Chiaradonna Ferdinando

Dr. Chiaradonna Ferdinando is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Milano-Bicocca's Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences. His research investigates cancer metabolism, focusing on pancreatic cancer, signal transduction, and metabolic rewiring mechanisms. He leads the Chiaradonna Lab, which explores the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway's role in tumor resistance and develops strategies to overcome chemotherapeutic limitations.

Research Interests: Key areas include metabolic adaptation in tumors, mitochondrial dysfunction in chemoresistance, and systems biology approaches to identify novel therapeutic targets. His work bridges biochemistry and oncology to address unresolved challenges in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Projects & Collaborations:

• PRIN 2022: Modulating glycolytic pathways to induce 'BRCAness' in pancreatic cancer (2023-2025)
• Italy-China BIOMED Program: Preclinical validation of PGM3 inhibitors (2019-2021)
• International partnerships with institutions in China, Germany, Finland, and Italy

Research Team: Advises PhD and Master's students working on metabolic inhibition strategies and 3D tumor modeling. Lab members include Virginia Brancato (Assistant Professor) and five graduate researchers focused on cancer metabolism.