Imaging reconstructed cell microenvironments in disease and therapeutic response
Our Lab investigates how cellular microenvironments influence disease progression and targeted therapy response using advanced in vitro and ex vivo disease models. We develop 3D co-culture systems, employing human-induced pluripotent stem cell derivatives and bioreactor technology, to mimic inflammatory neural and hepatic microenvironments, as well as immunosuppressive tumour niches. These models address challenges in replicating functional human cell phenotypes and extracellular matrices, enabling the study of cellular crosstalk and predicting therapy response. Integrating cell biology, biochemical, omics and imaging approaches, we examine the early tissue response to advanced therapeutics. This talk will emphasise the use of imaging tools to interrogate these models, with a focus on cancer and brain models, including glioma.
- 3D Microenvironments
- Cancer
- Neuroscience
Speaker
-
Catarina Brito
Advanced Cell Models Lab
Catarina Brito has led the Advanced Cell Models Laboratory of ITQB NOVA and iBET (PT) since 2014. Brito’s Lab focuses on microenvironment-driven modulation of disease progression and targeted therapy response through the development and interrogation of in vitro and ex vivo models of the disease microenvironment. The group has pioneered cell-based strategies to tackle the areas of cancer immunotherapies and viral vector-based gene therapies.
... read more