Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone and his commitment to scientific research

Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone non-profit organization renews the commitment which supports the research activities promoted by the Fondazione Veronesi in the field of pediatric oncology.

Published on the website of the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi interview with Dott. Francesco Caltagirone Leonardo.

A continuation of the research grant funded by Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone in 2012- this new support, which will last until 2105 and aims to be the continuation of the research and study of Dr. Riccardo Masetti and his team. The project title is "The Hedgehog signaling pathway as a new therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia with normal karyotype pediatric" and will be held at the S. Orsola - Malpighi Bologna. Agreement talking with Dr. Leonardo Caltagirone (pictured with his wife Lorenza):

How did the collaboration between the FGC and the FUV?
Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone was created with the specific purpose of helping the less fortunate children. During the first years of operation we have focused on solving immediate problems on numerous occasions that led to donations of scientific equipment for primary health care institutions for the implementation of essential services at that time were lacking.
Has always been our intention to intervene in the field of scientific research, today underestimated by national policies. It is in this area the commitment of the private may have the greatest impact, because it goes to support an industry with huge potential but with very few means to express it.

Given the complexity of the field of scientific research and its features, we considered it essential to look for a reliable partner who support us to donate some of our resources to the support and funding of scholarships, research calls and even direct funding of experimental research in pediatric and neonatal.
In this context, we considered the Veronesi Foundation more akin to the way we view the scientific research and then sharing to achieve the objectives, we carried out a very successful collaboration that has lasted several years.

Why did you choose Veronesi Foundation instead of other Nonprofit organizations?

There are many reasons that led us to choose the Veronesi Foundation as our partner.
The Foundation itself, as it is known, is very active in the field of scientific research for many years and is widely recognized as one of the best and the most serious organizations in this field.
Has awarded many scholarships and has funded numerous research projects of high scientific profile that led to important scientific results.

In addition, one of the main objectives of the Veronesi Foundation is the use of communication as a key element of prevention. Here, the Veronesi Foundation is definitely a leader as through lectures, school projects, publications and public awareness campaigns are doing so that the results and findings of science are available to all.
This theme is very close to our way of thinking because we are convinced that prevention is the most effective weapon against the proliferation of diseases and that the most effective way to support both the popular science done on a large scale.
These are all valid reasons that have led us to partner with the Fondazione Veronesi personally but what struck me most of all is the extraordinary humanity and professionalism that I have found in all the people I have had the pleasure of meeting over the years, from managers volunteers, all of them are absolutely involved in the mission of the Foundation. This, more than anything else, is the key to achieving results more satisfactory.

What do you value most interesting in the research project of Dr.Masetti?

We are passionate from the start of the project Dr. Masetti because it addresses a subject very dear to us, the future of pediatric cancer care, acute myeloid Leukemia, which still lacks protocols targeted for young patients.

The research, originally founded by a scholarship funded by us through a joint call with the Veronesi Foundation, has been so positive that has led us to also cover the following project in which Dr. Masetti and his team work to identify causes of disease and to identify, therefore, of targeted molecular drugs that are the least intrusive as possible on physical child.
In this project, there are many important issues since it affects a very particular context in which to date has been very little done just because of lack of funding. The big pharmaceutical companies are investing in the search for drugs that can combat widespread diseases in populations primarily adult and, unfortunately, leave uncovered areas such as this where the disease is less common and affects children whose treatment protocols are different from those of adults (and thus less common). Precisely for this reason I consider essential the presence of private foundations that could instead intervene with targeted funding in these areas of research.
The project Dr. Masetti, it is also very interesting because it would allow, once identified the causes of the disease and created protocols targeted use of existing drugs to treat children. This means not having to wait for a very long time to see the results of his research put into practice.
No coincidence that today Dr. Masetti has had numerous awards at international level with its various publications to publicize the extraordinary results achieved.

How scientific research can change people's future?

Science has always been the basis of evolution. Traditionally, men have used scientific discoveries to create increasingly complex projects to achieve increasingly ambitious goals. Science permeates strongly individual and social reality and new technologies affect the economic, social and cultural life of the people. Science has been the foundation on which our company has grown and will continue to be so in the future by influencing people's lives dramatically. In this way scientific research is the key, along with the communication of its results to the masses of this evolutionary process. Of course, as in any context developed and complex it becomes increasingly important to control the ethical rules by which you play these developmental processes. On the one hand, science produces sensitive benefits for humanity, on the other hand if it is not well regulated can have disastrous effects. I think this is the issue to be addressed in the near future to balance our most powerful evolutionary drive.

How Veronesi Foundation can give even more support to search?

The problem of scientific research and technological innovation resulting is evolving much faster than the acquisition of knowledge and popular culture, the change of views, values and behaviors. This asymmetry between the development of science and its potential acquisition by the common people is the main theme to work on.
In this field, the Veronesi Foundation, leveraging its large capacity media is already at the forefront in disseminating the results of scientific research to the widest possible audience of people. In order to achieve, however, that cultural change is required you have to work a lot on young people and children. For this the great communication work that the Foundation is implementing in schools is our total support.
I believe that the Veronesi Foundation has touched another factor in my opinion very important in the development of scientific research: the continuous interaction between scientists from different fields of science itself. Historically, in fact, it was this interaction between students of different materials, usually took place on the campuses of major American universities, to lead to great discoveries, because sometimes the solutions are not where you would expect to find them.
In this sense, the Veronesi Foundation is already doing a lot through the support of the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), the place where this interaction exists, but insist on this path and create or support other centers of excellence such as this I think in the long run could lead to very positive results.

Relevant projects of Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone in the future? Projects instead still with the Veronesi Foundation?

Fondazione Ginevra Caltagirone is a young, turned to the world of childhood, which is slowly looking out into the great field of charity. In these years we have learned a lot about the issues affecting children and we are organizing more and more appropriate to address the challenges that we encounter on a daily basis.
We are very happy with what we have achieved so far because we have established partnerships with important health agencies such as the Hospital Bambino Gesù, Fatebenefratelli, Policlinico Umberto I, and so on. That led to the funding of various medical equipments which have contributed directly to the improvement of service to sick children from the various clinical departments.
In the near future our big dream would be to be able to finance part of the restructuring of the Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Prof. Moretti in Policlinico Umberto I. It 'a department of excellence that deserves our support. Unfortunately, as often happens in Italy, the bureaucracy can block even large donations such as the one proposed by us, and then we find ourselves now for over two years to produce documents to ensure that there is granted permission to make this donation. It seems incredible but so ...
As for our successful collaboration with the Fondazione Veronesi, however, we are thrilled with the results achieved by Dr. Masetti and we would be very happy to continue to fund his research in the future. Of course we are also willing to consider other proposals for collaboration with the Fondazione Veronesi because we believe that together we can continue to do important things.