Sbarro Health Research Organization

08/22/2026

Happy Birthday to Giancarlo Arra, Vice President of the Sbarro Health Research Organization. 🎉

Your vision and generosity are essential for driving innovation in research and strengthening the bond between Italy and the USA, bringing science and communities closer to patients.

Best wishes from all of us at SHRO!

08/21/2026

From a childhood home in Naples filled with love, stability, and a deep respect for education, Dr. Antonio Giordano’s journey is a powerful example of how immigrant stories continue to shape science and society.

His story is part of “Italians in America – Our Immigrant Stories,” featured on italianamericanherald.com where journalist Tanya Tecce dedicated an in‑depth interview to Professor Giordano.

Read it here
https://italianamericanherald.com/italians-in-america-our-immigrant-stories-rooted-in-naples-changing-the-world/

08/18/2026

- Dr. Canio Martinelli – Medical Doctor specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology (MD, OB/GYN), holding a Master of Science. Dr. Martinelli serves as Head of the Clinical and Translational Research Program at SHRO, Temple University, Philadelphia.

He leads projects that integrate research with clinical application, aiming to translate scientific discoveries into advancing precision medicine and tangible solutions for patients’ health.

08/10/2026

Having a purpose is not just a philosophical question: science shows it can extend life and improve health.

Recent studies have found that people who live with a strong sense of existential direction have a significantly lower mortality risk, reduced chronic inflammation, and a more effective immune system, particularly against viral infections.

Does the “why” we give our existence become a tangible biological protection? Exactly.

Having a purpose regulates cortisol production, reduces stress, and strengthens the response of Natural Killer cells and T lymphocytes; it is also associated with healthier behaviors, better sleep, and a lower incidence of cardiovascular events.

In an era marked by disorientation and existential emptiness, rediscovering one’s purpose is therefore no longer just an intellectual luxury. It is, increasingly clearly, a biological necessity.

08/04/2026

- Dr. Giancarlo Arra – Vice President of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO).

Dr. Arra plays a central role in coordinating the Foundation’s activities in Italy and in developing international scientific collaborations, fostering synergies among research centers, institutions, and professionals to advance research and projects.

08/03/2026

In the 1960s, researchers Giovan Giacomo Giordano and Leonida Santamaria laid the foundations of cutaneous photocarcinogenesis. Through their pioneering study published in Nature in 1966, they demonstrated that cancer risk stems not only from sun exposure, but from the complex interaction between light and environmental chemical agents — a concept modern medicine now defines as the exposome.

In this article, Prof. Antonio Giordano retraces the scientific insights and human legacy of his father, emphasizing how the methodological rigor of those studies continues to speak to contemporary medicine: prevention means understanding the invisible relationships between light, environment, and biology.

✍️ Editorial by Prof. Antonio Giordano for the column “Medicine - The Highlights” published in Il Mattino.

Few contributions have anticipated the challenges of modern medicine with...

07/31/2026

Sleep: The forgotten medicine against obesity

For years, we’ve fought obesity by focusing only on diet and physical activity. Today, science reminds us of a third, essential pillar: sleep. Sleeping too little or poorly is not just a consequence of excess weight—it’s one of its main risk factors.

In Professor Antonio Giordano’s new article for the Terra Medica column in La Voce di New York, we discover how sleep affects metabolism, hunger hormones, and even eating behavior. Protecting sleep means protecting our long-term health. 💤

🔗 Read the full article below.

For many years, the fight against obesity has focused almost...

07/30/2026

At SHRO, connections are born that go beyond research: friendships formed in the laboratories, collaborations that become human support, and professional paths that intertwine.

Today, on the International Day of Friendship, we celebrate an environment where researchers, clinicians and professionals find not only excellence in training, but also serenity and human warmth.
�Here, young people can grow professionally, learn from experienced colleagues and at the same time build lasting bonds.

This spirit of community is an integral part of our mission: science, when shared, becomes stronger and closer to people.

Happy International Day of Friendship from — where research meets humanity.

07/27/2026

Jealous or envious? Science reveals these aren't character flaws, but vital evolutionary tools! 🧬
While jealousy acted for millennia as an ancestral guardian to protect key bonds and resources, envy fulfilled a fundamental need to measure status within a group.

Neuroscience shows that:

Envy triggers the same brain regions associated with physical pain.

There is a "benign" form of envy that, when processed through the prefrontal cortex, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal growth and positive emulation.

It’s not about suppressing our instincts, but using self-awareness to transform a biological signal into personal progress.

👇 Read the article written by the professor Antonio Giordano for his column in Il Mattino.

Behind the mirror of our relationships lie two specters that...

07/22/2026

SHRO’s commitment is clear and unwavering: to turn scientific knowledge into tangible treatments for patients.

Professor Antonio Giordano and Dr. Giancarlo Arra met with the Minister of University and Research, Hon. Anna Maria Bernini, to present the contribution of the Sbarro Health Research Organization to scientific research.

The meeting outlined SHRO’s priority intervention areas, ongoing clinical projects, training initiatives, and the results achieved in recent years.

Personalized medicine is becoming increasingly concrete; SHRO plays a key role in ensuring early diagnosis and promoting programs focused on prevention.

We will continue to work with rigor and collaboration so that research remains, more and more, at the service of people.