Dr. Michela Terlizzi, PhD, is actually a Research Scientist at Department of Pharmacy of the University of Salerno. During her PhD training, Dr. Terlizzi focused on the role of inflammation and the ensuing immune responses in lung cancer. The main goal of her research project was to characterize the components of the inflammasome that may facilitate malignant cells to escape or suppress immune-surveillance, focusing on the relationship between stromal vs innate immune cells in a mouse model of carcinogen-induced lung cancer and in human lung cancer samples of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Particular emphasis on the scientific values of Dr. Terlizzi’s project lies on the link between chemical mutagen agent/s exposure, chronic inflammation and lung neoplastic transformation. The identification of hidden pathways of lung carcinogenesis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for this high-mortality process are high-profile scientific goals. An added scientific value for Dr. Terlizzi’s project is that she is a co-author of a national (RM2014A000080) and international patent (PCT/IB2015/051262), the object of which is the identification of a novel diagnostic tool.