about us

About us

Tigem, a leading Italian research center

The Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), a Telethon Foundation organization, was founded in 1994 as a leading Italian research center.

Located in Pozzuoli, Italy, just a few kilometers away from Naples, its new facility hosts over 200 staff members, including 18 research groups dedicated to understanding the molecular mechanisms behind rare genetics diseases. These diseases, often overlooked by pharmaceutical industries, are most common in children and adolescents.

TIGEM's sole purpose is to provide the scientific basis for the development of treatments.

The Institute boasts three research programs, Cell Biology, Molecular Therapy and Systems Biology, 10 core facilities and significant international support in the form of funding and collaboration opportunities. Additionally, TIGEM recognizes that the importance of scientific research lies in the hands of young scientists who strive to help others with their work. Given that patients rely on the advancement of research and the legacy that it carries, TIGEM offers two PhD programs for talented students who wish to pursue a career in research and education.

Discover TIGEM

The Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), led by Andrea Ballabio, has the sole purpose of executing top quality research to understand the mechanisms behind rare genetic diseases, and furthermore, to apply new knowledge to the development of novel treatments.

Overlooked by the pharmaceutical industry, rare genetic diseases are hardly met with the attention that they deserve.

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The organization

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Location

Our Facility

Since it was established in 1994, TIGEM has grown considerably, and its state-of-the-art equipment and growing staff have created the demand for a new structure. The new facility, located in Pozzuoli, a town close to Naples, is located in the former “Comprensorio Olivetti” factory, built in 1954.

The factory, built by Adriano Olivetti, combined the needs of industrial society with the values of a traditional society, which were in line with the ideas of Adriano Olivetti himself. TIGEM carries on the legacy of this factory, inserting modern technology into a space surrounded by great natural beauty.

Funding Agencies

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European Funds

TIGEM's success is widely-recognized, resulting in a network of international support in the form of funding.

Some of the major funding agencies include the European Union and its European Research Council (ERC). The ERC is currently funding five of our faculty members with starter and advanced grants.

europa.eu
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Industrial Alliances

One of TIGEM's priorities is to translate its research into plausible solutions for providin treatments for genetic diseases.

In order to do so, TIGEM has paired with two major international pharmaceutical companies, BioMarin and Shire to carry out some of its major groundbreaking projects.

www.biomarin.com
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TIGEM is also funded by small, private companies that focus on rare genetic diseases. Normally these organizations are devoted to supporting the research of a specific type of genetic disease.

Collaborating with small companies allows TIGEM to expand its research interests and find unique outlets for diseases that are normally not subject to scientific research.

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Research Policy

TIGEM Lab at NRI

TIGEM has a long-established relationship with the Baylor College of Medicine, one of the world's top research centers. Some of our researchers, including  Andrea Ballabio, have worked as professors and researchers at the internationally-renowned Baylor College of Medicine.

This tie has opened an opportunity for new research endeavors and scientific collaborations. TIGEM and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) are working together to progress research in lysosomal biology, molecular biology, systems biology and other fields.

Close collaborations and data and technique exchange between two leading, complementary institutes make this joint initiative a leading effort in research. TIGEM's research focuses, such as lysosomal storage disorders (LSD's), a group of diseases which causes malfunctioning lysosomes to accumulate substances, have greatly benefited from this project. We have seen promising results in the elucidation of the mechanisms behind genetic diseases and continue to progress in finding translatable data.

Currently, TIGEM investigators Andrea Ballabio, Giancarlo Parenti, Nicola Brunetti-Pierri and Alberto Auricchio are active in the NRI-TIGEM collaboration. 

TIGEM investigators at TIGEM-NRI