The BioGeM Institute (''Biologia e Genetica Molecolare'', "Biology and Molecular Genetics") is a nonprofit
consortium
A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...
formed by the
National Research Council (CNR), the
University of Naples "Federico II", the
LUMSA of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, the
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
AREA Science Park, the
University of Udine, the
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
The Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn is a research institute in Naples, Italy, devoted to basic research in biology. Research is largely interdisciplinary involving the fields of evolution, biochemistry, molecular biology, neurobiology, cell biol ...
of
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, the
University of Sannio in
Benevento
Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...
, the
University of Foggia, the
University of Milan Bicocca, the
Second University and the
Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples
The Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples () is a private university located in Naples, Italy. It was founded in 1895, named after the venerable sister Ursula Benincasa and is organized into 8 departments.
Organization
The university is divid ...
, the
Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
of
Avellino
Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.
...
and the local
mountain community of
Ufita Valley.
BioGeM was inaugurated in 2006 by
Nobel laureate
The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
Rita Levi Montalcini and comprises research laboratories, services and teaching facilities. Scientific research, led by “Gaetano Salvatore” Genetics Research Institute (IRGS), takes place within ''Genetics and Translational Medicine (GTM)'' department and is aimed at understanding biological mechanisms and identifying the
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
s involved in the development and proliferation of various human
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...
s; the research is based on the use of
animal model
An animal model (short for animal disease model) is a living, non-human, often genetic-engineered animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease process without the risk of ha ...
s raised in a high level laboratory after the approval of the ethics committee for animal experimentation. Research primarily aims at fighting cancer and degenerative diseases, often in collaboration with international groups.
Furthermore, the pharmacological research is carried out by a proper department named ''Medicinal Investigational Research'' (MIR), whose task covers the experimental verification of new drugs and the release of the related certifications. Furthermore, the training activities take place in a specific functional area named ''Life and Mind Science School'' (LIMSS).
Since 2010 Biogem has yearly hosted a meeting named ''Le due culture'' ("The two cultures") which over the years has been attended by a number of
Nobel laureates and also (in 2018) the president of Italy
Sergio Mattarella
Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician and jurist who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 20 ...
. The objective of the meeting is to find a common ground between humanistic and scientific knowledge.
The institute also hosts an office of
Sopra Steria
Sopra Steria is a European-based consulting, digital services, and software development company with 50,000 consultants. The company is headquartered in Paris and has operations in several countries in Western Europe.
Sopra Steria has a new c ...
, a French company specialized in consulting and digital services. Since 2013 Biogem has a forensic genetics laboratory too.
Museum
Within the research center there is also Biogeo, a museum dedicated to the origins of geological history throughout the eras from the
Precambrian
The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...
until the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
. Founded in collaboration with the
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (, INGV) is a research institute for geophysics
Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surround ...
, the museum attempts to showcase and illustrate the origin and development of life on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
, with particular regard to the relationship between genome͵ environment and evolution. Starting from 2012, Biogeo has provided itself with a ''tetrasphere'', designed by the Italian physicist Paco Lanciano.
References
External links
BioGeM website
{{Authority control
College and university associations and consortia in Europe
Non-profit organisations based in Italy
Scientific organizations established in 2006
2006 establishments in Italy
Ariano Irpino
Technology consortia