The Institute for Translational Research celebrates its first anniversary since establishment
Institutional Communication Service
On 3 September, the Institute for Translational Research USI-EOC (IRT) was officially inaugurated, just over a year after its establishment as a joint institute between USI and EOC. This marks an important milestone, but also a starting point for further strengthening the link between research and clinical practice.
The official opening ceremony took place in the Auditorium of USI West Campus and was attended by nearly 150 people. Among the audience were Mariagrazia Uguccioni, Michele Ghielmini, Tiziano Moccetti and Giorgio Noseda, key figures in the Institute's historical development and its transformation from a Laboratory for Translational Research (LRT-EOC) into a fully-fledged Institute for Translational Research.
The evening featured contributions from Giovanni Pedrazzini, Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at USI; Glauco Martinetti, General Director of EOC; Raphaël Parchet, Pro-Rector for Research at USI; and Alessandro Ceschi, Head of Medical Training and Research at EOC. Alain Kaelin, Director of the IRT, then retraced the Institute's brief but significant history, highlighting the various milestones that led to its creation – a fundamental building block for Ticino's biomedical hub.
The event continued with a lecture by Prof. Hans-Uwe Simon, whose scientific career exemplifies how the Institute aims to foster close integration between fundamental discoveries, clinical applications, and societal impact to promote excellence in translational research.
The evening concluded with a poster session during the standing dinner, giving the various IRT research groups the opportunity to share the Institute's activities and research areas and present their projects.
It was a rich programme that brought an intense day to a close, during which the Institute also underwent its first external scientific audit. This provided an important opportunity to discuss and reflect on the milestones achieved in its first year of operation and its future prospects, with the aim of further consolidating and strengthening the IRT's translational approach in support of university- and hospital-based biomedical research in Ticino.
