Our Research
Not-for-profit, academic and independent
Applying a translational, bench to bedside, approach
With a commitment in training top-level graduate and PhD students
Humanitas Research Hospital is a highly-specialized research and university hospital, the first in Italy to be certified for its excellence by the Joint Commission International as Academic Hospital. It hosts the residency and PhD programs of Humanitas University, a life science university that stands out for its real-world simulation-based approach to medical training and its international outlook, and a state-of-the-art translational research center.
In two dedicated buildings, at 5 minutes’ walk from the hospital wards and at close proximity with Humanitas University teaching facilities, 10.000 square meters of high-tech laboratories host more than 400 passionate researchers – physician scientists, biologists, physicists, data scientists and technologists – that work with a common mission: advancing science to make a difference in patients’ life. Humanitas research is guided by unmet clinical needs and it leverages high-end technologies to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human pathologies in fields ranging from cardiovascular medicine to neuroscience, from immunology to cancer and microbiology, with the final goal of developing new therapies and new diagnostic and prognostic strategies.
Our approach to science
We believe that understanding mechanisms that underlie normal biological processes is essential to understand how the same mechanisms are altered in disease. Improving cures requires understanding these mechanisms.
We are committed to integrate basic, translational and clinical research, fostering strong collaborations between clinicians, physician scientists and wet-lab researchers, and partnering with world-renowned universities, research institutions and biotech companies.
We strive for the most advanced instruments and expertise available in fields ranging from genomics to flow cytometry, from microscopy to metabolomics and bio-printing, certain that only frontier technologies will enable us to do the best science.
Scientific Director
Luigi Maria Terracciano is the Scientific Director of Humanitas Research Hospital and Rector of Humanitas University, in Milan.
With a long-standing international career, primarily at the University Hospital of Basel in Switzerland, Prof. Terracciano has 30 years of experience in molecular pathology, translational research, and biorepositories for neoplasms. He is also an expert in advanced and high-throughput analysis techniques, such as tissue microarrays, which allow for rapid and efficient tissue structure studies.
Deputy Scientific Director for Basic Research
Maria Rescigno is Deputy Scientific Director for basic research, Head of the Immunology Research Program and Group Leader of the Mucosal Immunology and Microbiota Lab. She is also full professor and vice rector for Research at Humanitas University.
Deputy Scientific Director for Clinical Research
Maurizio Cecconi is the Deputy Scientific Director for clinical research and Head of the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Department. He is full professor and Director of the Residency School of Anaesthesia at Humanitas University.
The Humanitas Research Network
Research fundings
Our research is mainly supported by competitive grants assigned by national and international funding agencies, such as the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Health and the Italian Ministry of University and Research, and by national and international charities.
Competitive fundings ensure that our Research pursues scientific excellence and is driven by the commitment to meet societal needs, but we also rely on private donations, raised by the Humanitas Foundation for Research.
Horizon2020 | Horizon Europe
Fondazione AIRC
Ministry of Health
Fondazione Cariplo
Ministry of Education, University and Research
Fondazione Telethon
European Research Council
Fondazione Veronesi
Scientific Advisory Board
