Dr Elena Zagato graduated in Biotechnologies in 2010 at the University of Bologna (Italy). She then acquired a strong background in mucosal immunology and host interactions with the microbiota in health and disease. In 2015 she defended her PhD in Molecular Oncology demonstrating that endogenous microbiota components can counteract intestinal tumorigenesis. She further demonstrated that the intestinal microbiota can contribute to androgen deprivation resistance in prostate cancer at the Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona (Switzerland). In 2023 she joined CheckmAb as a senior researcher, with the goal of characterizing new targets for cancer immunotherapy.