The Erc funds two Principal Investigators from the University of Padua

23.01.2025

Italian version

The European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) has announced the Principal Investigators (PI) selected for the second ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) call of 2024, awarding funding of €150,000 each to 134 researchers across Europe.

Among the winners are two projects from the University of Padua:
SPOTTED by Elisa Cimetta and MODEM by Manuele Faccenda.

The SPOTTED project, led by Elisa Cimetta from the Department of Industrial Engineering, aims to develop an innovative microfluidic system to test personalised treatments for pancreatic cancer. 
«Using small replicas of tumours grown in the lab from patient tissues, SPOTTED creates a highly realistic three-dimensional model of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of the disease. This model not only faithfully reproduces the tumour environment but also integrates key components such as immune and support cells, allowing for more accurate drug testing» explains the researcher.
This tool could revolutionise clinical practice by helping doctors choose the most effective therapies for each patient.

Manuele Faccenda's project, named Monitoring crustal stress state from 4D seismic imaging (MODEM) and also funded with €150,000, aims to create software capable of automatically detecting changes in seismic wave velocities caused by the fracturing of crustal rocks. 
«The methodology we intend to develop will have positive societal impacts as it will improve the monitoring of important geological sites such as volcanic areas, as well as oil and geothermal fields, providing critical information regarding the state of rock fracturing and fluid distribution at depth, which will lead to the possibility of 'predicting' imminent seismic activities» comments Manuele Faccenda.

The selection of funded projects spans 20 European countries, with Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands leading the ranking with 15 grants each. These funds represent significant support for scientific research and its potential commercial and social impact.