Congratulations to Our 2025 Cancer Research Grant Winner

We are thrilled to announce the recipient of our 2025 Cancer Research Grant, a program dedicated to advancing the frontier of 3D genomics in cancer biology. This grant program was created to support innovative research in oncology by advancing the use of multi-omics and spatial genomics tools for exploring cancer’s most complex challenges.

After intensive review of outstanding proposals from across the globe, one proposal stood out for its innovative approach and potential to address some of the field’s most pressing challenges.

Grant Recipient: Chiara Maria Mazzanti, PhD

Dr. Mazzanti leads a leading glioblastoma research team that integrates genomic and transcriptomic profiling with patient-derived organoids to model disease. Using advanced metabolic imaging (FLIM) and circulating tumor cell monitoring, they assess drug response in real time. In close collaboration with clinicians, the lab drives translational advances to benefit patients.

Institution: Fondazione Pisana per La Scienza (Italy)

Project Title: Spatial Genome Architecture as a Driver of GBM Progression and Survival

Project Overview: Glioblastoma (GBM) stands as one of the deadliest and most therapy-resistant cancers, with minimal improvement in patient outcomes over the past two decades. Dr. Mazzanti’s work addresses a critical knowledge gap: how does the three-dimensional (3D) organization of the genome drive gene regulation during tumor progression, therapy escape, and recurrence?

Her team will harness Arima’s advanced Hi-C 3D genomics platform to analyze an exceptionally rare, clinically annotated GBM biobank comprising 150 tumor samples. This cohort includes both matched primary–recurrence pairs and cases with notably long or short survival—an invaluable resource for dissecting molecular differences underlying clinical outcomes. The Department of Neurosurgery at the Hospital of Livorno provided these invaluable samples and has been a key collaborator in enabling this research.

By integrating Hi-C with multi-omic profiling, the project aims to:

• Map changes in chromatin topology and enhancer–promoter interactions that correlate with aggressive tumor behaviors and resistance mechanisms.
• Decipher genome architecture dynamics across therapeutic response and recurrence.
• Identify novel 3D biomarkers and regulatory elements not detectable by standard sequencing approaches.
• This spatial genomic perspective remains largely unexplored in GBM, and Dr. Mazzanti’s project has the potential to uncover mechanisms and targetable features influencing patient survival and therapy resistance.

We congratulate Dr. Chiara Maria Mazzanti and invite the global research community to stay tuned for further grant opportunities, and to explore how Arima’s 3D genomics solutions can power pioneering discoveries in cancer biology.

Thank you to all who applied, and to every investigator working to advance patient outcomes through genomic innovation.