Integrated Calendar

The principal aim of the Research in my laboratory is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that control the cell-cell interplay required for optimal expansion and activation of tumour-specific T cell populations and to apply this knowledge to the development of better treatment strategies in cancer patients. Research in my laboratory is divided into three complementary areas: i) analysis of tumour-specific immune responses in melanoma patients and the role of the tumour micro-environment in hampering tumour-specific immune responses; ii) structural, kinetic and functional analyses of invariant NKT (iNKT) cell activation; iii) clinical trial vaccine programme in melanoma patients.

The ARA experiment, (Askaryan Radio Array), currently under construction at the South Pole, is a new extremely-high energy neutrino telescope designed to be sensitive to the highest energy neutrinos beyond the reach of current neutrino detectors. In view of the successful completion of the 'IceCube' neutrino observatory last year, the science motivations for this new astrophysical neutrino detector will be discussed, and its design goals, construction status, expected performances and first results will be presented while emphasizing the challenges in building a 100 km^2 detector in Antarctica.