Irene Bertolini

Irene Bertolini, Ph.D., is a Caspar Wistar Fellow in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center of The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. She leads an independent research laboratory focused on investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in regulating cell-to-cell communication within the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Bertolini received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Translational Medicine from the University of Milan (Italy) in 2018. She then moved to Philadelphia to join Dr. Dario Altieri's laboratory at The Wistar Institute, where she was promoted to a staff scientist position before accepting her current role as a Caspar Wistar Fellow in 2024.

Her research program centers on understanding how extracellular vesicles shape the tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche in glioblastoma and breast cancer. Specifically, her laboratory investigates (i) the role of microglia-derived extracellular vesicles in shaping the glioma tumor microenvironment and (ii) the contribution of extracellular vesicles released in hypoxic conditions by breast cancer cells to preparing the pre-metastatic niche. Her work combines sophisticated in vitro and in vivo approaches to unravel complex signaling mechanisms involved in tumor progression and immune evasion.

Her publication record demonstrates expertise across cancer biology, with particular emphasis on hypoxia-induced changes in tumor behavior, mitochondrial dynamics, and the role of extracellular vesicles in cancer progression. Her research bridges fundamental molecular mechanisms with potential therapeutic applications.

• Current laboratory members include Postdoctoral Fellow Miguel Quiralte Pulido, Ph.D., and Research Assistant Isabela Albuja Ron
• Committed to mentorship through the MentorFirst initiative
• Active researcher with publications spanning 2020-2025 in high-impact journals

Dr. Bertolini's work represents an important contribution to understanding the complex communication networks within tumors that drive cancer progression and metastasis.