Advanced Cell Models Lab

Leveraging ATMP development with advanced human cell models

Research Focus

The Advanced Cell Models team is dedicated to research activities in disease microenvironment models with immune representation.

We work with models of brain, liver and solid tumors to provide human-based platforms for ATMP development, namely cancer immunotherapies and gene therapies. Our most recent milestones concern model development and proof of concept studies of platforms’ suitability for assessing advanced therapeutics, such as AAV vectors for gene therapy.

Areas of Activity

Preclinical research on gene therapy vectors

3D cell models of the brain and liver to address early tissue response to recombinant rAAV.

Immunotherapies for solid tumors

Long-term in vitro and ex vivo models of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments – breast cancer and gliomas.

Neuroinflammation in disease

Human induced pluripotent stem cell models to address the impact of neuroinflammation in disease and therapeutic response.

Catarina Brito

Head of Advanced Cell Models Lab

Head of the Advanced Cell Models Lab since 2014, and a principal investigator at ITQB NOVA since 2023. My research is mostly translational and preclinical, focused on the microenvironment-driven modulation during disease progression and targeted therapy response, through the development and interrogation of in vitro and ex vivo models of the disease microenvironment.

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