ESGCT 2025 | Italian Society for Gene & Cell Therapy
At #ESGCT25, Simone from the Italian Society for Gene & Cell Therapy shared his insights on the importance of patience in science. He highlighted some of the exciting progress happening in gene and cell therapy across Italy and gave a sneak peek at his poster, now on display in the poster hall.
Now in his second year attending ESGCT, Simone says the word that inspires him most is “novelty,” reflecting the constant emergence of new ideas and hopeful discoveries in the field.
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Aaron: Check one, check two, check three. And again, my name is Aaron. Hello everybody. We are here at ESGCT in Seville, Spain, and I'm with a new friend, Simone. Am I pronouncing it right? Simone?
Simone: Simone. From Italy, yes.
Aaron: And which town are you from?
Simone: From Naples.
Aaron: And this is your second time coming to ESGCT, is that correct?
Simone: Yes, it's correct.
Aaron: So when you came to ESGCT last year—it was in Rome, I believe—why do you come? What are you excited about?
Simone: Because I'm a PhD student and last year I was involved as a volunteer. I loved this kind of work so much that I joined the board of the SITGEC, which is the Italian Society for Gene and Cell Therapy. I'm enjoying the board and the congress because of the novelty—everything that is here regarding gene therapy.
Aaron: And Simone, you told me a moment ago that you're actually studying AAV, is that correct?
Simone: Yeah.
Aaron: What made you want to pursue the life sciences?
Simone: Because I think it is a new topic. There is a lot of study involving AAV, and I think it's important stuff to continue to pursue.
Aaron: Gene therapy, of course, could have a very big impact on future advanced therapies. Is there a specific drug therapy or approach you want to work on?
Simone: I'm working on a new approach to targeting hepatocytes, in particular for rare genetic diseases.
Aaron: Did you have a chance to go to the poster hall yet?
Simone: Yeah, there are a lot of posters. There is also my poster.
Aaron: Your poster is here too! What was your topic?
Simone: It's about liver-directed gene therapy.
Aaron: And has that been your work for the last year? How much progress have you made?
Simone: It's new. I think I’ve made a lot of progress. I don't have "beautiful" results yet, but I’ve begun to have some.
Aaron: AAV gene therapy has a lot of promise. What specifically about it excites you?
Simone: I like the fact that by changing the capsid, you can move the tropism along the body. I think that is fantastic—like playing with Lego, using the capsid of the vector.
Aaron: It feels like magic, yes? Check out my shirt—it says "Magic for Science." You said you're a PhD student; for others wanting to pursue life sciences, do you have any recommendations?
Simone: Be patient. That's very important. 99% of experiments go wrong, and you pursue the 1% that makes you progress along your research. So, be patient.
Aaron: That’s a big takeaway. You work in Naples; is the life sciences industry vibrant there?
Simone: Yeah, it is. The TIGEM (Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine) where I'm working is very specific for gene therapy and cell biology. I think this environment is very beautiful to work in.
Aaron: Are there other hotspots in Italy for life sciences right now?
Simone: I think Milan. In the south of Italy, there are just a few institutes that work on it, and I would like to see an improvement there in the future.
Aaron: If you had to give ESGCT one word to describe what makes you excited about the show, what would it be?
Simone: The novelty. Everything is a novelty here. There are new ideas and networking with colleagues who are working on the same stuff. We can have a collaboration and exchange ideas; that networking is important.
Aaron: I agree. Now, tell everybody a little bit about the meeting coming up in Milan.
Simone: This is the first annual meeting for the Italian Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (SITGEC). This society was born last year during the ESGCT congress in Rome, and now we are trying to perform an important annual meeting.
Aaron: That’s amazing. Why should people join the society?
Simone: Because there are a lot of people interested in gene and cell therapy. The board includes very important people in the field, like Luigi Naldini or Nicola Brunetti-Pierri. Keeping in touch with them is amazing.
Aaron: And that congress in Milan is this July? What is the specific focus?
Simone: It’s for gene and cell therapy, specifically based on hematopoietic cells and the engineering of these kinds of cells.
Aaron: If you're interested in joining the society for Italy, please stop by and say hello to Simone or go online. Do you know the website?
Simone: It is sitgec.it.
Aaron: Excellent. Thank you so much, Simone.