Dr Serena Lucotti, a postdoctoral researcher in the Mechanisms of Metastasis research group, has been awarded an Italy Made Me prize for her DPhil project entitled: ‘Targeting prostanoid biosynthesis during metastasis: the therapeutic potential of aspirin and beyond’.
During her DPhil, Serena studied the effect of aspirin and other anti-platelet drugs on cancer metastasis, which led her to discover a novel platelet signalling pathway that supports tumour cell dissemination through the bloodstream. Her work identifies new targets and therapeutic opportunities for the prevention of metastasis in cancer patients.
Serena received her award from the Ambassador, Raffaele Trombetta, at a ceremony at the Italian Embassy on 4th September.
The Italy Made Me award recognises UK-based Italian researchers who received part of their training in Italy. There are prizes for innovative research in three categories: Life Sciences, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. It is coordinated by the Italian Embassy in London, in collaboration with Il Circolo, the “Association of Italian Scientists in the United Kingdom” (AISUK) and other Italian academic associations in the UK.