Ivano Mocavini

Columbia University (USA) 

Using polyamine dependency to target the cancer epigenome 

2026–2027: 12 months

Originally from Italy, Ivano graduated in genetics and molecular biology at Sapienza University in Rome, where he worked to elucidate the role of epigenetics in mediating DNA damage repair in breast cancer. He then conducted doctoral studies at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, under the supervision of Prof. Luciano Di Croce, unveiling key organization principles of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) as well as its role in the anteroposterior skeletal patterning of mice. After his PhD, he moved to Massachusetts to join the Lab of Prof. Oliver J. Rando, studying the inheritance of acquired traits in mice, with a focus on the packaging of the paternal genetic material into sperm. He joined the lab of Prof. Schvartzman in 2026 to work on the role of polyamines in cell proliferation and differentiation.