2nd Expert Centre of BBMRI-ERIC: The ATMA Platform

ATMA Platform, an Expert Centre to Accelerate Clinical Research with focus on Biomarker verification and validation.

ATMA-EC (www.ATMA-EC.com will be available soon) is developed by BBMRI.it as a technological hub to perform research projects that would overcome the actual difficulties under the established models of academic–industry collaboration.

ATMA-EC is a BBMRI-ERIC Expert Centre, a non-profit organisation with a public-private partnership model with the hub located in Aviano (Italy). The Centre integrate public and private research and development activities by providing access to biological samples and data and to a broad spectrum of medical and scientific expertise related to archive tissue samples and their analysis. ATMA-EC also includes biobank infrastructures able to collect and correlate data from different fields, such as biology and diagnostic imaging procedures and a second hub located in Napoli focused on radiomics.

ATMA-EC is specialized in the analyses of high number of clinical and biological samples in a reproducible way, on the basis of very extensive experience.

Analysis are performed under strict criteria of standard operating procedures, quality control and ELSI compliance. The Centres will ensure rapid and reproducible verification and validation of new biomarkers – both molecular and imaging markers – under internationally standardized conditions with the aim of lowering the costs of clinical research, shortening the time and accelerating clinical application of new therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

The Consortium Participants are: Centro di Riferimento Oncologico – CRO IRCCS Aviano (PN), Italy, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy, SDN IRCCS, Naples, Italy, AB Analitica Srl, Padova, Italy, with the support of Assobiotec (Association of biotech industries), Milan, Italy

Other research institutions and industries on the European level have express interest to join ATMA EC, thus the Consortium will be enlarged in a short time.

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CRO Aviano, National Cancer Institute (www.cro.sanita.fvg.it) is a healthcare & research I+institute (IRCCS) devoted entirely to cancer research and care. It’s mission is to improve public health by advancing medical knowledge, providing outstanding specialty medical and surgical care and preparing tomorrow’s physicians and scientists in the field of oncology. It’s a public, non profit Institute that treats more than 8000 patients/year. Clinical research includes more than 300 active clinical trials and overall scientific production includes more than 1100 IF points/year. Core facilities include, among others, flow cytometry, molecular biology and NGS, biobanking, clinical trials office.

The University of Milano-Bicocca (www.unimib.it) is a public, state-funded, institution located in Milano, capital of Lombardy Region, the economic heart of Italy and one of the chief economic driving forces in Europe, closely connected to industries, job opportunities and economic growth. In collaboration with Assobiotec, UNIMIB provide consultation for SMEs, develop training programmes for SMEs’ employees and entrepreneurs and an international master for managers of research infrastructures.

The SDN IRCCS (www.sdn-napoli.it) is a 1 multi-specialist institute that operates in the fields of laboratory medicine and diagnostic imaging; SDN carries research and dissemination activities in the field of in vivo and in vitro diagnostics and radiomics. To support the research activity, highly innovative core facilities are operating: Imaging Processing Centre_NAPLAB_

Laboratory of Statistics and Bioinformatics, Radiopharmaceutical, Nanotechnology laboratory, Biobank.

AB Analitica (www.abanalitica.it) is an ISO certified biotech company seated in Padova that design, develops, produces and   sales into the National market in vitro diagnostic devices for molecular biology and laboratory diagnostics.