In the early 90’s one of the most fascinating mysteries of biology attracted my curiosity: the cell’s ability to commit suicide. In my view, the existence of a specific genetic program devoted to regulate the death of a cell is something, still exciting today. At that time identification of genes and the definition of the signaling pathways, controlling cell death was a sort of gold rush.

Which are the molecular mechanisms that cause the Down syndrome (DS) phenotype?

In this second episode dedicated to the Experimental Imaging Center (EIC) of the San Raffaele Hospital we'll discover the MRI facilities, ultrasound scan and PET facilities

The inflammatory response serves a dual function. On the one hand, it deploys robust circuits of humoral and cell-mediated effector mechanisms to protect the host from harmful pathogens, both directly, through innate, rapid-onset processes and indirectly, by eliciting the adaptive arm of the immune response.

There is no questioning that pharmacology has played an important part in the great advances of medical science in the last century. Dramatically effective and relatively cheap drugs, such as aspirin or antibiotics, have marked for many once very severe or even lethal diseases a conversion to treatable conditions. Such drugs are the so-called "blockbusters" and they have represented the pillars of pharmaceutical industry so far.