappresentano una sfida sanitaria di rilievo: circa 1,5 miliardi di persone nel mondo che convivono con patologie epatiche croniche, ogni anno si registrano circa 2 milioni di decessi, fino a un terzo della popolazione adulta globale è affetto da MASLD (steatosi epatica associata a disfunzione metabolica).  Si tratta spesso di condizioni silenti, che possono evolvere in fibrosi, cirrosi e tumore del fegato se non diagnosticate e trattate precocemente.

“La campagna 2026 ci ricorda che anche piccoli cambiamenti quotidiani possono avere un impatto importante sulla salute del fegato", spiega la prof.ssa Lory Crocè, professore associato di gastroenterologia dell’Università di Trieste e direttore della SC UCO Clinica Patologie del Fegato di ASUGI. "Le indicazioni principali sono quattro: seguire un’alimentazione equilibrata, ricca di frutta, verdura, cereali integrali e grassi sani, limitando zuccheri e alimenti ultra-processati; praticare attività fisica con regolarità, perché il movimento aiuta a ridurre il grasso epatico e a migliorare il metabolismo anche senza una perdita di peso significativa; ridurre o evitare il consumo di alcol, che resta una delle strategie più efficaci per prevenire danni epatici; e sottoporsi a controlli periodici, essenziali per individuare precocemente eventuali danni, soprattutto nei soggetti a rischio".

In questa occasione, la UCO Clinica Patologie del Fegato, in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Chirurgiche e della Salute dell'Università di Trieste, la Lega Italiana Lotta Tumori LILT, e la Fondazione Italiana Fegato, promuove un’iniziativa rivolta alla popolazione di Trieste, Monfalcone e Gorizia, con attività di prevenzione, informazione e screening gratuiti programmata in data 20 aprile.

WEBINAR INFORMATIVO
L’iniziativa sarà presentata in modalità webinar l’8 aprile 2026 alle ore 14:30 dalla sede dell’Ordine dei Medici Chirurghi e Odontoiatri della Provincia di Trieste.
Saranno presenti o in collegamento rappresentanti ASUGI (Clinica Patologie del Fegato, Dipartimento Dipendenze Legali), Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Chirurgiche e della Salute dell'Università di Trieste, Lega Italiana Lotta Tumori LILT, Fondazione Italiana Fegato, Associazioni Pazienti.

SCREENING GRATUITI
Saranno offerti gratuitamente:
- Screening per Epatite C (prelievo ematico per nati 1969 –1989 e test capillare per altri cittadini non coinvolti per fascia di età nello Screening Regionale);
- Utilizzare una chatbot di intelligenza artificiale generativa per chiedere informazioni in tempo reale sull’infezione da Epatite C;
- Fibroscan (elastografia epatica) per valutazione della fibrosi epatica;
- Interventi di educazione alimentare e promozione di corretti stili di vita con dietista esperto nel trattamento della steatosi epatica;
- Valutazione attività fisica con la Presenza del dott. Alex Buoite Stella, Fisiologo dell’esercizio;
- Informazioni sulla ricerca corrente in collaborazione con FIF.

PRENOTAZIONI
Telefono: 040-3992953
Dal 7 aprile al 15 aprile 2026
Dal martedì al venerdì, ore 11:00–12:00