Investing in the last mile: from laboratory discovery to treatment for patients

Milan, 7 April 2026

Algebris Investments, through Algebris ETS, announces the signing of a sponsored research agreement in favour of the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), a research centre dedicated to studying the formation and development of tumours at the molecular level. The agreement governs the launch and implementation of a two-year scientific collaboration programme exploring a largely uncharted therapeutic frontier: oncological immuno-metabolism. This is an investment in the last mile of research - the critical stretch separating a promising laboratory discovery from a concrete therapy for patients. Through this initiative, Algebris reaffirms its commitment to supporting high-impact scientific and social projects, contributing to research capable of generating innovation and value for society at large.

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in Italy, with more than 390,000 new diagnoses each year. Three tumour types - lung, colorectal and breast cancer - account for more than a third of all cases and continue to represent the main causes of cancer-related death. Despite the progress made in recent decades, treatment options for patients with advanced or therapy-resistant disease remain inadequate. It is on these patients that the IFOM team led by Claudio Vernieri focuses its work. Vernieri is Associate Professor at the University of Milan, Medical Oncologist at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, and Director of the "Metabolic Reprogramming in Solid Tumours" research programme at IFOM.

The project's starting point is a fundamental difference between healthy and cancer cells: to grow and multiply, tumours "reprogram" their metabolism - the way they produce energy and build new cellular material. Long regarded as a mere consequence of the disease, this peculiarity is now understood to be a vulnerability. It is possible to target the tumour precisely there, in its way of "feeding" and sustaining itself, without harming healthy cells. This insight, developed and refined over the years by Prof. Vernieri's research team at IFOM, is the scientific core of the project.

The team has discovered that specific combinations of nutrients and metabolites, administered at precise doses, can target tumours effectively and selectively. The mechanism is twofold: these molecules act directly on cancer cells while simultaneously stimulating the immune system to recognise and attack the tumour. It is this combination of direct effect and immune potentiation that makes the approach developed at IFOM scientifically distinctive.

For research to become treatment, however, a scientific publication is not enough. Between a promising laboratory discovery and a therapy available to patients lies a critical passage - often the longest and most costly one - that researchers call the "last mile". This is the stage at which one must understand how to make a compound that works in vitro equally safe, dosed and administrable in a human being. It demands substantial resources and, above all, time: the most precious commodity for those who are ill. Dedicated investment and financing mechanisms beyond conventional channels are essential. Algebris has chosen to support IFOM by funding a broad in vivo preclinical research programme - bridging exactly this gap: intervening not at the beginning of a discovery, but at the point when it is already mature enough to make the leap towards the clinic.

"In preclinical animal models," says Prof. Vernieri, "the results obtained at IFOM have been very encouraging: these compounds slowed tumour progression in breast, lung and colorectal cancer models, and in some cases, when combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy, produced complete and durable responses. We now need to understand how to make them usable for patients - in the right form, at the right dose, in the right combination. Thanks to the support of Algebris ETS, we will have a real opportunity to travel this path with the speed that patients with the most aggressive forms of cancer cannot afford to wait for."

"On World Health Day, we are particularly proud to announce our support for IFOM through an ambitious, high-value scientific project. With this initiative we want to make a concrete contribution to the advancement of cancer research and, at the same time, promote a model of collaboration between business and science that can serve as a pioneering and virtuous example in the Italian landscape," comments Davide Serra, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Algebris Investments.

"Bringing together a centre of excellence like IFOM with a strategic partner like Algebris ETS confirms the strength of our vision: building a scientific ecosystem capable of attracting talent, generating meaningful collaborations and sustaining cutting-edge research. In this journey, philanthropy not only accelerates innovation - it directs resources towards goals of significant social impact. It is a bridge between values and action, one capable of turning individual commitment into concrete outcomes for global health," concludes Andrea Sironi, President of Fondazione AIRC for cancer research.