Project Description

Biography:

Doriana Oliveri completed her bachelor’s degree in biotechnology at the University of Milano-Bicocca, before moving on to a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at the University of Milan. During her master’s thesis in the laboratory of Prof. Rizzello, she explored macrophage senescence triggered by intracellular pathogens, which reinforced her interest in the way immune cells interpret environmental signals. She then spent a year as a research assistant, working under the supervision of Dr. Scarpa at the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM), where she investigated how this alternative senescent response of macrophages could be selectively targeted through host-directed therapeutic strategies. This experience consolidated her interest in immunology, linking macrophage biology, cellular senescence and microenvironment-driven responses and revealing how this knowledge can be translated into novel therapeutic approaches.

Doriana is now conducting her doctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, within the Cytoskeleton and Cancer Metastasis Lab led by Prof. Victoria Sanz-Moreno. Her project focus on understanding how the tumour microenvironment shapes myeloid cell responses during metastasis, an area that allows her to combine her previous work on macrophage-environment interactions into the context of cancer progression. She is particularly interested in how mechanical and biochemical signals influence myeloid cell behaviour and how these dynamics could be disrupted to interfere with metastatic progression.

Doriana is excited to be part of ADAPTMET, a programme that brings together researchers working on complementary aspects of metastasis and tumour adaptation. This network offers a supportive environment, with opportunities to learn from diverse scientific perspectives and collaborate across different institutions.