Arianna Baggiolini receives the SWISS BRIDGE Award 2026
Institute of Oncology Research
Arianna Baggiolini, Group Leader of the Stem Cells and Cancer Laboratory at the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), affiliated to USI and member of Bios+, has received the prestigious SWISS BRIDGE Award 2026, which provides CHF 250,000 in funding for her research on melanoma brain metastases. The award ceremony took place on 29 October 2026 in Zurich.
Arianna Baggiolini was one of two researchers selected from 80 applicants across Europe following a competitive evaluation process. This year's SWISS BRIDGE Award focused on tumor heterogeneity, a key challenge in cancer research due to its impact on disease progression and treatment resistance.
Baggiolini's research focuses on understanding how melanoma cells adapt when they spread to the brain. Her team has identified a process known as neuronal mimicry, in which certain cancer cells acquire characteristics typically associated with neurons. With the support of the SWISS BRIDGE Award, the researchers will investigate why this adaptation occurs only in specific melanoma cells and whether it helps them survive, resist treatment and establish brain metastases. By combining patient-specific brain organoids with advanced single-cell analyses, the project aims to uncover mechanisms that could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to melanoma brain metastases.
Founded in 1997, with Prof. Giorgio Noseda as its first President, the SWISS BRIDGE Foundation has raised more than CHF 50 million to support innovative cancer research worldwide. Its annual award, which provides at least CHF 500,000 in research funding, is widely recognized at both national and international levels for supporting promising advances in cancer research.
