Project description

The traditional paradigm in cell biology states that tissues are mainly composed of quiescent somatic cells which are terminally differentiated, and their fate is settled until death. According to this model, tissue regeneration and maintenance rely on a small reservoir of non-differentiated cells, called stem cells. Multiple lines of evidence, mainly in developmental and pathological contexts, have challenged this simple model. Namely, under certain circumstances terminally differentiated cells can dedifferentiate or transdifferentiate contributing to tissue regeneration, repair and remodeling. In my research project at AIAS, I will study this somatic cell plasticity in the cardiovascular system. Thus, I will try to decipher the cues that aid cells in the acquisition and maintenance of a new cell identity. Characterizing how cells change their fates would also give us tools to influence cell identities against diseases and to explore the limits of tissue regeneration.

Short Bio

I obtained my MSc in Biotechnology from the Jagiellonian University (Poland) and my PhD in Molecular Biosciences from the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain). From 2011 to 2018, I worked as a predoctoral and postdoctoral fellow at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research. In 2019, I joined the University of Oviedo (Spain) as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2024, I was granted an AIAS-AUFF fellowship at the Aarhus University. My research focuses mainly on cardiovascular disease and aging.