START and Rome cancer institute partner to expand early-phase trial access in Italy

pharmafile.com | November 10, 2026 | News story | |  Diagnostics, Oncology, clinical trial collaboration, oncology 

The START Center for Cancer Research is partnering with Rome-based Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri (IFO) to establish an early-phase oncology clinical trial site at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute.

The site will be START’s first in Italy and will extend its network into a country where clinical trial activity is lower relative to population than in several other major Western European markets, according to the organisations.

The partnership will combine START’s experience in early-phase oncology trials with IFO’s clinical and translational research capabilities. It is intended to give eligible patients in Rome, the Lazio region and elsewhere in Italy greater opportunities to participate in trials of investigational cancer therapies, while providing sponsors with access to a new research location.

Regina Elena is a public research hospital specialising in cancer diagnosis, treatment and research, with expertise across solid tumours, haematological malignancies and rare cancers. It is part of IFO, which also includes the San Gallicano Dermatological Institute.

START operates 17 locations across the US and Europe, with more than 45 principal investigators and nearly 1,000 active studies. The organisations said the new site would be integrated into its network and have access to its global trial portfolio.

IFO Director General Livio De Angelis said the partnership would help connect more patients with early-phase research while strengthening the integration of clinical care and innovation.

Pic: NCI