The Telethon careers programme, set up in 1999 with the support of the Nobel Prize winner Renato Dulbecco, fosters the professional advancement of young Italian researchers.
“I decided to use my payment for taking part in the Sanremo Festival to develop a project aimed at bringing the best scientists back to Italy. I want it to be run by Telethon, which is fully committed to transparency and efficiency”.
Renato Dulbecco, Nobel Prize for Medicine
Between 1990 and today, Telethon has invested around 36 million euros in the DTI.
The DTI is not a physical institute; it is a programme, designed to provide guidance and support for young researchers studying genetic diseases at research laboratories in Italy who are looking to embark on an independent career.
The DTI recruits the brightest and most promising researchers, who receive a salary and research funding for five years so that they can work at the Italian institutes of their choice. The funding period may be extended on the basis of the results attained and the assessments of the Telethon Scientific and Medical Committee.
The complete list of our DTI researchers
DTI Assistant
- Emiliano Biasini
- Stefano Biressi
- Laura Cancedda
- Luana Fioriti
- Maria Pennuto
- Giovanni Piccoli
- Alessandra Picollo
Laura Cancedda is an assistant scientist at the DTI and is working on a research project on Down syndrome. Her study, conducted in collaboration with Giovanni Piccoli and published in Brain, provides new insights into the development of diseases of the nervous system: in particular, for the first time it links defective development of a specific area of the brain to autism spectrum disorders.
“The most fascinating part of my work is being able to contribute to the knowledge of diseases that affect patients and their families”.
Laura Cancedda
