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.

Nine years ago a fireworks accident left Dennis Aabo Sørensen so severely wounded, doctors were forced to amputate his left hand. But now, for the first time since the accident, the 36-year-old has been able to experience what the world around him feels like through his missing limb. Scientists have developed a bionic finger that can be connected to the nerves left in his arm, allowing him to experience textures as they really feel. Dennis Aabo Sørensen (pictured) has become the first amputee to trial a new bionic fingertip that has allowed him to feel and distinguish different textures. The technology could lead to new prosthetic arms that can restore the sense of touch to amputees.