Publications by authors named "Eva Blondeel"

Taxanes, such as paclitaxel (PTX), stabilize microtubules and are used as a first-line therapy in multiple cancer types. Disruption of microtubule equilibrium, which plays an essential role in mitosis and cell homeostasis, ultimately results in cell death. Even though PTX is a very potent chemotherapy, its use is associated with major side effects and therapy resistance.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers are exploring 3D tumor models made with an elastic polymer to evaluate cancer drugs, aiming to reduce reliance on rodent models in drug discovery.
  • A 3D scaffold was created using patient-derived cells from low-grade serous ovarian cancer and subjected to long-term drug testing, showing similar drug responses to those seen in mouse models.
  • The study concludes that these 3D models can effectively replicate tumor behavior, making them a promising alternative for long-term drug evaluations in cancer research.
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Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are promising therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases via the induction of sequence-specific gene silencing. To be functional, siRNAs require cytosolic delivery into target cells. However, state-of-the-art delivery systems mediate cellular entry through endocytosis and suffer from ineffective endosomal escape, routing a substantial fraction of the siRNA towards the lysosomal compartment.

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In vitro cell culture experiments are widely used to study cellular behavior in most biological research fields. Except for suspension cells, most human cell types are cultured as adherent monolayers on a plastic surface. While technically convenient, monolayer cultures can suffer from limitations in terms of physiological relevance, as their resemblance to complex in vivo tissue structures is limited.

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Spheroids are three-dimensional cellular models with widespread basic and translational application across academia and industry. However, methodological transparency and guidelines for spheroid research have not yet been established. The MISpheroID Consortium developed a crowdsourcing knowledgebase that assembles the experimental parameters of 3,058 published spheroid-related experiments.

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