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Nanotechnology News
Research & Development
VIMM - Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine
The Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) is a new center for advanced biomedical research. It was established by the Foundation for Advanced Biomedical Research (a private consortium) as a joint venture with the University of Padova and the Padova Health Authority.
The VIMM is strategically located between the University Hospital and the Preclinical Science Campus, and it occupies an area of about 3,000 m2. Once renovation of the remaining 8,000 m2 by the University of Padova will be completed, the Complex will become the major Center for Research in Molecular Medicine in the Veneto Region. Creation of the VIMM, a modern building with all the core Facilities for advanced research, was made possible by private fund-raising, which actively involved Industries and Financial Institutions.
The scientific goal of the Institute is to integrate basic and clinical research in order to achieve a faster transfer of the developments of molecular and cellular biology into the clinic. The basic research themes of the Institute will revolve around four basic areas: Structural biology, cellular biology, host-pathogen interactions and its implications for gene therapy, and cellular and molecular oncology.
The structural biology program will focus on protein structure and function, with special attention to enzymes involved in cell signalling routes and to their alterations in the disease state.
The program on cell biology will have as common nominator signal transduction in the regulation of cell function. It will cover a spectrum of activities ranging from the mechanism of hormones and other agents like bacterial toxins, to the role of cell signals (e.g., calcium) in cell development, survival, and programmed cell death.
The principal target of the gene transfer therapy group will be the development of methods for the transfer of genes in cells using appropriate vectors, which may only derive from a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions.
The fourth program will be based on oncology, with particular emphasis on prostate malignancies and leukemias/lymphomas. The principal areas of research will be the cellular and molecular biology of the malignant transformation, the hormonal dependence of tumors, and the changes of the apoptotic program involved in tumor onset and progression.
The Institute starts on solid scientific foundations, due to the contribution of several established group leaders. The heart of the Institute will be represented by newly recruited postdoctoral fellows and Faculty Members. A special effort will be made to attract promising scientists now active elsewhere in Europe or the USA.
The VIMM is strategically located between the University Hospital and the Preclinical Science Campus, and it occupies an area of about 3,000 m2. Once renovation of the remaining 8,000 m2 by the University of Padova will be completed, the Complex will become the major Center for Research in Molecular Medicine in the Veneto Region. Creation of the VIMM, a modern building with all the core Facilities for advanced research, was made possible by private fund-raising, which actively involved Industries and Financial Institutions.
The scientific goal of the Institute is to integrate basic and clinical research in order to achieve a faster transfer of the developments of molecular and cellular biology into the clinic. The basic research themes of the Institute will revolve around four basic areas: Structural biology, cellular biology, host-pathogen interactions and its implications for gene therapy, and cellular and molecular oncology.
The structural biology program will focus on protein structure and function, with special attention to enzymes involved in cell signalling routes and to their alterations in the disease state.
The program on cell biology will have as common nominator signal transduction in the regulation of cell function. It will cover a spectrum of activities ranging from the mechanism of hormones and other agents like bacterial toxins, to the role of cell signals (e.g., calcium) in cell development, survival, and programmed cell death.
The principal target of the gene transfer therapy group will be the development of methods for the transfer of genes in cells using appropriate vectors, which may only derive from a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions.
The fourth program will be based on oncology, with particular emphasis on prostate malignancies and leukemias/lymphomas. The principal areas of research will be the cellular and molecular biology of the malignant transformation, the hormonal dependence of tumors, and the changes of the apoptotic program involved in tumor onset and progression.
The Institute starts on solid scientific foundations, due to the contribution of several established group leaders. The heart of the Institute will be represented by newly recruited postdoctoral fellows and Faculty Members. A special effort will be made to attract promising scientists now active elsewhere in Europe or the USA.
Go to: www.vimm.it