Bellinzona Institutes strengthen ties with China on cancer research
Institute of Oncology Research
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Switzerland’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China, the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR, affiliated to USI and member of Bios⁺) and the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI-EOC) will represent Swiss scientific excellence at a high-level event in Beijing dedicated to oncology research collaboration.
In 1950, Switzerland became the first Western nation to formally recognise the People’s Republic of China, founded the previous year by Mao Zedong. This historic gesture remains a cornerstone of Chinese–Swiss relations.
To mark the 75th anniversary of this diplomatic milestone, a series of commemorative events has been organised across China — particularly by Swissnex, the Swiss agency promoting international collaboration in science and the arts. The celebrations will culminate on Monday, 17 November, with a high-level meeting at the Swiss Embassy in Beijing, dedicated to strengthening Swiss–Chinese cooperation in oncology research.
Switzerland will be represented at the event by the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) and the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI-EOC).
During the meeting, several researchers and professors from across China will take the floor. Many of them have previously collaborated with the Bellinzona institutes and are currently involved in various joint projects with the IOR, which, together with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), has established the Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios⁺).
Over the past years, collaboration between Bellinzona and China has deepened significantly. Chinese students and researchers now make up the third-largest community within the Bellinzona Institutes, after Switzerland and Italy — a testament to the vitality of this exchange. Also for this reason, the IOR receives dedicated funding from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), aimed at further strengthening scientific collaboration with China.
A key pillar of this partnership is the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG), chaired by Prof. Franco Cavalli with Prof. Emanuele Zucca as Scientific Director. During the Beijing meeting, Prof. Zucca will highlight how this collaboration has led to Chinese participation in IELSG’s international clinical trials and paved the way for IELSG-coordinated studies to be conducted directly in China. Prof. Cavalli will present an overview of global efforts in cancer research, including those launched in Ticino as part of the international fight against cancer. Moreover, Prof. Andrea Alimonti, Director of the IOR, will present ongoing collaborations with major Chinese research centres focused on prostate cancer, an area where several Chinese students and researchers are currently active in his laboratory.
The event will conclude with a round-table discussion exploring how the long-standing cooperation between Bellinzona and China can serve as a model for future scientific partnerships — particularly in the field of oncology. China is investing heavily in this domain, especially in the integration of artificial intelligence into cancer research. On this topic, Prof. Bo Xu, Director of the Chongqing Cancer Centre, will discuss national developments in AI-driven oncology. A collaboration agreement between the Chongqing Cancer Centre and the IOR, focusing on artificial intelligence applications in cancer research, is currently being finalised.
