STEMNET 2026 :: Programme

9:00-10:30	Registration
10:30-11:00	Welcome and opening of the meeting
11:00-12:30	Innovative Trends in Science Communication (in Italian) Chairs: Augusto Pessina (Milan, Italy), Umberto Galderisi (Naples, Italy)
11:00-11:20	Emanuele Frontoni (Macerata, Italy) Lo storytelling della scienza nell’epoca della intelligenza artificiale
11:20-11:40	Samuele Negro (Padua, Italy) Alla scoperta dei meccanismi della rigenerazione nervosa: la mia ricerca raccontata attraverso i Social Media
11:40-12:30	Round table and discussion
13:00-14:00	Lunch
14:00-16:00	“StemNet Next Generation” Chairs: Pasquale Marrazzo (Urbino, Italy), Federico Divincenzo (Turin, Italy)
14:00-14:20	Valentina Bugani (Meldola, FC, Italy) Training and development strategies in healthcare research organizations
14:20-14:40	Filippo Piccinini (Bologna, Italy) Scientific medical writing with Artificial Intelligence
14:40-15:00	Ákos Diósdi (Szeged, Hungary) Patenting microscopy technologies: a case study
15:00-15:15	3rd Place “StemNet Next Generation – Contest 2026” Domitilla Mandatori (Chieti, Italy) Effects of mesenchymal stromal cells and human recombinant Nerve Growth Factor delivered by bioengineered human corneal lenticule on an innovative model of diabetic retinopathy
15:15-15:30	2nd Place “StemNet Next Generation – Contest 2026” Angelo Canciello (Teramo, Italy) Graphene oxide accelerates TGFβ-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stimulates pro-inflammatory immune response in amniotic epithelial cells
15:30-15:45	1st Place “StemNet Next Generation – Contest 2026” Domenico Aprile (Naples, Italy) Lineage specification into GABAergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and astrocytic phenotypes using MUSE stem cells: a novel approach for modeling neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders
15:45-16:00	Award Ceremony “StemNet Next Generation – Contest 2026”
16:00-16:30	Coffee break
16:30-18:00	Innovation, Sustainability and Market Access for ATMPs Chairs: Laura Calzà (Bologna, Italy), Lorenza Lazzari (Milan, Italy)
16:30-16:50	Simona Guidi (Leiden, The Netherlands) Innovative technologies, decentralized model versus centralized model in ATMPs manufacturing, the state of the art
16:50-17:10	Claudio Jommi (Novara, Italy) Sustainability and market access for medicines: general issue and focus on ATMPs
17:10-17:30	Cristina Zanini (IWT PHARMA, Casale Litta, Varese, Italy), Ludovica Filippini (Cellex, Rome, Italy) Bone tissue GMP production in a closed system: using a closed-circuit between a bioreactor and an incubator integrated in a Grade A isolator for sustainable Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) manufacturing Vincenzo Raffo (Bari, Italy) Inflammatory priming activates the healing ability of adipose-derived stem cells in osteoarthritis
17:30-18:00	Discussion
18:00-19:00	General Assembly
19:30	Standing aperitif-style light dinner (Apericena)
21:00	Social Event and Dancing, the event will include a bachata lesson with DJ Set and group dances

9:00-10:30	Biofabrication and Bioengineering Tools for Tissue Repair Chairs: Maria Letizia Focarete (Bologna, Italy), Laura Mercatali (Bologna, Italy)
9:00-9:20	Gianluca Cidonio (Rome, Italy) Skeletal stem cell 3D bioprinting for the functional engineering of bone tissue
9:20-9:40	Dario Carugo (Oxford, United Kingdom) Ultrasound-mediated stimulation of biological systems for enhanced drug delivery and tissue repair
9:40-10:00	Andrea Lolli (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Making a long story short: tissue engineering bone with stromal cells subjected to brief chondrogenic priming Mattia Dessena (Parma, Italy) Mesenchymal stem cell fate across monoclonal gammopathies: from single-cell profiling to 3D niche modeling
10:00-10:30	Discussion
10:30-11:00	Coffee break
11:00-12:30	Stem Cells in Cartilage (Tissue) Repair Chairs: Gina Lisignoli (Bologna, Italy), Eleonora Iacono (Bologna, Italy)
11:00-11:20	Serena Duchi (Melbourne, Australia) Stem cell cartilage tissue engineering for post-traumatic osteoarthritis prevention: advancing equity in regenerative medicine
11:20-11:40	Leonardo Ricotti (Pisa, Italy) Stimulation of cartilage healing with ultrasound stimulation of stem cells
11:40-12:00	Nicola Mondanelli (Azienda ospedaliero-universitaria Senese - Ospedale Santa Maria alle Scotte) Multimodal approach in the surgical management of a complex case of hypertrophic femoral pseudoarthrosis Maira Bacchiega (Schaefer SEE Srl, Italy) EV purification & characterisation: where precision meets potential
12:00-12:30	Discussion
12:30-13:30	Lunch
13:30-14:30	Poster Session
14:30-16:00	Omic Studies for Stem Cell Biology Chairs: Krisztina Buzas (Szeged, Hungary), Roberta Piva (Ferrara, Italy)
14:30-14:50	Giada Pietrosi (Palermo, Italy) The application of perinatal stem cells in advanced liver disease: results and future perspectives
14:50-15:10	Nereo Kalebic (Milan, Italy) Glioblastoma stem cell morphotypes convey distinct cell states and clinically relevant functions
15:10-15:30	Arianna Minoia (Verona, Italy) Modelling CLCN7-associated osteopetrosis: iPSC/iMSC-based approach and PBMC-derived osteoclast differentiation in patient and control Alice Zaramella (Padua, Italy) MicroRNA-31- engineered extracellular vesicles as a target therapy for inflammatory bowel disease
15:30-16:00	Discussion
16:00-17:00	Cancer Stem Cells Chairs: Francesco Alviano (Bologna, Italy), Gianandrea Pasquinelli (Bologna, Italy)
16:00-16:20	Ilio Vitale (Turin, Italy) Immune escape by cancer stem cells: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities
16:20-16:40	Silvia Pontara (Genoa, Italy) A humanized 3D bioprinted model for studying breast cancer bone metastasis Annalisa Astolfi (Bologna, Italy) Smooth muscle-committed TP53-knockout pluripotent stem cells as a novel leiomyosarcoma cell model for preclinical target discovery
16:40-17:00	Discussion
17:00-17:30	Poster Award
18:00	Conclusions

P.1 Francesca Allemanno (Grugliasco, TO)
Equine osteoarthritis-related microRNA analysis in extracellular vesicles from horse mesenchymal stromal cells: a preliminary investigation

P.2 Emilia Attolini (Ozzano dell'Emilia)
Effect of equine mesenchymal stromal/stem cell secretome on equine oocyte nuclear maturation

P.3 Elia Bari (Novara)
Decellularized and lyophilized dermal scaffolds loaded with the lyosecretome of mesenchymal stem cells for skin regeneration,

P.4 Maria Bernazeaud (Naples)
Adaptive mitochondrial quality control supports oxidative stress resistance in Muse cells

P.5 Edoardo Bertania (Novara)
Design of silk fibroin-based hydrogels functionalized with extracellular matrix and mesenchymal stem cell secretome for skin bioprinting

P.6 Edoardo Bertania (Novara)
Cell-specific targeting via a gmp-ready microfluidic carrier-in-carrier system of silk fibroin nanoparticles encapsulated in extracellular vesicles

P.7 Paola Bisaccia (Padua)
Mesenchymal stromal cells - derived extracellular vesicles inhibit pyroptosis and protect tissue integrity in models of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

P.8 Angelo Canciello (Teramo)
KLHL14 and its X1 isoform act as central regulators of epithelial plasticity by controlling epithelial-mesenchymal transition in amniotic epithelial stem cells and hepatocarcinoma cells

P.9 Angelita Capone (Ozzano dell'Emilia)
Hypoxia-driven functional modulation of canine umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stromal cells: implications for pulmonary vascular regeneration

P.10 Melania Carniato (Bologna)
Moda project: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the decellularized human dermis in combination with orthobiologic stimuli for the arthroscopic augmentation of massive rotator cuff tears

P.11 Ludovica Carpinelli (Rome)
Patient iPSC-derived cerebral organoid as a multicellular model to mimic the complexity of the central nervous system

P.12 Gaia Cendron (Genoa)
A three-dimensional bioprinted colorectal cancer model based on tumor-derived extracellular matrix, apelin-13 and type I collagen to study tumor–stroma interactions

P.13 Camilla Bruna Cerchier (Bologna)
Targeting nuclear lamina defects to impair epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and stemness in glioblastoma

P.14 Carmen Ciavarella (Bologna)
Pathological features of mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from human diseased vascular wall: implications for translational perspectives

P.15 Giorgia Codispoti (Bologna)
In vivo evaluation of an ultrasound-stimulated smart piezoelectric nanocomposite hydrogel enriched with adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for osteoarthritis treatment

P.16 Roberta Costa (Bologna)
Designing three-dimensional scaffolds to investigate limb girdle muscular dystrophy transportin 3 related

P.17 Daniele D'Arrigo (Pieve Emanuele)
Development and validation of clinically-relevant large animal model of meniscal degeneration

P.18 Giovanni D'Atri (Milan)
Injectable and bioprintable RGD-functionalized hydrogels support chondrogenic differentiation of adipose mesenchymal stromal cells

P.19 Mattia Dessena (Parma)
Mesenchymal stem cell fate across monoclonal gammopathies: from single-cell profiling to 3D niche modeling

P.20 Lucia di Caporiacco (Ozzano dell'Emilia)
Human umbilical vein endothelial cells-derived conditioned medium for the endothelial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells: a cost-effective human-based protocol

P.21 Ivana Ferrero (Turin)
Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: towards cost-effective manufacturing and sustainability

P.22 Manuela Galeotti (Ozzano dell'Emilia)
Ex vivo study of neural stem cells from the subventricular zone in neonatal encephalopathy

P.23 Giulio Grieco (Milan)
Comparative bioinformatic analysis of ASC and BMSC secretomes reveals shared functional programs and condition-specific enrichment patterns

P.24 Giulio Grieco (Milan)
Secretome and extracellular vesicle signatures in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells after expansion in standard and next-generation media

P.25 Viviana Ippolito (Milan)
Selection of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived secretome for osteoarticular diseases through tissue source and priming strategies

P.26 Ylenia Lacapra (Rome)
New perspectives for the exploitation of female reproductive potential in mammals: generation of granulosa-like cells from human adipose mesenchymal stem cells

P.27 Roberta Lauro (Milan)
Enhanced osteoinductive and osteoconductive potential of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells on trabecular titanium compared to chromium cobalt scaffolds

P.28 Enrico Lenzi (Bologna)
Effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound frequencies on chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells embedded in hydrogels

P.29 Andrea Lolli (Rotterdam)
Growing bones in a dish: a new human in vitro model of endochondral ossification for the study of bone metastasis

P.30 Aurora Longhin (Bologna)
Influence of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles on the injured skeletal muscle microenvironment

P.31 Showmeya Mallavarapu (Padua)
Role of Glypican3 in tumor dissemination and proliferation: study of extracellular vesicles isolated from the mesenchymal rhabdomyosarcoma cells expressing glypican3

P.32 Tullia Maraldi (Bologna)
Stem cell derived extracellular vesicles ameliorate the neuron mitochondrial damage induced by ROS- LPS- exposure: in vitro model of neuron, microglia, and astrocyte triple co-culture

P.33 Angela Marcianti (Milan)
Large-scale manufacturing of extracellular vesicles from adipose tissue derived-mesenchymal stromal cells using a bioreactor

P.34 Valeria Marsili (Terni)
Advanced therapies: the sustainability challenge

P.35 Adam Mazurski (Katowice)
The influence of standard hepatocyte medium and/or interleukin 13 on the phenotype of non-parenchymal hepatic cell lines in monoculture and co-culture in vitro

P.36 Arianna Minoia (Verona)
Modelling CLCN7-associated osteopetrosis: iPSC/iMSC-based approach and PBMC-derived osteoclast differentiation in patient and control

P.37 Angelo Modena (Novara)
Effect of the microenvironment on lyo-secretome from mesenchymal stromal cells: extensive characterization and in vitro biological activity

P.38 Raquel Moll Diaz (Padua)
A lung organoid model to study oxidative stress and inflammation in pulmonary diseases

P.39 Camillo Morano (Milan)
Lipidomic basis of enhanced paclitaxel efficacy via MFAT in glioblastoma

P.40 Simona Neri (Bologna)
In vitro expansion of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for regenerative applications reveals dynamic small-variant changes within a stable genetic background

P.41 Francisco Nicolás Villaescusa (Murcia)
Dissecting the role of amniotic epithelial and mesenchymal cells in amniotic membrane–mediated chronic wound healing

P.42 Francesca Paino (Milan)
Secretome from micro-fragmented human adipose tissue modulates inflammatory activity of monocytes/macrophages via ICAM-1

P.43 Francesca Paris (Bologna)
Perinatal stem cell spheroids for cell-based therapy in type 1 diabetes: immunomodulatory and differentiation properties

P.44 Deanira Patrone (Naples)
Multilineage-Differentiating Stress-Enduring (MUSE) cells as an innovative in vitro cellular model to study mood and psychotic disorders

P.45 Letizia Penolazzi (Ferrara)
The potential of decellularized Wharton’s jelly as a bioscaffold in stimulating cellular functional recovery

P.46 Giovannamaria Petrocelli (Bologna)
Characterization of human dermis-derived mesenchymal stem cells during long-term in vitro culture and stress conditions

P.47 Silvia Pontara (Genoa)
A humanized 3D bioprinted model for studying breast cancer bone metastasis

P.48 Ilaria Proietti (Terni)
When contamination is not an option: microbiological monitoring in ATMPs

P.49 Francesca Quartulli (Parma)
New players in bone anabolism by skeletogenic stem cells: the desmin/myo-inositol duo and its translational relevance

P.50 Vincenzo Raffo (Bari / Milan)
Inflammatory priming activates the healing ability of adipose-derived stem cells in osteoarthritis

P.51 Vincenzo Raffo (Bari / Milan)
Good manufacturing practice-compliant process optimization for the production of safe and effective cartilage cells to treat diffuse cartilage lesions.

P.52 Enrico Ragni (Milan)
Side-to-side characterisation of soluble factors, cellular content and in vitro potential on chondrocytes for MSCs based adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction and bone marrow aspirate concentrate

P.53 Alessia Repetto (Genoa)
Culture-driven selection of SSEA3⁺ pluripotent MUSE-like cells from human mesenchymal stem cells

P.54 Elisa Rosselli (Genoa)
Induced chondrocyte-derived small extracellular vesicles as a cell-free regenerative strategy for osteoarthritis

P.55 Francesca Rossi (Bologna)
Mesenchymal stem cells shape vascularization and mineralization in the osteosarcoma tumor microenvironment

P.56 Astrid Sodomaco (Bologna)
Rejuvenation of amniotic epithelial cells by epigenetic and antioxidant modulation

P.57 Virginie Sottile (Pavia)
Pro-differentiation conditions reduce pathogenic features of lung cancer cells in vitro

P.58 Mariachiara Stellato (Bologna)
MatRad-OIDS: an open-source tool for segmenting microscopy 3D images and extracting IBSI-compliant radiomic features.

P.59 Sabrina Valente (Bologna)
Isolation of mesenchymal stromal cells derived from human arteries: a focus on their regenerative features and cell to cell communication.

P.60 Alice Zaramella (Padua)
MicroRNA-31- engineered extracellular vesicles as a target therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

P.61 Silvia Zia (Bologna)
Celector label-free microfluidic technology enables quality control and mesenchymal enrichment of fetal membrane stem cell subpopulations