معرفی
Dr. Rita Sousa-Nunes is a Lecturer in Developmental Neurobiology at King's College London, affiliated with the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (CDNB) within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). Her research focuses on neural stem cell (NSC) behavior, including quiescence, proliferation control, and their roles in glioblastoma. She explores how NSCs transition between active and quiescent states and how these mechanisms relate to cancer stem cells.
Education: PhD in Biology from University College London (UCL), awarded January 2004. Her academic background includes postdoctoral training in neurobiology, with a focus on Drosophila models.
Research Interests: Neural stem cell quiescence, glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), cell cycle regulation, neurogenesis, and tumorigenesis. Key areas include understanding how fat cells and metabolic signals influence NSC reactivation, and exploiting vulnerabilities in GSC quiescence for cancer therapy.
Collaborations: Works with Prof. Eugene Makeyev (King's), Prof. Steven Pollard (University of Edinburgh), and others on neural stem cell biology and tumor research. Projects funded by GUY'S & ST THOMAS' CHARITY, Royal Society, and others.
Grants & Projects: Includes studies on nucleocytoplasmic partitioning in GSCs, microRNA oncogenicity, and mechanisms of neural tumorigenesis. Ongoing projects aim to dissect subcellular compartmentalization in neural stem cells and its role in disease.
Labs & Teams: Part of the CDNB, a multidisciplinary center focused on developmental neurobiology. Her lab integrates genetic, cell biological, and model organism approaches to study stem cell dynamics in health and disease.
