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The fourth edition of the Biennale Tecnologia at the Politecnico di Torino  From 18 to 21 April, the Politecnico di Torino organized and hosted the fourth edition of Biennale Tecnologia, a cultural event dedicated to explore the relationship between technology and society. The chosen theme for this exhibition was ''Achievable Utopias'': an invitation to conceive the future with creativity and freedom, trasforming the idea into concrete project action. The event has been a great success with the participation of more than 50.000 visitors over the four days of activities.     The contribution of TINCARE Young researchers from  TINCARE affiliated with the Politecnico di Torino also partecipated in the event. They took the opportunity to share some of the results of their research activities conducted within Research Module 4, NEWBREATH, which aims to develop a ventilation device to support patients at home, and Research Module 3, MOVEWISE, whose ultimate goal is to develop a system to monitor in everyday life those mobility parameters more related to the risk of falling  The researchers presented interactive activities that involved visitors at the ''Politecnico Aperto'' event, promoting the importance of personalized medicine and sustainable medical technologies that have a significant impact on citizens.  The flagship TINCARE is now in full swing, and its commitment to disseminate the topics and results of the research is becoming increasingly active.  

On March 22, at the ''Perrone'' Campus in Novara, the University of Piemonte Orientale hosted the scientific dissemination event ''UniStem Day2024'' , coordinated by Professor Diego Cotella.  UniStem Day is an annual international event that, since 2009, offers to high school students the opportunity to explore scientific research on stem cell. During this day, students participate in interventions, discussions, film screening, lab visits and other activities that encourage interaction with researchers. This event offers a meaningful educational and emotional experience. 

Probiota Global 2024, the leading event in the microbiome industry, took place in the world's design capital and addressed key topics such as the gut-lung axis, new frontiers for the use of probiotics, marketing insisghts, customization, skin health improvement, next-generation innovation, and regulatory developments.    Participation in scientific conferences such as Probiota Global 2024 (Milan) always allows to involve researchers to present and discuss the results obtained, establishing a strong connection between universities, scientific communication and companies experienced in the field. In this context, the collaboration between Research Module 2 (RM2) of the flagship project TINCARE and the company Probionova SA (Lugano) was among the topics presented and discussed during this important scientific conference. The aim was to disseminate the significant results obtained by RM2 in the experimental characterization of a new probiotic formulation, produced by Probionova, aimed at supporting neuronal functions and not only. The purpose was precisely to build a new reality in the landscape of human microbioma research and development, aiming to improve health through the development of new applications related to the world of probiotics. At the same time, these probiotics were also evaluated as application in new therapeutic areas, allowing to amplify the role of RM2, still extending the studies in collaboration with the industrial reality.     The common thread on which the research was based is the real connection between health and disease states with the gut microflora. For this reason, the study wanted to evaluate how to promote and maintain health by preserving intestinal well-being (intestinal homeostasis), through the use of probiotics.   Probionova, convinced that they can actively contribute to the development of new strategies for the well-being of the individual, supported the study by providing high-performance probiotic strains, which have been studied by RM2 in the context of healthy aging.  The survey led to the publication of an interesting article in an indexed journal, focusing on the beneficial role of probiotic supplementation with strains such as B. bifidum novaBBF7, B. longum novaBLG2 and L. paracasei TJB8, on the maintenance of cognitive function. In addition, a subsequent publication is underway, aimed at outlining the use of probiotics, to mitigate molecular factors related to depression and anxiety, which are closely related to the processes of brain aging and neurodegeneration.     

This initiative, carried out in collaboration with TINCARE researchers, marked a significant moment in the advancement of the understanding and application of movement analysis through wearable sensors, promising new frontiers in research and practical application to improve patients' quality of life.   The workshop offered by the Italian Society of Clinical Movement Analysis (SIAMOC), free for members, took place simultaneously in the eight universities of Turin, Ancona, Milan, Bologna, Rome, Padua, Catania and Sassari. Over 200 participants registered for the event that had the peculiarity of combining the complementary points of view of various professionals in the industry, from engineering to the clinical practice, in a productive dialogue.    Highlighting recent innovations in the field of wearable inertial sensors, the workshop alternated theoretical sessions, led by movement experts, with practical moments where participants had the opportunity to engage with the technology thorugh hands-on exercises and case analysis. The high satisfaction recorded through post-event questionnaires reflects not only the appreciation for the educational approach, but also the achievement of the main objective: to increase awareness of the potential and limits of this increasingly widespread technology.    The Hub was represented by the Politecnico di Torino, where Engineer Marco Caruso (scientific director of the event) and Professor Andrea Cereatti (president of the society), both involved in the activities of TINCARE project within the NODES Ecosystem.        

On March 24, 2024, the Spoke 5 Stakeholder Committee met virtually to review the progress of the project and discuss key agenda items.  The project manager of Spoke 5, Professor Marco Invernizzi, introduced the NODES project, emphasing the importance of the Stakeholder Committee presence in guiding the project's objectives and purposes. On this occasion, the latest partner to join, called Associazione Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale Scienze della Vita - ALISEI, was introduced.     The meeting continued with the presentation of the first results of the cascade calls (both aimed at companies and researchers) and the progress of Spoke 5's flagship project, INNDIANA and TINCARE, highlighting the successes achieved and the scientific results obtained.  Finally, the training activities implemented by the NODES project, including the funding of industrial PhD and Lifelong Learning initiatives, were presented.    Soon after, a discussion among the attendees to discuss the new themes of the Roadmap, with particular emphasis on internalization and entrepreneurial development.  The next meeting has been scheduled for the end of 2024 to discuss the project's progress.      

On Friday, March 1st, at the Perrone Biomedical Campus in Novara, the initiative ''Ricercatori a Merenda'' took place, a scientific dissemination event organized by the Department of Health Sciences of UPO as part of ''Qualunquemente'' project. The event is part of initiatives open to the population and the number of high school students was high.  The researcher of the flagship project INNDIANA, coordinated by Professor Francesca Boccafoschi, spoke about the themes of their research, giving a general overview of the state of the art and innovative approaches in the field of renerative and personalized medicine.   The students of the Hotel School ''Giuseppe Ravizza'' Insitute of Novara contributed to making the initiative special by preparing excellent themed snacks for each of the interventions.    Dr Manuela Rizzi and the Anatomy group of Prof. Boccafoschi (RM1) along with Dr. Giuseppe Cappellano (RM5) carried out dissemination activities related to the NODES project (Spoke 5).  Dr. Rizzi presented the snack ''The bionic man: when anatomy and innovative research meet together'', offering revolutionary perspectives in the field of tissue regeneration compromised by degenerative and inflammatory processes. With the advancement of science, we could see a new era in which tissue regeneration and the replacement of damaged organs will become easier, promoting suitable solutions to ensure an adequate quality of life even for elderly individuals affected by age-related degenerative diseases.     Dr. Cappellano presented ''Health in miniature. The future of Medicine is in the organs-on-chip'' illustrating the importance of organs-on-chip in personalized medicine, with a specific focus on rheumatoid arthritis. It was emphasized that not all patients react in the same way to the available drugs aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease.    The students showed great involvement, actively participating with questions and expressed great appreciation for the event.     

After obtaining the authorization to proceed, the University Hospital Maggiore della Carità of Novara, a partner of the project, published a public call to finalize the procurement procedure for telemonitoring devices.     Ethical Committees are independent bodies whose function is to protect the rights and safety of individuals participating in scientific research. In Italy, all study protocols involving human beings must undergo evaluation for ethical and sceientific aspects to ensure compliance with principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration and the Convention of Human Rights and Biomedicine (of Oviedo).    The Territorial Ethical Committee has approved the protocol of the TINCARE study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a nursing support program that includes remote telemonitoring of patients with heart failure. This has allowed the initiation of the procurement process for surveillance systems that will be provided to the users participating in the study. The system comprises a set of devices for measuring vital parameters, which will be automatically transmitted to an experienced nurse who will remotely assess the health conditions of the patients and if necessary, it will activate a multisciplinary intervention protocol aimed at preventing disease exacerbations.  

Despite the identification of several innovative strategies to prevent cognitive decline, there is currently no single effective approach to minimize the deterioration of cognitive function. Recent studies suggest that the regulation of the strong connection between intestine and brain, with probiotics, is a potential therapeutic strategy to support brain health. 

The Research Module 5 of the flagship project TINCARE of the Spoke 5, aims to develop and validate a platform for the cognitive rehabilitation of elderly fragile people. To ensure accessibility to rehabilitation protocols, digitalization can help: if made available from one's own home, rehabilitation protocols could be easier for users to access and also more readily available for healthcare personnel administering them. In the clinical settings there is increasing importance placed on personalized treatment approaches, based on the individual characteristics and needs of each patient.     For this reason, thew research group BIP, led by Professor Katiuscia Sacco, has started a collaboration with Brainer S.r.l., a company specializing in developing products for digital cognitive rehabilitation. The aim of the collaboration is to propose, as part of their research, some exercises whose mechanics are based on standard cognitive rehabilitation, typically carried out in a pen-and-paper format, enhanced with key elements of gamification, which allow to engage the user also from a motivational point of view.    Moreover, the proposal of ecological tasks is relevant because it can simulate everyday life situations in which frail elderly individuals may encounter greater difficulties.  Furthermore, the research interest of the BIP group is oriented towards aestethic gratification and its effect on intrinsic motivation. Since patients motivation is often a determining factor in the success of rehabilitation protocols, it is essential to consider it in therapeutic procedures. In this sense, comes into play Neuroaesthetics, a discipline that investigate the link between beauty and brain function, including learning, memory, attention and motivation.     The collaboration between the research group BIP and Brainer S.r.l. aims to study the characteristics of digital rehabilitation protocols that can maximize motivation for therapeutic adherence, using musical, visual and gamification elements.       

Spoke 5 - Industry of Health and Silver Economy - recently meet online on January 10, 2024 to take a crucial step in the analysis of the state of work for the upcoming General Assembly of the Ecosystem.  Bringing together the working groups and partner involved, the event provided a valuable opportunity to closely examine the progress made so far, starting from the point-by-point progress of the invidual Work Packages.   During the meeting, the creation of two new Working Group on the themes of internationalization and enterpreneurial development was announced. These groups will actively work to bring together ideas, experiences and good practice, promoting proposals that will be presented during the next General Assembly, scheduled to take place at the University of Pavia on February 13, 2024, providing fertile ground for shared growth and development among the various actors involved.     The online meeting of 10 January has not only highlighted the progress made until now, but also laid the foundations for an even closer collaboration and knowledge sharing, which promises to be fundamental for the future success of the Ecosystem. 

The metaverse is a virtual space where multiple users can interact, including doctors and patients among them.      Today, there is a widespread adoption of digital therapies in home-based treatment, both for continuos monitoring and rehabilitation. In fact, digital therapies can reduce burdens on healthcare facilities by encouraging remote rehabilitation and follow-up visits through the adoption of the ''Augmented Humans'' paradigm, where immersive XR technologies and artificial intelligence assessment tools support the activities of physicians in patient care.    The Department of Human Anatomy at the University of Turin and the 3D Lab belonging to the Department of Management and Production Engineering of the Polytechnic of Turin have developed a preliminary shared Virtual Reality environment that enables interaction between two users, doctor and patient. This means having a tool for telerehabilitation and to support territorial assistance.  This type of assistance can be particularly useful, especially but not exclusively, for vulnerable individuals (e.g. the elderly) whose movements are limited. All of this falls within Research Module 7 of the Flagship Project TINCARE titled: Monitoring mood and cognitive status of patients in the Metaverse.  The goal of this environment is to make it possible to perform excercises that can lead to the assessment of the patient's cognitive state by the doctor within the Metaverse.    The test phase for the validation of the exercises and the optimization of the user experience will start soon.   

From 14 to 17 December last, the 84th Congress of the Italian Society of Cardiology was held in Roma, a prestigious event that brought together top Italian experts to discuss and share the latest scientific advances in cardiology.     Dr. Ines Basso, representing the group of Nurses Researchers of University of Piemonte Orientale, led by Prof. Dal Molin, presented the protocol of the study relating to the Research Module 1 of the Flagship Project TINCARE.   The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new care model aimed at facilitating the transition from hospital to home for individual hospitalized following an episode of heart failure in reducing hospital readmissions. An experienced nurse will conduct a support intervention to help the patient and their family to improve their self-care and self-manage the disease, also thanks to the use of innovative technological devices to early detect any worsening conditions.  Given the progressive ageing of the population, it is important to design new treatment solutions that can ensure sustainability and effectiveness in responding to the health needs of a society that is changing the demographic structure of its population.   

Il monitoraggio della mobilità in ambulatorio e in condizioni di vita reale, la nuova frontiera della medicina personalizzata, è possibile attraverso un uso consapevole dei sensori inerziali.    I sensori indossabili di tipo inerziali essendo leggeri e miniaturizzati possono consentire una valutazione oggettiva e dettagliata del movimento umano ma allo stesso tempo anche più rapida, pratica e accessibile sia in un contesto ambulatoriale che di vita quotidiana. Tuttavia, è necessario che chi utilizza i sensori inerziali sia pienamente consapevole delle loro potenzialità e dei loro limiti.  Il workshop offerto dalla Società Italiana per l'Analisi del Movimento in Clinica (SIAMOC), comprendendo parte teorica e pratica, rappresenta un'occasione fondamentale, specialmente per i clinici, per prendere consapevolezza con l'uso di questi sensori.  Durante la parte teorica verranno descritti i sensori e forniti i metodi per estrarre i principali parametri di interesse dal punto di vista clinico.  Durante la parte pratica i partecipanti verranno coinvolti in modo interattivo e verranno analizzati i dati provenienti da cammini patologici di varia natura, oltre a fornire le linee guida per acquisizioni appropriate.  Questo workshop ha inoltre la peculiarità di fondere le competenza ingegneristiche a quelle cliniche grazie ad un corpo docente proveniente da entrambi i mondi.    L'evento, che si svolgerà giovedì 22 febbraio 2024, è organizzato secondo la struttura Hub & Spoke.  Sarà possibile partecipare esclusivamente in presenza in una delle otto sedi italiane: Torino (sede HUb), Ancora, Milano, Bologna, Roma, Padova, Catania e Sassari. Al seguente link sono disponibili tutte le informazioni e la locandina ufficiale.  Le iscrizioni al workshop sono aperte e ci si registra tramite Google Form entro il 18 febbraio.  La partecipazione è gratuita per i soci SIAMOC per l'anno solare 2024 (a parte per gli studenti di laurea triennale e magistrale per cui invece è gratuita e non viene richiesto di associarsi). Per maggiori informazioni sulle modalità di associazione consultare il seguente link.  Il numero di posti è limitato e conviene affrettarsi ad iscriversi.  La sede Hub è rappresentata dal Politecnico di Torino a cui fanno riferimento l'ing. Marco Caruso (direttore scientifico dell'evento) e dal prof. Andrea Cereatti, entrambi coinvolti nelle attività del progetto TINCARE all'interno dell'ecosistema NODES.  Il programma dettagliato dell'evento è disponibile nella locandina in allegato. Alla fine della giornata verrà fornito un attestato di partecipazione.    Chiunque necessitasse di maggiori informazioni può contattare l'ing. Marco Caruso al contatto marco.caruso@polito.it 

 Chronic inflammation is a common persistent immune response observed in various degenerative diseases that can promote chronic disease.   In this context, immunomodulation, which involves the ability to instruct immune cells to move from an inflammatory to a regeneate state, thus promoting the resolution of pathology, represents an intriguing solutions.  In regenerative medicine, various strategies can be used to achieve this effect, including exploiting the intrinsic regenerative potential of innovative biological materials: extracellular matrix-associated nanovescicles. These tiny structures, ranging in size from 50 to 400 nanometers, are secreted by cells in various tissues and released into the extracellular matrix and anchored firmly to it. Their presence has been identified in the extracellular matrix of different tissues, such as the skin, heart and intestinal submucosa.   

in an effort to increase awareness and promote fall prevention, researchers from the University of Piemonte Orientale and Politecnico di Torino, as part of the flagship project ''TINCARE'' (research module 3) of NODES, the Aging project and in collaboration with the Municipality of Novara, organized an afternoon of awareness on the topic of fall prevention open to all on December 30, 2023, at the Sant'Andrea in Pernate (NO).     Falls represent a serious public health issue, with devasting on the quality of life of those involved. Preventing falls is crucial to manteining health and independence, especially among the elderly.    During the event, Professor Bellan, Professor Dal Molin, Dr. Visconti and Dr. Vairo from the Department of Traslational Medicine (DIMET) at UPO has described and analyzed the phenomenon of falls starting from the causes that lead the edlerly to fall to the consequences on their health. In order to maximize prevention, decalogues have been distributed containing recommendations and suggestions, such as removing carpets from home, ramaining seated when dressing, paying attention to the electrical wires and to the grandchildren's toys on the floor. Towards the end of the event, Dr. Marco Caruso from the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (DET) at the Polytechnic of Turin illustrated the research carried out within the NODES project and introduced the wearable system designed to monitor the mobility of study partecipants. The ultimate goal is to monitor, in everyday life, those mobility parameters more related to the risk of falling. The system was worn by a volunteer to better explain its functioning to the audience.    Prevention of falls is a significant challenge, but with community awareness and the assistance of technology, it will be possible to significantly reduce the incidence of this serious health issue.