Research, Italian Style
Adding to its cache of unique international relationships, Mason has signed a three-year agreement with the Istituto Superiore di Sanitá (ISS) of Rome, Italy, to develop an unprecedented proteomics research program that unveils new cancer diagnostics and therapies through the discovery of drug targets and biomarkers for early disease detection. Implemented through the university’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, the research is led by center codirectors Lance Liotta and Emanuel F. Petricoin III.
Proteomics, the study of protein activity in cells, is an emerging field in medicine that holds the promise of a new paradigm for early disease detection and personalized medical treatment. Biomarkers for early disease detection, prognosis, and treatment may comprise protein fragments or other biological indicators of cellular function found in human blood.
ISS, the primary scientific arm of the Italian National Health Service, is one of the most prestigious health institutions in Europe and encompasses the functions of the United States’ National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
Emanuel Petricoin, Lance Liotta, Enrico Garaci, ISS president
Garaci and Provost Peter Stearns