Cancer Biotechnology
Science, Innovation, Curiosity
Leveraging gene tools to design new therapeutic interventions
projects
Research
We are employing vectors to genetically engineer cancer and immune cells to explore new therapeutic interventions and unravel new biological insights.
our group
Team
We are a group of scientists and students with academic formation in biomedical sciences. Ours is not another job, but a responsibility. A big one.
Our lab
About us
The Vector Engineering and In Vivo Tumor Targeting Unit is part of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), directed by Prof. Luigi Naldini.
Publications
March 2026
Targeting immune heterogeneity in liver metastases through in vivo genetic engineering
Giovanna Giacca, Mario Leonardo Squadrito
Seminars in Immunology – 2026 Mar:81:102012. – 10.1016/j.smim.2025.102012
11 April 2025
In vivo armed macrophages curb liver metastasis through tumor-reactive T-cell rejuvenation
Marco Notaro, Maristella Borghetti, Chiara Bresesti, Giovanna Giacca, Thomas Kerzel, Carl Mirko Mercado, Stefano Beretta, Marco Monti, Ivan Merelli, Silvia Iaia, Marco Genua, Andrea Annoni, Tamara Canu, Patrizia Cristofori, Sara Degl’Innocenti, Francesca Sanvito, Paola Maria Vittoria Rancoita, Renato Ostuni, Silvia Gregori, Luigi Naldini, Mario Leonardo Squadrito
27 May 2025
Reprogramming liver metastasis-associated macrophages toward an anti-tumoral phenotype through enforced miR-342 expression
Cell Reports. 2025 May 27;44(5):115592.
2 July 2025
Ad-justing macrophages for cancer immunotherapy
Molecular Therapy. 2025 Jul 2;33(7):2972-2974.
20 September 2024
VisualZoneR: A computational protocol to identify compartmental zones from single-cell spatial transcriptomics using R
Thomas Kerzel, Stefano Beretta, Luigi Naldini, Mario Leonardo Squadrito
STAR Protocols Volume 5, Issue 3, 20 September 2024, 103196
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2023.09.014
14 January 2024
Harnessing lentiviral vectors for in vivo gene therapy of liver metastases
Giovanna Giacca, Luigi Naldini, Mario Leonardo Squadrito
Clin Transl Med. 2024 Jan; 14(1): e1542.
doi: 10.1002/ctm2.1542
19 October 2023
In vivo macrophage engineering reshapes the tumor microenvironment leading to eradication of liver metastases
Kerzel T*, Giacca G*, Beretta S, Bresesti C, Notaro M, Scotti GM, Balestrieri C, Canu T, Redegalli M, Pedica F, Genua M, Ostuni R, Kajaste-Rudnitski A, Oshima M, Tonon G, Merelli I, Aldrighetti L, Dellabona P, Coltella N, Doglioni C, Rancoita PMV, Sanvito F, Naldini L#, Squadrito ML#.
Cancer Cell. 2023 Oct 13:S1535-6108(23)00347-1
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2023.09.014
26 December 2023
VEGF-C-expressing TAMs rewire the metastatic fate of breast cancer cells
Kaveri Banerjee, Thomas Kerzel, Tove Bekkhus, Sabrina de Souza Ferreira, Tatjana Wallmann, Majken Wallerius, Laura-Sophie Landweh, Dennis Alexander Agardy, Nele Schauer, Anna Malmerfeldt, Jonas Bergh, Margarita Bartish, Johan Hartman, Arne Östman, Mario Leonardo Squadrito*@, Charlotte Rolny*@
Cell Reports 2023 Volume 42, Issue 12, 113507
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2023.09.014
Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2020 Oct 20;19:411-425.
EVIR: chimeric receptors that enhance dendritic cell cross-dressing with tumor antigens.
Support
We acknowledge Fondazione CARIPLO, Fondazione Telethon, AIRC and FRRB for supporting our Research.
www.cancerbiotechnology.com – Thanks for visiting our website!