1st Workshop successfully organized
1st Workshop successfully organized
Ljubljana, October 1,2024 — After the Kick-off meeting, the ZAP Cancer project shifted into a higher gear and continued the first week of the project by organizing its first 4-day workshop at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. The workshop started with presentations by the partners, where each institution could introduce their teams, expertise and planned contributions. The institutions were presented by the following speakers:
• Gregor Serša – Institute of Oncology Ljubljana (OILJ)
• Janez Žibert / Nejc Mekiš – Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
• Muriel Golzio – CNRS (France)
• Michael Dengler – Medical University of Graz (MUG, Austria)
• Nick Geukens – KU Leuven (KUL, Belgium)
• Emanuela Signori – National Research Council (CNR, Italy)
The second day was dedicated to the Workshop on Synchrotron Radiation for Biological and Medical Research, where the latest applications in life sciences were presented.
It started with a presentation of the Italian Synchrotron Light Society (SILS) and a global overview of synchrotron radiation (SR) and free-electron laser (FEL) facilities. Experts presented the physics behind SR and FEL light, the properties of the sources and the basics of operating the facilities operations. Spectroscopy techniques with SR for biological and medical applications were presented. Later, the transfer from laboratory research to SR-based medical studies and the importance of SR in the development of vaccines were presented. Biomedical imaging applications demonstrated the high-resolution capabilities of SR. Speakers included several renowned Italian SR researchers including Giorgio Contini (CNR, Italy), Paola D’Angelo (Sapienza University of Rome), Giorgio Paolucci (Elettra laboratory, Trieste), Lisa Vaccari (Elettra laboratory, Trieste), Cinzia Giannini (National Research Council, Bari), Rita Berisio (Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Napoli), and Alberto Bravin (University Bicocca, Milan). The day concluded with a round table where participants discussed how to implement SR and FEL technologies into their projects.
On the third day of the workshop, the participants visited the Elettra-FEL-Trieste facility where they had the opportunity to observe the presented techniques in person.
The event emphasized the interdisciplinary importance of synchrotron technologies. The participants discussed opportunities for collaboration and progress in research. The workshop underlined the importance of SR and FEL as important tools in modern biomedicine.
The last day of the workshop focused on How to run a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) and presented the range of international research being conducted at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. The day was led by Prof. Philipp Jost, Director of the Division of Clinical Oncology and the University Palliative Care Unit of the University Comprehensive Cancer Center Graz at the Medical University of Graz (MUG), Austria, who gave an inspiring presentation on the current concept of the CCC and the MUG’s path to becoming a CCC. Another great presentation followed from Prof. Maja Čemažar, who described the path of the OILJ to a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). A selection of EU-funded projects at the OILJ was then presented, including SI-SUD (Prof. Vesna Zadnik), CAN.HEAL (Assoc. prof. Mateja Krajc), eCAN (Assoc. prof. Cvetka Grašič Kuhar), SmartCARE and E-QUOL (Assoc. prof. Lorna Zadravec Zaletel), 4D Picture (Assoc. prof.Barbara Perić) and JANE-2 (prof. Gregor Serša).
Thus, the ZAP Cancer project successfully held its first 4-day workshop at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, gathering partners to present their teams, expertise, and project contributions. Highlights included a dedicated session on Synchrotron Radiation (SR) applications in biomedicine, a visit to the Elettra-FEL-Trieste facility, and discussions on the role of Comprehensive Cancer Centers, featuring best practices from leading EU institutions. The event fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and emphasized the crucial role of SR and FEL technologies in advancing cancer research and treatment.
