Overview of Our Research

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) are important players in tissue homeostasis and regeneration owing to their immunomodulatory potential and release of trophic factors that promote healing. They are multipotent cells capable of differentiating into multiple lineages of the mesenchyme. They can be isolated from a variety of tissues including bone marrow, adipose tissue, placenta and cord blood. They have been increasingly used in clinical trials to treat multiple conditions associated with inflammation and tissue damage such as graft versus host disease, orthopedic injuries, cardiac or liver diseases. The molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of MSC in tissue injury and inflammation is not well established.

Working on the interphase of fundamental research and regenerative medicine we are focused on investigating biology of MSC and their in vivo function with the final goal to improve MSC-based therapies. We are especially interested in understanding how MSC communicate and interact with cells from different tissues.  We also aim todecipher intracellular signalling and trafficking pathways regulating their multipotency. For this we use multidisciplinary approach combining state of the art molecular biology techniques, in vivo animal models and primary three-dimensional organoid cultures.