Ivan Verduci

Full-time support at Cambridge Advanced Research Alliance (CARA)

The knowledge acquired and the results obtained during the PhD allowed me to lead a project that aims to develop an adjuvant therapy to the current ones used for the treatment of glioblastoma.

During my PhD I defined the key role of a protein isoform in glioblastoma stem cells. In particular, its biophysical support in tumor progression and its potential as a pharmacological target. Here I learned to concretely approach ideas with projects and I gained a progressive autonomy over the years.

During this year as a master student I have worked on understanding some aspects behind the chronically hyperactivated pathological states such as that of glioblastoma. The main focus was on glioblastoma stem cells, considered the leading cause of tumor recurrence. In particular, my research has focused on understanding the biophysical properties of a protein involved in such altered states.