News
PLAST_CELL at SPAOM: Advancing Live-Cell Imaging
On November 5-7, 2025, Mahdi Khamoushi (ICFO) represented the PLAST_CELL project at the Spanish & Portuguese Advanced Optical
Microscopy Meeting (SPAOM), showcasing exciting progress in Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) for live-cell imaging.
During the event, Mahdi presented key results from PLAST_CELL, highlighting how SIM technology is driving innovation in observing dynamic cellular processes. His poster also emphasized the growing market potential for SIM systems and their critical role in advancing cancer research and other biomedical applications.
Sharing science: PLAST_CELL engages the public in cancer research
On October 4, 2025, the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) opened its doors to the public for its annual Open Day, a celebration of science and discovery. The PRBB is home to two PLAST_CELL partners, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRI, formerly IMIM).
PLAST_CELL research presented at EMBL-EBI
On September 18, Ben Woodhams, postdoctoral researcher at EMBL-EBI, presented the latest results and progress of the PLAST_CELL project to colleagues at the institute. His talk focused on the characterization of PLAST_DATA and its integration into a plasticity scoring model, PLAST_SCORE, designed to quantify cancer cell plasticity and predict tumour aggressiveness.
Metabolic Adaptation to Mechanical Stress: PLAST_CELL-Linked Study Published
A recent joint publication from the teams of Dr. Sara Sdelci and Dr. Verena Ruprecht sheds light on how cancer cells adapt metabolically to withstand mechanical stress—an emerging area directly aligned with PLAST_CELL’s mission to understand cellular plasticity in metastasis.
Advancing Metastasis Research: Publication on TIM-3 by Celià-Terrassa’s Team
Dr. Celià-Terrassa and his group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) have made a significant contribution to the understanding of how cancer spreads. In their latest publication, the team identifies the role of the TIM-3 protein in the most aggressive metastasis-initiating cells.
PLAST_CELL at the EIC Summit 2025
On 2–3 April 2025, the PLAST_CELL project participated in the EIC Summit 2025, held in Brussels. As the flagship event of the European Innovation Council, the summit brought together innovators, researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from across Europe.
CRG visits Cherry Biotech in Paris
During the week of 21st-25th October 2024, Alberto Zurita (CRG) joined Harry Dawson (CHB) in Paris for a hands-on collaboration at Cherry Biotech. Together, the two PLAST_CELL team members worked on refining and testing a custom tool designed to culture cells under controlled physicochemical conditions that mimic aspects of the tumor microenvironment.
PLAST_CELL presented at Festival of Biologics
On 15-17th October 2024, Cherry Biotech participated in the Festival of Biologics in Basel, Switzerland, Europe’s largest biologics event. Cherry Biotech presented the PLAST_CELL project and their latest innovative CubiX prototype, designed to confine cells and precisely control environmental conditions. This novel tool, combined with the data currently generated by the PLAST_CELL consortium, will enable to quantify phenotypic changes in cancer cells, shedding light on cancer cell plasticity and aggressiveness.
Second Annual Meeting together with our Ethics Advisors
On 17-18th October 2023, we held the Second Annual Meeting of PLAST_CELL at the PRBB in Barcelona. It was a hands-on meeting, where participants went to visit the labs of Verena Ruprecht and Toni Celià-Terrassa and even with a demonstration of the microfluidics device from Cherry Biotech! We also welcomed our newly established Ethics Advisory […]