PhD in Oncology, Hematology and Pathology

• Solid and hematological neoplasms
• Immunoprevention and immunotherapy of tumors
• Oncology, genomics, proteomics and targeted therapy of musculoskeletal sarcomas
• Development of new therapies, biological and cellular therapies in pediatric onco-hematology (neuroblastoma, acute myeloid leukemia, leukemias and lymphomas of B cells)
• Radiotherapy, oncological radiodiagnostics, radiomics and radiobiology
• Rare tumors
• ERBB family receptors
• Resistance to targeted therapies
• Acute and chronic myeloproliferative syndromes
• Lympho(immuno) proliferative diseases, monoclonal gammopathies and multiple myeloma
• Molecular basis, genetic studies, and development of innovative and targeted drugs against adult onco-hemopathies (acute and chronic leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma)
• Molecular pathology of infections associated with implants: search of virulence factors of opportunistic microorganisms as etiologic agents of periprosthetic infections and pathogenic mechanisms
• Cytotoxic mechanisms of plant toxic enzymes and development of immunotargeting for experimental therapy in oncology and transplant rejection
• Alterations of protein glycosylation in pathological processes
• Changes in ribosome biogenesis, cell proliferation and tumorigenesis
• Immunology, genetics and epigenetics of aging, longevity and age-associated diseases
• Allelic polymorphisms to identify risk factors associated with dementia and Alzheimer disease
• Chronic pain
• OMIC- data analysis
• Genetic and epigenetic alterations as cancer diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers
• Role of non-coding RNA in human cancer
• Shiga toxin and hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Human genomics and transcriptomics in normal conditions and in genetic disorders
• Stem cells, differentiation and development
• Nutrition, microbiota and cancer
• Asbestos and cancer

Call for further PhD Positions
Appointed by Rectoral Decree n. 1066/2023 Prot. n. 0226313 of 04/08/2023

* The following shall take part in the work of the Examination Board as expert members for positions linked to specific research topics:

• Tommaso Pippucci, Massimiliano Bonafé, Cristina Mosconi - IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna

Call for applications
Appointed by Rectoral Decree n. 709/2023 Prot. n. 149534 of 02/06/2023

The students of the PhD Program will develop:

• advanced knowledge of the literature and theory in the fields of Oncology, Hematology and Pathology,
• theoretical and practical knowledge of advanced research skills,
• autonomy in producing original research of appropriate quality for publication in high-impact scholarly journals,
• skills in translational research that applies to clinical challenges the avanced knowledge originating from laboratory research.

The activity is largely devoted to translational and clinical research in the fields of oncology, hemathology and pathology. The activities include research in the laboratory, field research, clinical research, and the  use of large advanced equipment in the field of molecular biology and genetics. The PhD program therefore directs towards preclinical and clinical research applications and offers wide opportunities to trainees to develop their activities in centers of scientific and clinical excellence.

The PhD program includes laboratory and/or clinical research activities, organized by the Supervisor of each PhD student, and teaching activities organized by three - The pool of medical PhD Programs organizes courses of scientific English (24 hours, in collaboration with Centro Linguistico d’Ateneo) and courses on safety in the biomedical environment (12 hours, in collaboration with the Area Persone e Organizzazione of the University and with the safety managers of the medical Departments).

The PhD program organizes seminars by faculty members. Main subjects are: Biology and pathology of the cell cycle, Cell death and apoptosis, Mechanisms of cytotoxicity of Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Genetic variants involved in longevity or age-associated diseases, Cytokines in human disease, Glycobiology and glycopathology, Molecular and cellular oncology, Carcinogenesis, Tumor immunology and immunotherapy, Diagnosis of hematopoietic and solid tumors, Cancer epidemiology and prevention, Conventional and innovative therapy of tumors, Biopathology and treatment of lymphomas, myeloma and acute leukemias, Allogeneic/autologous stem cells transplantation, New molecular technnologies for the study of hematologic malignancies. Role of non-coding RNAs in cancer. Biopathology and treatment of sarcomas.

Each Supervisor coordinates the attendance of specific events (meetings, workshops, grand rounds, etc.) and provides advanced bioinformatical education and tools in relation to the specific research project of each PhD student.

• International experience. All Ph.D. students should attend research laboratories abroad in major research institutions, for at least 3 months.
• Attraction of foreign graduates (Fellowships Marie Curie).
• PhD adherence to co-tutorship agreements with University of Southern Queensland (Australia) and University of Medicine of Tirana (Albania).
• Participation in the UNA Europa - European Program in Cultural Heritage (Una-Her) initiative.

Papers published in international journals, indexed in PubMed (at least one full paper per PhD student during the PhD course, or within 2 years after the end of PhD), and oral/poster communications at national and international scientific meetings. Also, patents resulting from translational research and clinical protocols resulting from clinical research.