Italian researchers optimistic on medical breakthroughs despite cuts in funding - VIDEO: Italian scientists research new cancer treatments

Despite Italy's recent cuts in scientific research and the so-called brain drain that has cast a shadow over growth prospects for the peninsula, the country has seen some notable advances in cancer research and robotics in recent months. At Milan's renowned San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, a breakthrough in the search for blood cancer cures that may also fight other cancers is inspiring optimism among some doctors. Dr. Chiara Bonini, head of the experimental hematology unit at San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, and her team have contributed to the global buzz surrounding T-cell therapy, which involves engineering the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Bonini's team has found a way to track the T-cells that can last longest in the immune system, which they believe may lead to creating a drug that can last through a patient's lifetime and prevent cancer from returning. "I have to say, the results are really, really promising," Bonini told FoxNews.com.