The molecular Oncology Lab is focalized on single-cell high resolution transcriptomics and cell lines and murine models follow up to drug treatment

1. ELENA LEVANTINI, PhD
DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY LAB
Molecular Oncology
Lab

2. Research
activity
Pulmonary molecular oncology research, adopting murine models of lung cancer (NSCLC and
SCLC)
High resolution transcriptomics to identify cancer specific subpopulations and interactions with
cancer cells and the Tumor Microenvironment (TME), also adopting spatial transcriptomics
and proteomics
Comparison of murine models carrying frequent lung cancer-associated genetic mutations and
paired clinical samples
In vivo follow up of tumor and TME adaptation to common chemotherapeutics and novel
combination, also adopting experimental drugs, via high resolution omics, coupled to
concomitant in vivo imaging assays
Identification of microRNA to decrease pulmonary tumor growth

3. Images
Maroni et al., Tumor microenvironment landscapes supporting EGFR-mutant NSCLC are modulated at the single cell interaction level by Unesbulin treatment. Submitted
Maroni et al., Identification of a targetable KRAS-mutant epithelial population in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Commun Biol. 2021 Apr 14;4(1):370. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-01897-6
PMID:33854168
Maroni et al., The role of PREP1 in the regulation of mesenchymal stromal cells. International Journal Molecular Sciences 2019 Jul 25;20(15). pii: E3639. doi: 10.3390/ijms20153639.
PMID:31349607
Zilionis et al., Single cell transcriptomics of human and mouse lung cancers reveals conserved myeloid populations across individuals and species. Immunity 2019 May
21;50(5):1317-1334.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 Apr 9. PMID:30979687

4. Technologies and services
TECHNOLOGIES:
Automacs
Gentlemacs single cell dissociator
Agilent 2100 Analyzer
10X Genomics high-resolution platform
Fully-accredited animal facility (transgenic and immunocompromised mice)
In vivo drug treatment
Imaging Facilities
Cell culture and Molecular biology for drug testing
microRNA in cancer therapy
SERVICES:
Single-cell high resolution transcriptomics
Cell lines and murine models follow up to drug treatment

5. Applications
and
collaborations
COLLABORATIONS
• Long-established collaboration with PTC-Therapeutics (NJ, USA)
• MTA from 2011-2022 (at Harvard University) and from 2022 on (at ITB-CNR) to test their
preclinical anti-BMI1 compounds on cell lines and murine models of lung cancer
APPLICATIONS
• Investigator-initiated funding (2014 & 2018: $209,073)
• BMI1 is an oncogene that Dr. Levantini demonstrated to be highly expressed in both NSCLC
and SCLC, which is targetable in vivo through the pre-clinical compound PTC-209 and the
clinical-grade compound PTC596/Unesbulin. Dr. Levantini’s publications on Science
Translational Medicine (2016) and Nature Communications Biology (2022), as well as a new
recently submitted manuscript, demonstrated the efficacy of these compounds on murine
models of lung cancer, and helped including PTC596 as clinically tested drug in Phase I
studies at the Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center (Boston, MA, USA).

6. Ufficio Grant – Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Headquarters: Via Giuseppe Moruzzi, 1 – 56124 Pisa, PI
E-mail: elena.levantini@itb.cnr.it; ufficio.grant@ifc.cnr.it
Ufficio Regionale di Trasferimento Tecnologico
Headquarters: Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 8 - 50121 Firenze, FI
E-mail: urtt.@regione.toscana.it
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