University of Rome Tor Vergata
Department of Electrical Engineering

The Department of Engineering (DIE) was established in 1983 and currently has about 150 members, including teachers, collaborators and technical-administrative staff. The main research areas developed in the DIE are control theory, electronics, electrical engineering, measurements, optoelectronics, and telecommunications. Research today has a multidisciplinary guise that embraces specific application fields on the following topics: space technologies, internet technologies, bio-engineering, green technologies, automation, signals, sensors, and nanotechnologies, the security.

Within the DIE, the Sensors Group has been a research entity active in the field of sensors, transducers and electronics since 1989. Its major achievements include the design and development of sensors for environmental, medical, space and industry. The scientific know-how of the group are: the design of electronic interfaces for sensors, innovative measurement strategies, the development of sensors and the analysis of data from sensor arrays or networks.

In the field of engineering applications in the medical field, the DIE can boast collaborations with:

  • The Veronesi Foundation for the development of sensory systems for the analysis of volatile compounds released by various tumor cell lines and detected by the electronic nose, created by exploiting the olfactory system of Drosophila. The recognition of the different cell lines was aimed at optimizing the chemotherapy treatment.
  • The National Institute of Health (NIH), USA. The DIE within the project “Determination of Exhaled Biomarkers for Low-Cost Diagnosis and Monitoring of Tuberculosis” has created a low-cost tool based on an array of chemical sensors for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis through breath analysis human. The work saw the collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) and is still ongoing. Based on the preliminary results, UPENN decided to continue the collaboration by extending it to other types of infectious diseases.
  • The Horizon 2020 Project Consortium—PhasmaFOOD: Portable photonic miniaturised smart system for on-the-spot food quality sensing. In this project, image analysis skills are put at the service of the study of near-infrared spectrometry and imaging techniques for food quality analysis. Consortium members are Wageningen University, the University of Athens and the Fraunhofer Institute
  • The University of Calgary. The international cooperation between the DIE and the University of Calgary on “Assisted Diagnosis Systems” based on the processing of mammographic images for the recognition of early signs of breast cancer has led, in the years 2011 to 2016 alone, to the publications of 9 works of international level

Furthermore, the DIE, in the specific figure of Prof. Martinelli, can boast the following collaborations with national and international institutes in the following research activities:

  • Collaboration with the group of prof. Eduard Llobet of the University of Tarragona (Spain) for the development of algorithms for the optimization of thermal modulation for metal oxide sensors
  • Collaboration with the group of prof. Giuseppe Ferri of the University of L’Aquila for the development of new circuit interfaces for chemical sensors
  • Collaboration with the group of Dr. Ramon Huerta of the “Non Linear Science Institute” of San Diego (USA) on the development of algorithms and methods for improving the performance of arrays of chemical sensors
  • Collaboration with the group of prof. Detlev Schild of the University of Göttingen (Germany) on the development of “bio-inspired” algorithms and sensors
  • Collaboration with prof. Santiago Marco and with prof. Agustin Gutierrez Galvez of the “Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)” and of the University of Barcelona on the development of models of the olfactory system
  • Collaboration with the group of Dr. Nicola Zetola of the University of Pennsylvania for the development of artificial olfactory systems for the identification of tuberculosis through breath analysis
  • Collaboration with the group of prof. Giovanni Galizia of the University of Konstanz (Germany) for the development of a hybrid sensory system based on Drosophila Melanogaster for biomedical applications
  • Collaboration with the group of Prof. Bjorne Schuller of Imperial College London (England) for the development of algorithms and models for emotion estimation through the analysis of audio and video signals

University San Raffaele Rome

San Raffaele University Rome has its own research laboratory and equipment to perform the proposed research including: PCR and Q-RT-PCR (Applied Biosystems), gel imaging systems (Biorad), centrifuges, refrigerated microcentrifuges, freezers, temperature-controlled baths, scales, spectrophotometers (NanoDrop, A-EL-VIS), cryostat (Leica), ultramicrotome (Leica), micro dissector (Slee Medical). Stereomicroscope, confocal microscope and laser capture micro dissector (Nikon), ultrastructural histochemistry, immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded sections and cryosections, morphometric analysis, computerized image analysis, flow cytometer FACS (16-color flow cytometer, BD LSRFortessaTMX20 SO), reader multimode spark microplate (Tecan), Nikon Eclipse Ti2 confocal microscopy. Equipment for electrophoresis on agarose and acrylamide gels (Protein Simple), power supplies, imaging systems, fluorescence microscope (Nikon); plate reader for colorimetric, fluorimetric and luminometric assays (Infinite and Sunrise system, Tecan); Stratagen Crosslinker 1800; sputter thread/carbon thread (Leica); High Performance Liquid Chromatography (Perkin Elmer); microscope for electrophysiological recordings (Nikon and Olympus); bioanalyzer (Agilent), critical point dryer (Leica), Sequence Scanner (Applied Biosystems); Lumipulse G600II (Fujirebio Inc.); LH500 hemocytometer (Beckman Coulter), ACLTOP 300 (Instrumentation Laboratory), automated microscope for micronuclei (Zeiss). One transmission electron microscope and one scanning electron microscope (JEOL). Furthermore, there is also a cell culture room equipped with two laminar flow hoods, incubators, inverted microscope equipped with Applied Imaging camera, heated bath and centrifuges. Furthermore, two rooms are available for surgical procedures with a microscope and surgical instruments.

The currently available housing facilities, located at the Biomedical Park of Castel Romano (RM) are fully equipped for surgery and in vivo viral injection (BSL2). This includes a small animal imaging platform, an ex vivo cell imaging facility, a central facility for in vivo and ex vivo studies of cardiovascular and metabolic functions, containing two dissecting microscopes, instrumentation to perform anesthesia, tail docking, and ventilation of the animal.

The UTSR has national and international research collaborations, especially in the development of housing systems for biobanks. The UTSR collaborates with the National Institute of Heath, USA; University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA; Washington University, USA; and has agreements with the three major Roman universities, La Sapienza University of Rome, Tor Vergata University, and La Cattolica University, Rome.

National Research Council
Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology

The National Research Council (CNR, www.cnr.it) is a national public research body with general scientific competence, (CNR Statute: provision. president n. 93/2018 Emanation statute of the National Research Council – (Prot. n. 0051080/2018 of 19/07/2018 available to the website: https://www.cnr.it/sites/default/files/public/media/ amministrazione_trasparente/Provvedimento_93-2018.pdf) tax code of the institution 80054330586. The financial statements are available at the link: https://www.cnr.it/it/bilanci. Founded in 1923, its mission is to carry out research projects, promote innovation and competitiveness of the industrial system, internationalize the national research system and provide technologies and solutions to the emerging needs of the public and private sectors. Objectives pursued thanks to a great wealth of human resources (over 8000 employees) and a Scientific Network distributed throughout the national territory and structured in more than 100 Research Institutes coordinated by 7 thematic Departments. CNR programming and strategy are consistent with research policies national and international and with the strategies of the European funding program for research and innovation and relate directly with the guidelines contained in the National Research Program (PNR). Creating value starting from the research results of its own Scientific Network and favoring its effects on the production system by supporting research-business collaboration are among the main objectives of the Organization which, also through the internal professionals specialized in the themes of research valorisation and management of innovation, supports and encourages its researchers to protect the intellectual property on the results of the activities, to design and implement new spin-off companies and to implement specific projects and strategic partnerships with public and private subjects, aimed at promoting research and technology transfer.

The Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology (IFN Statute: Provision n. 58/2015 of the president of the CNR-Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology (IFN) – Milan: confirmation and replacement of the deed of incorporation (prot. n. 51120 of 22/7/ 2015)) has as Director and Legal Representative Dr. Caterina Vozzi.

In the Rome office of the CNR-IFN, more than thirty years of experience have been acquired in the field of micro and nano-manufacturing and in the creation of prototype devices for interdisciplinary applications, in particular recently aimed at biology and precision medicine. It joined Nanomicrofab Advanced Lab (http://www.nanomicrofab.it/) and can count on a clean room of 400 square meters, electronic lithography systems, optical lithography, soft lithography necessary to carry out the activities for this project.

In the specific field of microfluidics, the Organs On Chip group (whose members are among the founders of SiOOC, Italian Society Organs on Chip) , represented in this project by Dr. Bertani, integrates skills ranging from micro and nanofabrication to spectrum microscopy and cell biology, and was among the first promoters of cell-type applications on chips and organs on chip, with particular regard to the development of in vitro coculture systems aimed at the reconstitution of the immune system and its interactions with different insults. This activity has also developed thanks to the continuous work to create an efficient and multidisciplinary research network, which has allowed participation in various projects at European and national level (H2020, PRIN, FIRB, AIRC, foundations). Finally, numerous scientific collaborations both international (Institute Gustave Roussy France, Institute Curie France, Duke University USA, Bar Illan University Israel, Technion University Greece, EMBL) and national (University of Tor Vergata, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Roma Tre).