Chiara Falcomatà

Targeting and tracking mRNA lipid nanoparticles at the particle, transcript and protein level Nature Biomedical Engineering - This Review explores strategies for targeting and tracking RNA-LNP drugs, monitoring their in vivo behaviour, enhancing tissue-specific delivery, and using synthetic...

Our new review in @natbiomedeng.nature.com is out!
RNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have huge potential—but their strong liver and immune cell uptake has mostly confined them to vaccines and liver therapies. We explore how to move beyond those limits.
free to read 🔗 rdcu.be/eLxGs

Check out the preprint for all the data, figures, and amazing co-authors!
@brownlab1.bsky.social #ImmunoOncology #CRISPRscreen #SpatialBiology #ECM #PDAC #CancerImmunology
(8/8)

This changes our view of the ECM: It’s not just a passive barrier, but an active player in immune evasion.
(7/8)

Deleting Serpine1 or Serpinb2:
✓ Remodels the ECM
✓ Reduces immunosuppressive macrophage accumulation
✓ Permits T cell infiltration
✓ Synergizes with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, increasing survival
(6/8)

⭐️ Key finding: Loss of Serpine1 (PAI-1) or Serpinb2 (PAI-2) impairs tumor fitness in an immune-dependent way. These serpins shape a fibrin-rich ECM that recruits macrophages, building local immunosuppressive niches. (5/8)

We applied Perturb-map (Dhainaut et al., Cell 2022) to perform a spatial CRISPR screen of extracellular factors in orthotopic PDAC models.
This let us track over space and time:
✓ Clonal selection
✓ TME remodeling
✓ Immune reprogramming
(4/8)

Why?
The PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) is dense, fibrotic, and profoundly immunosuppressive. T cells are excluded or suppressed, and the extracellular matrix (ECM) may physically and functionally block immune infiltration.
But how ECM components do this is still unclear. (3/8)

#PDAC is one of the deadliest cancers—and is on track to become the 2nd leading cause of cancer death. (2/8)

🚨 Our new #preprint is out!
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We used #PerturbMap spatial functional genomics in pancreatic cancer to track tumor clone dynamics and uncover how extracellular factors like Serpine1 and Serpinb2 drive immune evasion. 🧵 (1/8)

Thrilled to share that our work from Trumpp Lab @hi-stem @dkfz.bsky.social is out in Nature.
We provide the first single-cell data on neurons infiltrating pancreatic tumors, offering new insights into cancer therapy. #cancerneuroscience @cn-hd.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Immunology will be for everyone, everywhere, everyday, from driving foundational research to reaping the benefits for health.

🌎 Immunoschool 2025 is open for anyone looking to learn more about key immunotherapy advances over the last decade.

FREE TO REGISTER: www.eventbrite.com/e/internatio...

This is a graphical depiction of multistep colorectal cancer progression on the top of the image. Below are the two tumor ‘‘age’’ scenarios for early-onset cancers, with important implications for secondary prevention

The incidence of early-onset colorectal #cancer is surging

By 2030, 1/3 of all CRCs will occur before the typical recommended screening age of 50 years

In this #Cell commentary, Mauri et al. discuss the potential causes 🧪- and the importance of determining "tumor age"

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Ovarian cancer-derived IL-4 promotes immunotherapy resistance Cancer-derived paracrine factors create distinct “neighborhoods” in the tumor microenvironment, promoting clonal selection and tumor heterogeneity. In ovarian cancer, IL-4 originating from a minority ...

First lab Bluesky post! Happy to share new papers:

PRINT: Using Perturb-map, we show in @cellpress.bsky.social how ovarian tumors resist immunotherapy > www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

PREPRINT We developed a new technology to easily generate cell-targeted LNP-RNA > www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Heterogeneity-driven phenotypic plasticity and treatment response in branched-organoid models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma - Nature Biomedical Engineering Branched organoids embedded in collagen gels can recapitulate the phenotypic landscape and pronounced molecular and morphological heterogeneity of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

I am so excited to share the biggest (and best) part of my #PhD in @maxreichertmd.bsky.social lab
We show how inter/intra-tumoral #heterogeneity impacts plasticity and treatment resistance by using #PDAC #organoids
@natureportfolio.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1/23 Big news for the #ObenaufLab! So excited to finally share our new study providing another puzzle piece, why immunotherapy fails in many tumors, now out in @Nature 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cancer cells impair monocyte-mediated T cell stimulation to evade immunity - Nature Inflammatory monocytes are identified as important players in T cell restimulation in the tumour microenvironment.

#InterferonPower! Elewaut, @obenaufa.bsky.social &co show @ Nature that inflammatory monocytes can acquire MHC-class I from tumor cells & locally activate CD8 T cells, given that the capacity of the tumor to shut down type I #IFNs & upreg PGE2 is reverted! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#PancreaticCancer research starter pack.
65 of 150. Room for 85 more on this 1st starter pack.
Who did I miss?
go.bsky.app/FDafAW