Alessandro Di gangi

Bio

PhD candidate in Translational Medicine - 3rd year
October 2018-October 2023: Pediatric Residency, University of Pisa
October 2011-October 2017: Allievo Ordinario, SSSA, Pisa
October 2011-October 2017: MD degree, University of Pisa

Research

My research work centers on identifying and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in pediatric patients affected by osteosarcoma. By leveraging advanced genomic techniques, my goal is to better understand tumor dissemination, discover non-invasive biomarkers, and ultimately contribute to more targeted and effective treatments for children facing this disease.

Currently, my research is proudly developed in collaboration with the Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS (FPS), located in San Giuliano Terme (Pisa). The institute offers state-of-the-art technological platforms essential to our workflow. Specifically, these facilities enable the highly sensitive isolation of CTCs down to the single-cell resolution. This allows for comprehensive downstream genomic characterization, which is pivotal for uncovering the complex molecular landscape of pediatric osteosarcoma.

Publications

Published articles

Di Gangi A, Morelli M, Ipponi E, et al. Decoding CTCs in osteosarcoma: the molecular journey from initial tumor to metastasis. Sci Rep. Published online April 3, 2026. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-47094-5

Contributions

Tirtei E, Difilippo V, Divincenzo F, et al. Mapping genomic heterogeneity in paediatric and adolescent-young adult sarcomas: insights from the Italian SAR-GEN2016 and SAR-GEN_ITA prospective multicenter trials. Cancer Res Commun. Published online March 25, 2026. doi:10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-25-0697
Spadea M, Romani F, Nucera S, et al. Letermovir Prophylaxis Does Not Hinder Immune Reconstitution While Reshaping Viral Infection Landscape in Children. Transplant Cell Ther. Published online December 25, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jtct.2025.12.995
Ravaioli F, Colecchia A, Peccatori J, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of liver stiffness measurement for the diagnosis of veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the ELASTOVOD STUDY: an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicentre diagnostic clinical trial. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2025;60(7):978-993. doi:10.1038/s41409-025-02570-w

Others:

A. Di Gangi, M. Morelli, et al. (2025) 112P ATRX and DCC are differentially mutated among conventional and extraosseous/post-radiotherapy osteosarcoma. ESMO open.
M. Morelli, A. Di Gangi, et al. (2025) 2MO Integrating regorafenib sensitivity and functional precision medicine for second-line therapy in recurrent glioblastoma. ESMO open.
F. Lessi, A. Di Gangi et al. 136P Circulating tumor cell in osteosarcoma patients: A novel isolation protocol. ESMO open.
C. Mazzanti, A. Di Gangi et al (2025) 85P Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to explore online gene expression profiles databases related to drug sensitivity in multiple tumor cell lines: A bioinformatics approach to unlock targeted therapies in osteosarcoma. ESMO open
F. Di Lorenzo, F. Lessi et al. (2025) 3MO Beyond the expected: Circulating tumor cells in glioblastoma reveal hidden heterogeneity and become potential diagnostic biomarkers. ESMO open.
Arcovito G. et. al (2024) Loss of ARID1A Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in High Grade Skeletal Osteosarcoma USCAP
F. Lessi, M. Morelli et al. (2024) P08.02.B beyond the expected: circulating tumor cells in glioblastoma reveal hidden heterogeneity and become potential diagnostic biomarkers. Neuro-oncology 2025.

Courses

Active member of young SIOPE, GITMO, AIEOP, SIP, EACR