Modern methods of prognostication and modulation of cancer therapy, with researcher Bianca Gălățeanu, the guest of a new episode of the “microSCOPE: UB researcher on air” series

Researcher Bianca Gălățeanu, PhD, associate professor at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Bucharest, led us, in episode number 7 of the “microSCOPE: UB researcher on air” series, on a visit through the Cancer Study Laboratory, the place in which researchers specializing in various fields develop modern methods of prognostication and modulation of cancer therapy. At the same time, she told us about the OncoHub Conference, where specialists from the country and abroad meet to share their knowledge and discuss the latest discoveries and results in this research area.

The seventh episode of the microSCOPE series can be accessed with just one click below.

Part of a multidisciplinary research team, established and consolidated over time, Bianca Gălățeanu explained to us the three main directions of development of prognostic and modulation methods of cancer therapy within the UB Cancer Study Laboratory, the “heart” of this research topic.

As the guest shows, the first direction aims at deepening and validating some nano-systems for transport and controlled release of antineoplastic therapy. Developed together with engineers specialized in materials science, it aims to reduce the potential adverse effects of chemotherapy, which often make it impossible for patients to continue therapy. The process thus outlined helps to target the tumor cells so that the drugs reach them directly.

Linked to this research topic is the study of new molecules, grown in the laboratory ex vivo, that is, in vitro, to study certain phenomena and test various drugs. As such, the method aims to reconstruct as faithfully as possible the tumor microenvironment found in the human body in such a way that the results obtained are as close as possible to what is obtained in in vivo systems.

The experiments used in this line of research aim to ensure as advanced a stage of development as possible before their translation into preclinical studies on laboratory animals.The third direction of research considered to have the greatest translational impact in the clinic and oncology patients is liquid biopsy. Starting from the fact that oncological diagnosis is based on a tissue biopsy, which can also be used to characterize the patient’s particular molecular profile for therapy, the researcher shows that, given that tumors undergo changes over time, it would be extremely useful real-time monitoring of the molecular profile of each patient. This permanent observation would allow, on the one hand, to modulate the therapy to which the patient responds, and, on the other hand, to provide a prognosis regarding his evolution.

Firmly believing that the ultimate goal of research is to contribute to the healing and well-being of people, Bianca Gălățeanu shows that, for her, research is not a simple job that she does for a number of hours a day, but an activity that lives permanently in her mind and soul, becoming a defining element of her personality. Researcher Bianca Gălățeanu spoke to us about all this, about the members and future plans of the team she is part of, in the seventh episode of the microSCOPE series: UB researcher on air.In the interview, the guest also explained to us the concept and objectives of the OncoHub international conference, of which she is the president.

More information on the third edition of the OncoHub international conference entitled “Connecting Scientists & Physicians for Next Generation Cancer Management”, which will be held this year from September 20-22, can be accessed here.

Assoc. prof. Bianca Gălățeanu, PhD, is currently a teaching staff and scientific researcher degree 2 in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Bucharest. She holds a double specialization: in biochemistry and pharmacy. She is a graduate of the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Bucharest and of the Master’s Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Bucharest. During her doctoral program at the Doctoral School of Biology, she decided to attend the courses of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest. She collaborates in various research projects with teaching staff and researchers from the Politehnica University and from UMF “Carol Davila” in Bucharest.Her main research areas focus on bio nanotechnologies, biomaterials, liquid biopsies, oncology, regenerative medicine and microfluidic tumor-on-chip technology.

More details on Bianca Gălățeanu’s activity are available here and here.

*The material was filmed in the Cancer Study Laboratory within the Biology and Systemic Ecology Research Platform of the Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest.Part of the science communication program developed by the University of Bucharest, the “MicroSCOPE: UB researcher on air” series aims to present in a dynamic and concise manner information on the concrete results of some notable research efforts within the University of Bucharest.

In terms of format and objectives, the microSCOPE series comes to complete the science communication program of the University of Bucharest, which also includes the UB Conferences – Science for Everyone and the UB Science Dose. The objective of the series is to promote those research projects (patents, articles and books) which, through the major contribution made to the field of which they belong, have come to benefit from international recognition, thus encouraging the connection between UB and various universities and research institutions abroad. The microSCOPE, whose guests are primarily researchers from the UB awarded for their research results, aims to contribute to informing the Romanian academic milieu, but also other categories of interested public, on the main research projects carried out within the UB, thus stimulating the development of future collaborative initiatives.