About me

Ciao! My name is Elisa and I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at Barts Cancer Institute under the supervision of Dr. Benjamin Werner.

I completed my PhD in Mathematics in 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Weini Huang and Dr. Benjamin Werner at Queen Mary University of London, School of Mathematical Sciences.

Email/Socials - Research - Publications - Presentations - Prizes - Teaching - Other

Email/Socials

Email: e.scanu@qmul.ac.uk

X: @eliscanu96

LinkedIn: Elisa Scanu

Google Scholar: Elisa Scanu

Research

I am currently working on investigating extra-chromosomal DNA (ecDNA) proliferation through agent-based modeling. I am also part of the team eDyNAmiC. During my PhD, my research focused on understanding the dynamics of multiple ecDNAs in an expanding cell population. I developed mathematical frameworks, informed by available data, and investigated them in order to understand from a theoretical point of view how multiple ecDNA types propagate and co-exist in growing cell populations.

In my Postdoctoral position, I am now developing a project to study the dynamics of ecDNA in blood as part of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). I am interested in studying the connections between the dynamics of ecDNA in blood and ecDNA in the primary tumor. I am developing also strategies to model the impact of treatment on these dynamics. I am using computational and analytical methodologies, informed with available data.

I am also interested in general population dynamics, mutational patterns, cancer evolution.

Publications

1. Hung KL, Jones MG, Wong ITL, Curtis EJ, Lange JT, He BJ, Luebeck J, Schmargon R, Scanu E, et al. (2024) Coordinated inheritance of extrachromosomal DNA species in human cancer cells, Nature, 635, 201–209
2. Scanu E, Werner B, Huang W (2024) The maintenance of multiple ecDNA types in single cancer cells, bioRxiv, 2024.10.22.619675
3. Scanu E, Werner B, Huang W (2024), Population dynamics of multiple ecDNA types, arXiv, 2411.14588
4. Nowicka Z, Rentzeperis F, Beck R, Tagal V, Pinto AF, Scanu E, et al. (2025) Interactions between ploidy and resource availability shape clonal evolution in glioblastoma, Cancer Research, 85, 1544–59
5. Scanu E (2025), Modeling and investigating the proliferation of multiple extra-chromosomal DNA types in human cancer cells, PhD thesis
6. Simeoni C, Scanu E, Pera D, Mascia C (2025) Numerical simulations of the Gatenby-Gawlinski model with heterogeneous acid diffusion in one space dimension, arXiv, 2511.07187

Presentations

1. June 2022, Early Career Researchers in Mathematics Conference, University College London. Talk
2. September 2022, European Conference of Theoretical and Mathematical Biology (ECMTB), Heidelberg. Poster
3. October 2022, Conference on Complex System (CCS), Palma de Mallorca. Poster
4. October 2022, Integrated Mathematical Oncology Workshop 10th Edition, Tampa. Poster
5. December 2022, NetPLACE, online. Invited speaker
6. May 2023, Como School on Cancer Evolution, Lake Como School on Advanced Studies. Talk
7. July 2023, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Ferrara. Talk
8. September 2023, London Mathematical Biology Conference, London. Poster
9. July 2024, Gruppo Italiano Meccanica Computazionale & Società Italiana di Matematica Applicata ed Industriale, Naples. Invited speaker
10. July 2024, European Conference of Theoretical and Mathematical Biology (ECMTB), Toledo. Talk
11. September 2024, London Mathematical Biology Conference, London. Talk
12. June 2025, Cancer Grand Challenges conference: extra-chromosomal DNA, London. Poster
13. September 2025, Mathematical and Statistical Aspects of Molecular Biology (MASAMB) Annual Meeting, London. Talk

Prizes

• May 2022, Best poster presentation, Postgraduate Researchers Day, Queen Mary University of London.
• September 2022, Best poster presentation, European Conference of Theoretical and Mathematical Biology (ECMTB), Heidelberg.
• November 2022, Team member of the winning team of IMO X Workshop - Cancer Communities, Tampa. Our project
• May 2023, Second best oral presentation, Postgraduate Researchers Day, Queen Mary University of London.

Teaching

As a Lecturer:

1. A.Y. 2020/21 - 2022/23 - 2023/24: Lecturer for “Basics of Mathematics”, Bachelor’s programme in Biological Sciences, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Italy.
2. A.Y. 2020/21: Lecturer for “Mathematics”, Bachelor’s programme in Political Sciences and International Relationships, Università degli Studi della Tuscia & Italian Air Force, Italy.
3. A.Y. 2021/22 - 2022/23 - 2023/24 - 2024/25 - 2025/26: Lecturer for “Introduction to Mathematics I”, Bachelor’s programme in Business and Management, ESCP Business School, London.
4. A.Y. 2023/24 - 2024/25: Lecturer for “Statistics I”, Bachelor’s programme in Business and Management, ESCP Business School, London.
5. A.Y. 2024/25: Lecturer for “Computer Skills”, Bachelor’s programme in Business and Management, ESCP Business School, London.

As a Graduate Teaching Assistant:

1. “Sequences and Series”, “Calculus I”, “Applied Differential Equations”, “Mathematical Biology”, Bachelor’s programme in Mathematics, King’s College London, London.
2. “Number Sets and Functions”, “Calculus II”, “Programming in C++”, “Programming in Python”, Bachelor’s programme in Mathematics, Queen Mary University of London, London.

Other

I love to run, and I have recently completed my first Half Marathon in 1h55m!

I am a great cook (accordingly to my friends and family), and my best dish is pasta alla carbonara (without cream).

I am always up for an adventurous hike, a sunny outdoor picnic or an improvised science discussion.