What happens when we move beyond oversimplified cell cultures and truly embrace the complexity of human biology? In this episode of the Smart Biotech Scientist Podcast, we explore how advanced 3D cell models are reshaping preclinical research—recreating human tissue microenvironments to better understand tumors, immunotherapies, and gene and cell therapies.

David’s guest is Catarina Brito, Principal Investigator at ITQB NOVA and Head of the Advanced Cell Models Laboratory at iBET and ITQB NOVA (Portugal). Her work bridges academia and industry through iBET, a unique partnering organization that integrates cell engineering, bioprocessing, and translational modeling.

Catarina’s pioneering models help both pharma leaders and startups predict drug resistance and immunogenicity earlier and more reliably, accelerating the path to safer, more effective therapies—well before clinical trials begin.

Topics discussed:

• Understanding the contribution of stromal and immune cells to therapy outcomes in tumor microenvironments (03:42)
• Studying immune responses to gene therapy vectors with advanced neural models (04:31)
• Combining multi-omics and spatial data with AI for predictive biology and patient-specific digital twins (05:16)
• Catarina’s advice: Start simple, let the biological question dictate model design, and avoid premature overengineering (06:53)
• Importance of reproducibility, process controls, and standardization in advanced models (08:10)
• How academic-industry collaborations drive model development, scalability, and real-world relevance (08:42)
• Common pitfalls: Overengineering, poor cell source selection, insufficient system validation (11:03)
• Next steps for precision medicine and translational research using advanced cell models (13:08)

Want to know how leading scientists make advanced cell models actionable and collaborative for pharma breakthroughs? Tune in for practical strategies, real-world collaborations, and pitfalls to avoid as you scale your own translational research.

Connect with Catarina Brito:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/catarina-brito-ibet

Advanced Cell Models Lab – iBET: www.ibet.pt/laboratories/advanced-cell-models-lab

Next step:

Need fast CMC guidance? → Get rapid CMC decision support here

Support the show