Research highlights

• Understanding the effects of mechanotransduction and regulatory molecular mechanisms underlying the response of stem cells to substrate compliance and topography

• Production of a self-releasable bio-tissues in vitro for therapeutic and cellular agriculture applications

• Uncovering the role of all-trans retinoic acid in human corneal stroma biology in health and disease

In the course of my work I have developed extensive proficiency in the culture and differentiation of several types of human stem/progenitor cells, as well as expertise in the bio-fabrication of native-like tissues and their controlled release.

The study of cells and tissues constructs generated during my research allowed me to develop wide experience in several analytical techniques, namely in cell biology (metabolism evaluation, wound and migration assays), molecular biology (qPCR, DNA microarrays), biochemistry (SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting, ELISA, MALDI/TOF-MS), microscopy (confocal fluorescence, scanning and transmission electron microscopy), and biophysics (atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, ellipsometry, Brillouin spectro-microscopy).

Furthermore, I also acquired considerable experience in the production, purification, and downstream analysis of recombinant proteins and glycoproteins. This allowed me to develop considerable experience in molecular cloning (recombinant protein design, stable and transient transfection) and chromatographic techniques (high-performance and ion-exchange) .