The 29th International Exchange Seminar: Lecture by Professor Gabriele Stocco of the University of Trieste

From September 24 to 26, 2024, Prof. Gabriele Stocco of the University of Trieste (UniTS), Italy, one of our partner universities, visited Shinshu University School of Medicine.

Prof. Stocco is a Specially Appointed Professor at IBS and is dedicated to promoting and invigorating IBS's innovative research in life sciences. After commencing joint research with Prof. SASAKI Katsunori, an Emeritus Professor at Shinshu University, Prof. Stocco continues it with Dr. Fengming YUE of the Department of Histology and Embryology until now. Prof. Stocco also plays a role as a liaison to boost student exchanges between the two universities, which enables us to continue fruitful exchange with UniTS.

During Prof. Stocco's stay at Shinshu University School of Medicine, we were able to hold the 29th International Exchange Seminar, in cooperation with IBS.

Following opening remarks by Prof. SAITO Naoto, the Director of IBS, Prof. Stocco gave a clearly understandable explanation of cutting-edge outcomes of his research for pathophysiological analysis of drug-induced pancreatic disease using iPS cells and that of inflammatory bowel disease using organoids.

Approximately 20 undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members participated in the seminar. The participants included a resident and students who engaged in research at UniTS for three months when they were in their fifth-year: Dr. KAWASE Kana (2022), Mr. KAWASHIMA Daichi (2023) and Mr. NAOE Shogo (2023), and they actively involved and asked many good questions. Even after the seminar ended, various questions were raised from the participants and a frank discussion continued.

We were able to learn a lot about research and educational circumstances of the universities by the seminar and other activities that took place during Prof. Stocco's stay.
It is clear that the close cooperation between the universities contributes to the further development of education and research at both universities, and we recognize its significance. We hope that the universities continue to build an even stronger cooperation by working together on many fruitful joint research projects in the future.

Prof. TANAKA Naoki, Director of International Relations Office and the Department of Global Medical Research Promotion, Shinshu University School of Medicine

[The 29th International Seminar]

Lecture Title:
Patient-derived iPS and organoids for precision medicine with thiopurines in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Speaker:
Prof. Gabriele Stocco
PhD/PharmD, Associate Professor
Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy

Summary:　
To date, curative pharmacological therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) does not exist, and treatments aim at inflammation control. IBD is particularly severe in children, with therapy more aggressive than in adults. Immunosuppressive drugs, such as thiopurines, are currently employed in pediatric IBD therapy with high interpatient variability in effects and the risk for significant adverse effects, such as thiopurine-induced pancreatitis. My group uses innovative patient-specific models such as pancreatic organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells and intestinal organoids derived from biopsies. Our pharmacological studies provide new insights into the mechanism of action of thiopurines and biomarkers to identify patients at risk for adverse events, particularly important for children with IBD.