Gemelli SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY PARK (GSTeP)

WHAT IS IT?
An analysis able to identify, sequence and quantify bacteria, fungi, and viruses populations in human samples

HOW DOES IT WORK?
It exploits the principle of massive sequencing working on complex mixtures of microorganisms nucleic acids.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
– to know differences in composition of microorganisms from specific human samples
– dynamics of transmission of the microorganisms
– identify microbial genes involved in virulence
– to detect and/or identify new mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
– To study the impact of microorganisms populations on human health
– To track the spread of pathogenic microorganisms and the genetic basis

WHAT IS IT?
The Biobank is a non-profit service aimed at collecting, storing and distributing human biological samples (whole blood and derivates, fresh tissue, protein, urine, saliva, cells, DNA and RNA), and related clinical data, for their use in preclinical, clinical, and translational research.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Biological samples are collected and stored for FPG and/or external researchers for projects approved by the Ethical Committee and the Biobank internal committee. A researcher (internal /external) can also store samples for their research.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
To have access to and to store biological samples linked to clinical data.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
Whenever storage with high quality standards is required. To have access to a variety of samples representing a wide range of diseases. To share samples, expand scientific collaborations and improve the scientific outcomes of research projects. To count on a relevant partner for the realization of research sponsored by private or public entities.

WHAT IS IT?
The use of informatics and computational models for the study of biological systems at the molecular and cellular level.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Develops and applies bioinformatics procedures for the analysis and interpretation of biological data.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
– To perform differential expression comparisons
– To detect significant genomic variants
– To identify molecular biomarkers or pathways of interest for a biological question
– More complex customized analyses
– Big data driven Artificial Intelligence analysis

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
The use of robust algorithms will provide classical step-by-step descriptions and interpretations of the data, as well as user-tailored analyses of the datasets.

WHAT IS IT?
The facility processes samples (cells, cell lines, stem cells, blood derivatives, nucleic acids). It also provides services such as assays relevant for studies in regenerative medicine.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
It is possible to request a customized sample preparation (biological liquid aliquots, cell subpopulation isolation, nucleic acids isolation). All batches are released after quality control testing.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
If you need sample processing and/or would like to have access to services such as in vitro tests (functional assays, disease mechanism and other assays applicable to regenerative medicine).

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
High quality samples and analysis yielding standardized data and reproducible results in biological testing.

WHAT IS IT?
The isolation of DNA or other rare molecular species contained in the biological fluids of a patient,for the analysis of diagnostic, prognostic or predictive markers.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Cells and Molecular species of clinical relevance are purified from biological fluids (e.g. blood) in minimally invasive manner and directed to specific analyses.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
For the clinical profiling of patients affected by diseases, such as cancer, which are characterized by the release of rare molecular species in the biological fluids.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
In order to acquire critical data, at genetic and molecular level, useful for diagnosis and clinical follow-up, prognostic assessment, and for the selection of best protocols for therapy.

WHAT IS IT?
A service committed to research that offers technologically advanced solutions to simplify data collection and introduces high innovation in data processing

HOW DOES IT WORK?
This service covers all the phases of data processing starting from infrastructural design up to data reporting activity, including methodological counseling, data capture, management, import, export, sharing and quality assessment

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
– Data management and data validation plan
– Development & management of eCRF/Survey/eDataRegisty
– Operational support
– System integration
– Data & process quality assessment
– Data networking
– Automated notification and ad hoc reporting

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
– To promote digitalization
– To safeguard security & privacy
– To improve data & process quality
– To simplify data capture & management
– To facilitate research data monitoring
– To ensure interoperability
– To standardize data processing
– To support multicentric studies

WHAT IS IT?
A service for clinical or public health research projects (observational and experimental studies): study design, statistical analysis plan, data analysis and scientific reports.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
This service covers all the phases of a research study, starting from the research hypothesis up to the reporting of the findings. Training courses on epidemiology and biostatistics are also provided.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
– To plan a clinical or public health research project
– To calculate sample size
– To develop the statistical analysis plan
– To perform data analysis
– To write scientific reports
– To improve skills with training courses

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
– To improve research quality
– To minimize risk of bias
– To strengthen research knowledge
– To improve reporting of research findings

WHAT IS IT?
Flow cytometry has allowed unprecedented detail both in basic and translational research for its ability to accurately analyse multiple characteristics of biological targets at single cell level in heterogeneous populations, e.g. stem cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor cells, and white blood cell populations. The Facility is underpinned by advanced instrumentation as well as being supported by both academic and technical expertise.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
The flow cytometers utilize lasers as light sources to produce scattered and fluorescent light signals from a variety of fluorescent probes.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
For analysing the expression of multiple surface and cytoplasmic molecules, typically cytokines, intracellular transcription factors and signaling molecules and for characterizing and defining single cells as well as intracellular organelles, e.g. mitochondria and lysosomes. Oxidant balance, ion flux, apoptosis and cell cycle can also be analysed. Using fluorescently tagged bioparticles or bacteria, it is possible to detect phagocytosis. Microvesicles, oncosomes and exosomes are investigated using flow cytometers with enhanced sensitivity. Flow cytometry is an invaluable analytical tool for precision medicine and immunomonitoring studies in clinical trials

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
The Facility is committed to provide comprehensive flow cytometry services in a collaborative environment to help users to achieve their scientific goals. Typically, users consult with the core staff regarding panel design, experimental planning, troubleshooting, and data interpretation. Our services and facility are available to internal customers, members of external Universities and Hospitals, and commercial companies.

WHAT IS IT?
A technique that selectively identifies specific antigens (proteins) on tissue samples.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
It exploits the principle of antibody specific binding to antigen on tissue.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
When you want to know the presence, tissue distribution, quantification and exact cellular localization of an antigen in a biological sample.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
It is fast, robust, specific and relatively cheap informative technique.

WHAT IS IT?
Electrophysiology investigates electrical signals generated by neurons, skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. It allows to primarily detect and characterize diseases affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Electrodes connected to single cells, tissues or the subject’s scalp allow to record small biological electrical signals providing relevant information on function and dysfunction of the studied organs.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
When electrophysiological characterization is needed for diagnosis and/or treatment of neurological, muscle and heart diseases.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
– To unveil alterations in cellular excitability and/or synaptic function responsible for brain, muscle and heart diseases
– To test the efficacy of new drugs
– To correlate gene expression profiles with function and morphology of single cells

WHAT IS IT?
Microscopy allows to obtain images of biological organisms for your experiments and analyze their mechanical, surface and spectroscopic properties.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our team offers a sample preparation service, technical support for the data acquisition, interpretation of results and image analysis.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
Microscopy is a technique able to identify the morphology of cells and tissues with subcellular resolution or the presence of specific biomolecules within them and to quantify their concentration. It can also be used to accurately analyze the real-time response of cells and tissues to external stimuli.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
It is fast, robust, specific and relatively cheap informative technique.

WHAT IS IT?
This service offers bespoke solutions for your high throughput genomics and sequencing experiments. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our team offers a delivering start to end service through experimental design, Quality Control (QC) of each steps, library preparation for DNA/RNA sequencing and critical interpretation of results. 

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
– To perform high throughput sequencing experiments starting from every sample type
– To have commercial and/or customized solutions for genomics experiments
– To have a support to write a scientific paper

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
– To improve quality of research findings
– To have high quality genomics experiments
– To have a wide variety of techniques
– To obtain the best genomics solution suitable for each experiment

WHAT IS IT?
The Organoid Facility aims at developing 3D models of human tumors directly from the patient’s surgical specimen.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Surgical specimens are collected upon informed consent, processed to isolate cells and cells are propagated in culture to produce a 3D organ-like structure.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
Characterization of patient’s heterogeneity, in vitro testing of pharmacological treatments, 3D physiological responses of patient’s cells.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
3D organoids mimic the physiology of organs and tumors; they maintain the patient’s cellular features; are a valuable substitute for in vivo studies using animal models.

WHAT IS IT?
Immune phenotyping allows characterizing immune cells subtypes from peripheral blood and tissue samples. Through sorting cells technology, it is possible to dissect heterogeneity of inflammatory cells composition within blood or tissues of interest. Moreover, profiling arrays enable to assess cell or tissue specific pathways heterogeneity in terms of coding/non coding nucleic acids in sorted cells or tissue slides. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) allows to determine quantitative assessment of proteins within serum, plasma and cell culture supernatant or other biological fluids. The Facility is underpinned by cutting edge instrumentation and is supported by both academic and technical expertise.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Magnetic microbeads separation allows sorting cells of interest from peripheral blood or digested soft tissue samples. PCR arrays are reliable tools for analyzing the expression of single target or focused panel of genes on sorted cell suspension or whole soft tissue. ELISA can detect chemicals, drug residual and antibodies. Microdot array based immunoassay detects with high sensitivity, multiple autoantibodies within selected panels for systemic autoimmune diseases including rare specificities.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
To dissect cellular composition at single population level in peripheral blood or tissue of interest. Transcriptomic analysis using the best molecular profiling technologies provides gene expression data for single to multiple panel of RNA analytes. This technology of high plex, high throughput profiling enables researchers to rapidly and quantitatively assess the biological implications of the heterogeneity within tissue samples. To quantify soluble molecules or autoantibodies (disease specific panels) from any biological fluid and/or cell supernatants using the latest standardized technology.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
The Facility is committed to provide comprehensive services in a collaborative environment to help users to achieve their scientific goals. Our services and facility are available to internal customers, members of external Universities and Hospitals and commercial companies.

WHAT IS IT?
Research Center where experiments on animal models are developed in compliance with the 3R principles of animal care and welfare.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Innovative structures and teams of experts in the field available for assistance in the design of preclinical biomedical studies to maximize the possibilities of clinical translation.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
For the study of human diseases, for the development of drugs and medical devices, for the high training of doctors.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
Preclinical in vivo studies are required to address key questions and complex aspects of disease. In vivo tests of drugs and medical devices are a fundamental step to allow the reproducibility of the results obtained in the clinical setting.

WHAT IS IT?
Cell specific Transcriptional Signatures and/or Chromatin Accessibility of differentiate individual cells in heterogeneous populations.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Using a microfluidic technology individual cells are first encapsulated in microdroplets, in which cell lysis and barcoding occurs. Subsequently, libraries are prepared, sequenced (High Throughput NGS) and analyzed.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
RNA seq: Characterization of rare cell populations (revealing new cell types)/decomposing tissues into cell types and/or cell states. ATAC seq: mapping of open chromatin at single cell resolution/profiling of transcriptional dynamics from cell to cell.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
RNA seq: analysis of 5000/7000 transcripts (required 1000 to 10000 cells). ATAC seq: mapping genome wide chromatin accessibility for thousands of individual single cells (required 400 to 4000 cells).

WHAT IS IT?
Analysis of peptides, proteins, proteoforms, metabolites and lead compounds in biological samples for qualitative and quantitative elucidation

HOW DOES IT WORK?
– LC
– Mass Spectrometry, HPLC
– DAD/Fl, FTIR based analysis coupled with chemometric investigation, nLC
– Mass Spectrometry based investigations coupled with bioinformatics pipelines and targeted affinity bait assays

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
To identify protein by direct fragmentation sequencing To elucidate and quantitate protein repertoire in complex biological samples To associate protein biomarkers related to different pathologies to identify and quantified small molecules related to different pathologies To quantified lead compounds and drugs in biological samples. To evaluate enzymatic activities

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
To provide an unbiased open platform mapping of protein, metabolites molecules present in a given biological samples. Mapping proteoforms and PTMs. Useful to determine metabolites, drugs and related biological activities in complex matrix

WHAT IS IT?
A Facility providing Artificial Intelligence and Big Data services to discover new evidences and develop predictive models to support clinical research and practice, analyzing and integrating data coming from different sources.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Starting from the clinical question and from a set of covariates, RWD team does analysis, extraction from different sources and integration of the data, using automated and authorized gate access to the data of the Policlinic. Then, in collaboration with the clinical team and using advanced AI solutions, specific predictive models are developed. The Operating Model and the Umbrella Protocol approved by the Ethics Committee represent a strong basis for regulatory compliance.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
-Data analysis and clustering from multiple sources
-Developing predictive models and decision support systems
-Clinical trial using big data and AI to support personalized medicine

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
-Access to multiple relevant data with innovative and rapid methods (i.e. text mining from clinical notes)
-Discovery of new scientific evidences through data-driven methodologies

WHAT IS IT?
Radiomics is extraction of quantitative image features from standard imaging, their analysis and modelling in relation to prediction targets such as clinical and genomic endpoints.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Images are contoured and uploaded on a radiomics platform called MODDICOM. Numerous features are then extracted and correlated with the chosen outcomes.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
You need radiomics for:
– Quantitative imaging analysis
– Prediction of outcomes
– Imaging correlation with genomics
– Tissue heterogeneity understanding
– Create multiomics platforms
– Personalize treatments

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
You need radiomics for:
– Quantitative imaging analysis
– Prediction of outcomes
– Imaging correlation with genomics

WHAT IS IT?
3D Bioprinting is a form of additive manufacturing that uses cells and other biocompatible materials as “inks”, also known as Bioinks, to print living structures which mimic the behavior of natural living systems.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
3D Bioprinting starts with a model of a structure, which is recreated layer by layer out of a Bioink either mixed with living cells.

WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
When you want to create scaffolds for regenerative medicine or 3D tissues for drug testing with better biological relevance than animal models. When you want to produce personalized medical devices or drug carriers.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE IT?
3D Bioprinting will give doctors and researchers the tools to better target treatments and improve patient outcomes.