Alice Turdo

Alice Turdo is a Researcher at the University of Palermo in the Department of Health Promotion, Maternal and Child, Internal Medicine, and Specialist Excellence "G. D'Alessandro" (MEDS-26/D). She teaches multiple courses for the 2025/2026 academic year including "BASI METODOLOGICHE PER LA FORMAZIONE CONTINUA IN SANITÀ" and "MEDICINA E SALUTE DI COMUNITÀ" across health professions and social work programs. Her office hours are held at the Cellular and Molecular Physiopathology Laboratory in the Dermatology Department.

Her research centers on cancer stem cell biology with emphasis on molecular mechanisms driving tumor progression and therapy resistance:

• Cancer stem cell dynamics in breast, colorectal, and thyroid cancers
• Tumor microenvironment interactions and immune evasion
• Epigenetic regulation of stemness properties
• Development of CAR-T therapies and natural compound-based treatments
• Biomarker discovery for immunotherapy response prediction

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals consistent innovation in modeling cancer stem cell behavior through tumor-on-chip systems and multi-omics approaches. Key contributions include elucidating R-loop-mediated vulnerabilities in triple-negative breast cancer, adipose tissue's role in metastasis, and IDO1 as a predictor of BCG therapy failure in bladder cancer. Her work bridges molecular oncology with translational applications for overcoming therapeutic resistance.

Dr. Turdo conducts experimental research at the Cellular and Molecular Physiopathology Laboratory (Via del Vespro 131), utilizing advanced techniques including CRISPR engineering, hydrogel-based 3D cultures, and correlative microscopy to investigate lipid metabolism in cancer stem cells and develop novel therapeutic strategies targeting stemness pathways.