Laboratorio di oncologia molecolare Molecular oncology lab

The molecular oncology lab was established in 2011 with a dual mission: to support scientific research and to contribute to diagnostic activities in oncology. In its early years, the pathology unit in Novara received diagnostic reports concerning cancer patients from the entire northeastern quadrant of Piedmont. At present, the laboratory collaborates under agreement with healthcare providers in the provinces of Biella, Vercelli, Cuneo, Alessandria, and with the Mauriziano Hospital in Turin.

The number of samples analyzed approaches 1.000 per year, with steady growth that has greatly increased the volume of work carried out in service of patients. The tumor tissues examined come from oncology patients in advanced stages of desease. For this reason, efficiency and accuracy are crucial: the reports support the specialists not only in the selection of the most appropriate therapeutic approach but also in the prescription of optimal drug dosage, advancing the goal of personalized medicine.

The quality of patient care has also been improved by the ongoing and constructive collaboration between the laboratory and the pathology unit of Biella Hospital, which has been fully digitalized thanks to the Digital Pathology system activated with support from Fondazione Tempia and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Biella.
Along with the diagnostics, the laboratory is deeply engaged in research activities in collaboration with Fondazione Tempia’s Genomics Lab, the Universities of Turin and Eastern Piedmont, as well as institutions such as the IRCCS in Candiolo and AIRC, leading to scientific publications in international journals.

An official recognition also attests to this excellence: the molecular oncology lab is among the top twenty in Italy and the only one in Piedmont that obtain ISO 15189 certification as a medical laboratory, attesting not only the quality of its work processes but also the reliability of its results and the staff competence.

Furthermore, it is one of the three laboratories in Italy, along with IEO in Milan and Gemelli in Rome, able to carry out and provide free of charge a specific next-generation test for ovarian cancer patients. For this test, it serves as the reference center for Piedmont, Liguria, and Valle d’Aosta.

Since 2015, the laboratory has been located at Biella Hospital and has been directed since its founding by Maria Scatolini.

Location
Biella Hospital, via dei Ponderanesi 2, Ponderano
Contacts
oncomolab@fondazionetempia.org