Two works led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), based in the barcelona Science Park, have successfully mimicked the transdifferentiation process of the neuroblastoma vasculature in in vitro models. These models, one in 2D and the other on a microfluidic chip, provide platforms for identifying new biomarkers and designing effective therapies against this type of cancer. Dr. Aránzazu Villasante,  a senior researcher in the Nanobioengineering group, led by Dr. Josep Samitier, is the lead author of these studies, published in the scientific journals In vitro models and Cancers, respectively.

Neuroblastoma, one of the most common childhood cancers, is classified as a developmental cancer because it arises prenatally during the formation of organs and tissues. It originates from cancer cells that develop in neuroblasts, a type of immature nerve tissue, and primarily affects the adrenal glands.

One of the research focal points of  Dr. Josep Samitier’s Nanobioengineering group, led by Dr. Aránzazu Villasante, is the creation of in vitro neuroblastoma models that replicate its characteristic vasculature in order to search for new biomarkers and develop effective therapies against this type of cancer.

This is important because a hallmark of neuroblastoma is its increased vascularisation, which can be mediated by a process known as transdifferentiation, in which cancer cells transform into endothelial cells that form the tumour’s blood vessels. This process has been linked to treatment resistance and cancer recurrence.

Dr. Villasante, a senior researcher in the group, is the lead author of two recent studies on this topic, published in the scientific journals  In vitro models (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44164-023-00064-x) and Cancers ( DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16051060), respectively. These studies describe on how the research team was able to replicate the transdifferentiation process of the neuroblastoma vasculature in in vitro models. They achieved this in two easily reproducible systems: a simpler 2D model used to explore potential therapeutic targets, and a more complex microfluidic chip designed for drug screening. Additionally, they have identified the biomarker GB3 as a potential therapeutic target for future nanotherapies against neuroblastoma.

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