Trieste–Indonesia Scientific Collaboration

Liver disease is a major cause of death in Indonesia, which ranks among the countries with the highest number of people affected by chronic liver disease according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (data visualised here). A collaboration between the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Indonesian National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN) and the Italian Liver Foundation (FIF) aims to tackle this burden by combining complementary expertise in computational sciences, medical physics, molecular biology and clinical research as part of the Trieste–Indonesia Scientific Collaboration for Precision Research in Liver Health programme. The initiative is supported by the BRIN Joint Research Visit (JRV) programme under the Memorandum of Understanding between ICTP and BRIN. 

“The programme promotes precision medicine through two main areas of research,” explains the President of the Italian Liver Foundation, Prof. Claudio Tiribelli, highlighting,  “data-driven computational modelling, which took place between April and June 2026, and the development of radiomics for quantitative imaging, taking place between September and November 2026. These activities are underpinned by an interdisciplinary framework that links computational approaches to experimental and clinical validation.”

A key component of the initiative is the strengthening of scientific capacity, in particular through the training and mobility of Indonesian researchers in computational life sciences, systems medicine and medical physics within Trieste’s research ecosystem. Key contributors include experts in quantitative life sciences (Dr. Jacopo Grilli, ICTP), medical physics (Dr. Marco Esposito, ICTP) and molecular and translational liver research (Dr. Caecilia Sukowati, BRIN–FIF). The project brings together six BRIN researchers from both the Eijkman Research Centre for Molecular Biology (molecular biologists Dr. Korri El-Khobar, Dr. Yustinus Maladan, Dr. Rosantia Sarassari and Dr. Sri Jayanti) and the Computing Research Centre (computer scientists Dr. Maulida Mazaya and Dr. Inna Syafarina), thereby fostering the exchange of knowledge across different disciplines. 

“This collaboration is a concrete example of scientific diplomacy and an equitable international partnership helping to strengthen Indonesia’s scientific capacity whilst enhancing ICTP’s role as a global leader in theoretical and interdisciplinary research," says Prof. Tiribelli, adding, "Together with FIF, the partners are strengthening Indonesia’s role in advancing research into precision health and highlighting Trieste’s research ecosystem as a key player in sustainable scientific development and international cooperation.”

"This collaboration is a great example of the special synergies that the Trieste scientific ecosystem can spark and of how these can be put to the service of global science," says ICTP Director Atish Dabholkar. “ICTP and BRIN have a long-standing collaboration as a part of the International Science Alliance—a key component of ICTP’s  Strategic Plan 2025 to create a global network with ICTP at its core. I welcome the collaboration with FIF as a part of this broader science alliance. It demonstrates the value of international scientific cooperation  and the strength of the Trieste Science System."