Antiviral, Anticancer and Cell Therapy Research Area Manage

Rational design/identification and evaluation of new, safer, more effective drugs and drug targets. The emphasis is on the use and translation of the knowledge and methods derived from genomics into concrete applications for innovative drug design and development, involving approaches such as therapeutic targeting and rational drug design or identification. Our main objective is to develop reagents and/or screening technologies, identification of specific genes or gene expression, alleles, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and/or haplotypes that may be of interest for antiviral, anticancer, post-transplant, and psychiatric therapy management and, use of the genotypes to determine subsets of patients who may benefit from a therapeutical intervention (trail design or drug rescue) or for helping pharmaceutical companies better define and/or expand markets for existing products.

Studies on the molecular mechanisms which sustain the ex vivo expansion of the adult stem cell (hematopoietic, mesenchymal, hepatic) in order to find effective methods, technically relevant, for ex vivo cultivation of these cells, through manipulation of culture microenvironment by cytokines supplementation. The general objective is to bring stem cell technology to the clinic and to initiate cell therapy procedures in patients with malignant disorders, hepatic failure and inborn congenital disorders.

Staff:
Carmen C.Diaconu, PhD – principal investigator
Florica Toparceanu, PhD – principal investigator
Mihaela Chivu, PhD – principal investigator
Irina Alexiu, MD, PhD St.- investigator
Coralia Bleotu, PhD St.- investigator
Laura Dragomir – junior scientist
Ana Iulia Neagu – junior scientist
Milica Fratilescu- technician