Dr. Nicolò Pernigoni is the co-founder and CEO of MicThera. He holds a PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of Svizzera Italiana (USI) and trained as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), focusing on therapy resistance, immunomodulation, and microbiota in prostate cancer. His scientific work has been published in leading journals including Science and Nature Reviews Urology.

Combining deep scientific expertise with entrepreneurial drive, Nicolò founded MicThera to harness microbial inspired bioactives for next-generation cancer therapies. He currently leads the company’s scientific strategy, operations, and fundraising efforts. Nicolò holds an Executive MBA  from the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), where he focuses on biotech innovation and venture building.

Prof. Alimonti is Director of the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) and leads its Molecular Oncology Group. He is also Full Professor at Università della Svizzera italiana and ETH Zurich. After earning his MD from the University of Rome "La Sapienza," he trained at the National Cancer Institute of Rome and completed postdoctoral work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Harvard Medical School.

His research has led to key discoveries in cancer senescence, immune suppression, and microbiota-driven therapy resistance in prostate cancer. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including ERC Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grants, and published extensively in top-tier journals such as Science, Nature, and Cell. His work aims to bring innovative cancer treatments to patients, several of which are now in clinical testing.

Dr. Calcinotto leads the Cancer Immunotherapy group at the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR). She earned her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, with training at San Raffaele Institute, Mayo Clinic (USA), and IOR. Her research focuses on immune-tumor interactions and the development of novel immunotherapies for both solid and hematologic cancers.

She has published in top journals including Nature and Nature Medicine, and made key contributions such as linking gut microbiota to multiple myeloma progression and uncovering the role of IL-23–producing myeloid cells in therapy-resistant prostate cancer. Since 2019, her lab has been pioneering approaches that target pro-tumor immune activity in the tumor microenvironment, with a strong focus on breast cancer and clinical translation in collaboration with IOSI

Gonçalo brings over 20 years of experience in biotech, pharma, and venture capital. He began his career developing molecular biology tools for pathogen detection and completed a PhD in Biochemistry/Pharmacy at the LMU Munich. His industry journey includes roles at Elan Pharmaceuticals in San Francisco, Bioalvo in Portugal, and business development leadership at Hovione. At Hovione, he set up, ran, and managed a corporate VC fund investing in early-stage medtech and medical device startups across Europe, also serving on the boards of portfolio companies.

In 2019, he became Chief of Business Operations at Nanoform, where he helped scale the company from 20 to 150 employees,  expanded the R&D space from 100m2 to 4400m2, and received GMP manufacturing certification. Nanoform has gone public on the Nasdaq First North stock exchange, both in Sweden and in Finland. Since 2022, Gonçalo is a Partner and Investment Committee Member at Indaco Bio Fund.

He holds an MBA from Católica-Nova/MIT and has completed executive training at Wharton, MIT, and London Business School.

Vittorio Codeluppi is the CFO of MicThera and a certified public accountant and statutory auditor with over 25 years of experience in strategic, tax, and corporate advisory. He is the founder of Studio Codeluppi Srl – Società Benefit, which supports high-growth companies, benefit corporations, and public-private organizations through M&A, transformation, and growth strategies.

Throughout his career, he has held key executive, governance and auditor roles in institutions such as PTP Science Park, ASST Lodi, Banco BPM Group, Rheinmetall Italia, and several public-private foundations. His expertise spans company valuation, corporate governance, and institutional engagement, including with private equity and venture capital.

At MicThera, Vittorio leverages his deep financial and strategic experience to support the company’s growth, ensuring it is built on solid, sustainable foundations.