INTESA SAN PAOLO AND THE CITTÀ DELLA SPERANZA FOUNDATION: “A CRYOTANK FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCH”
Intesa Sanpaolo and the Città della Speranza Foundation (City of Hope) have begun collecting funds through For Funding, the bank’s crowdfunding platform, for the project “A cryotank for pediatric research: let’s buy it together!”. The aim of the project launched by the Foundation is to buy a cryogenic tank with liquid nitrogen, needed for the research activities at the Pediatric Research Institute (IRP) Città della Speranza.
Once the samples are taken from the patients, they must be stored in tanks containing liquid nitrogen, called cryotanks, which protect the cells by keeping them at controlled low temperatures.
In order to expand the number of samples that can be analysed, IRP needs to acquire a new cryotank. The target of the initiative is therefore to collect 30,000 Euro to finance the purchase of this piece of equipment.
The Città della Speranza Foundation considers IRP a centre of excellence in Italian research. This is made possible thanks to the research groups, the investment in technology, the continuous modernization of instruments and facilities, the recruitment of high level scientists and the multidisciplinary approach to research, which has been the distinctive trait of the Institute right from the outset.
It is currently home to about thirty research groups working in various fields, such as: haematology, oncology, gene therapy, genetic diseases, regenerative medicine, neonatology, cardiology and immunology. The researchers come from different training paths: biologists, physicians, physicists and engineers who work together on a daily basis to identify innovative solutions to cure those pediatric diseases for which there are no cures. Despite the current restrictions, the Institute has maintained its multiple activities, carrying out research and diagnostic work regularly and increasing, in quantitative and, most importantly, in qualitative terms its scientific production: the average impact factor has in fact gone from 4.9 in 2017 to 7.7 in 2020, indicating discoveries of a greater scientific value.
Unfortunately there are still many pediatric pathologies whose causes are not known or for which there are no cures. This is why the Città della Speranza Foundation supports basic, translational and clinical projects. From the study of new genetic mutations to the generation of mini organs as diseases models, from the regeneration of damaged tissues to immunotherapy of tumours, from infections to transplants, the Institute covers all aspects of childhood health issues with modern and precise medical solutions.
The For Funding platform allows people, both natural and juridical, to donate and lend money to subjects of the third sector directly, without any intermediaries and without commissions for the donor or the beneficiary. Moreover, through its organisation and infrastructure, Intesa Sanpaolo guarantees security and transparency with a public financial reporting on both the collection of the money and its subsequent use.
“With Intesa Sanpaolo and its crowdfunding platform”, explains Luca Primavera, Chief Executive Officer of the Pediatric Research Institute Città della Speranza, “we aim to create a new channel to collect funds to finance the most important research projects of the Institute. We are also considering the possibility of including the latest generation of instruments that we are purchasing, and that are fundamental for the innovative activities of our researchers, on the platform”.
“Our crowdfunding platform connects donors and nonprofit organisations, reflecting the bank’s commitment to supporting important social solidarity projects”, said Sabrina Marcuzzo, Sales Director Impact of Intesa Sanpaolo. “This is why we immediately accepted the proposal of the Città della Speranza Foundation, to join forces to reach an important health objective”.
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