Project R-9782

Profiling stem cell responses to particle chemical stress (Research)

Tissues are a complex entity of different cell types. Each cell is differently affected and individually responds to a toxic insult. The intracellular environment of stem cells is characterized by a low metabolic state and low oxygen levels. These properties, in combination with an efficient repair system, make stem cells react differently to chemical stress. The current project aims to characterise the cellular dynamics of pluri/multipotent stem cells to different toxicants. The highly regenerative organism Schmidtea mediterranea will be used to investigate stem cell responses in an in vivo situation; using different phenotypic outcomes as end point. In an in vitro set-up, using human mesenchymal stem cells, stem cell responses will be characterized in function of different cellular damages (genotoxicity vs oxidative stress). Eventually, we aim to identify underlying driving forces that render stem cells their plasticity to chemical-induced toxicity. All mechanisms of interest will be functionally validated in the final phase of the project.

01 October 2019 - 30 September 2023