Sara Franceschi

After graduating in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology (CTF) in 2010 at the University of Pisa, Sara Franceschi started her research career as a Ph.D. student in Molecular and Experimental Oncology at the University of Pisa (2011-2014). The PhD project focused on predicting disease outcomes in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) through molecular analysis. In the last year of the Ph.D. program, she strengthened her knowledge of brain cancer biology by working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York in the laboratory of Dr. Jason T Huse.

In 2014 Sara Franceschi joined the Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza as a Postdoc Fellow. Here she continues to study GBM having the opportunity to gain expertise in advanced cell culture techniques and grow in the latest technologies. Currently, Sara Franceschi is part of the genomics team of Dr. Chiara Maria Mazzanti, who focuses her research on this extremely aggressive tumor from different perspectives, from GBM etiology to patient therapy. In recent years, the research group has acquired a strong expertise in the field of GBM genomics.

Sara Franceschi has actively participated in the development and fine-tuning of several protocols for the management and analysis of human glioblastoma samples, including the generation of organoids and explants and the evaluation of their response to therapies. The studies Sara Franceschi focuses on most are those involving the tumor microenvironment, especially the immune environment. Sara Franceschi studies the tumor microenvironment, characterizing cellular subpopulations both qualitatively and quantitatively.