20/12/18

Hizlaria / Ponente: Aranzazu Villasante. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
Data / Fecha: 2018ko abenduak 20 / 20 de diciembre de 2018.
Ordua / Hora:  10:30.
Lekua / LugarBiodonostia OIIko Prestakuntza Aretoan, 3.Solairua. / IIS Biodonostia, Aula de Formación, Planta 3.

Laburpena / Resumen:
My overarching goal is to design biomaterials to closely mimic in vitro the biological and mechanical tumor microenvironment of pediatric cancers. Then with these models in hand, my objective is to learn fundamental information about drug resistance and tumor relapse. Thus, my main expertise brings together materials science, tissue engineering, and cancer biology.
I obtained my B.S. Degree in Biochemistry at the Complutense University of Madrid in 2005 and right after, I joined the Tumor Suppression group, led by Dr. Manuel Serrano, at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). During my Ph.D., I investigated the epigenetic regulation of the Ink4a/Arf locus and the regulation of Sox2 in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).

Then in 2011, I joined the Vunjak-Novakovic lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in the city of New York. As a postdoc, I used novel biomaterials to develop biomimetic bioengineered models of Ewing’s sarcoma within the bone microenvironment. I also generated the first bioengineered model of tumor-derived exosomes. In parallel with my training in bioengineering at Columbia University, I was trained in pediatric diseases and collaborated with pediatricians at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Later, in 2015 I was appointed Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University, and I was awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This award gave me the opportunity to move to Tokyo for developing a vascularized tissue-engineered model of neuroblastoma at the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science. Later in 2016, I came back to NY to continue my research as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University.

Finally, in May 2018, I returned to Spain for a short stay in the Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Group in the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy at UPC- BarcelonaTech. There, I designed bio-inks for bioprinting tissues for regenerative therapies, and I developed biomaterials in combination with nanoparticles to mimic osteosarcoma microenvironment.

Then, in December 2018, I joined the Samitier Lab (Nanobioengineering group) at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) as a Senior Research Scientist with the support of the Spanish Association Against Cancer.