Gian Marco Franceschini, Ph.D.

[ ABOUT ]

I am a postdoctoral researcher working on chromatin architecture and cancer plasticity under the supervision of Prof. Giovanni Ciriello at the University of Lausanne. My current interests include method development and analysis to understand genome compartmentalization and its influence on tumor evolution, with implications for epigenetic therapies.

Until October 2023, I worked under Prof. Francesca Demichelis at UniTN (Trento, Italy), investigating DNA methylation patterns in metastatic prostate cancer, focusing on AR-negative subtypes and resulting in a liquid biopsy application. I also developed computational methods to facilitate the discovery of novel epigenetic biomarkers.

I obtained a Ph.D. in Biomolecular Sciences from the University of Trento in January 2023. My main scientific interest is the epigenome's role in enabling lineage plasticity and treatment resistance in cancer, and how this connects to intrinsic developmental programs and chromatin biology.

OFF-DUTY  drawing · electronic music · books · very casual photography · Magic: The Gathering

[ RESEARCH ]

1. 01

   Chromatin architecture & cancer plasticity

   ONGOING / UNIL

   Method development and analysis to understand genome compartmentalization and its influence on tumor evolution, with implications for epigenetic therapies.

   GRANT  Novartis Freenovation — CHF 198,000 — NOV 2025
   Multiscale chromatin blueprints to decipher and forecast epigenetic perturbations for cancer therapy

   • Origins and consequences of oncogenic 3D chromatin remodeling Nat Rev Cancer 2026
   • TADShop: systematic benchmarking and identification of topologically associating domains Nat Methods 2026 · co-auth
   • HaploC-tools reveal haplotype-specific chromosome conformation and chromatin states Nat Commun 2026 · co-auth
2. 02

   DNA methylation in metastatic prostate cancer

   CLINICAL / UNITN

   Investigation of methylation patterns in AR-negative subtypes, resulting in a liquid biopsy application for non-invasive monitoring of metastatic disease.

   • Noninvasive detection of neuroendocrine prostate cancer through targeted cell-free DNA methylation Cancer Discov 2024
   • Genome-wide plasma DNA methylation features of metastatic prostate cancer J Clin Invest 2020
3. 03

   Epigenetic biomarker discovery

   METHODS / UNITN

   Computational approaches for large-scale epigenomic data interpretation and novel biomarker identification.

   • Charting differentially methylated regions in cancer with Rocker-meth Commun Biol 2021

[ CONTACT ]

NAME

Gian Marco Franceschini

PLACE

University of Lausanne · Lausanne, CH

MAIL

Gianmarco.Franceschini@unil.ch

CODE

github.com/gmfranceschini

CITED

Google Scholar

CV

CV.pdf