News
1. The Kick-off Meeting of the FibroThera project took place on June 27-28, 2023, at the Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology “Nicolae Simionescu”, Bucharest, Romania.
2. Evelyn Gabriela Nastase-Rusu, PhD student, Andreea Mihaila, PhD student, and Letitia Ciortan, postdoctoral researcher, participated in the FELASA-accredited 10th International Course “Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Mice, Rats, and Zebrafish”, organized by the University of Crete in collaboration with IMBB-FORTH, between 17 April and 7 June 2024. This training strengthens our team’s expertise in ethical animal research, procedural competence, recognition of pain and distress, and implementation of appropriate welfare measures in biomedical studies.
3. Catalina-Iolanda Marinescu-Colan, PhD student, and Mihai Bogdan Preda, postdoctoral researcher, presented part of the FIBROTHERA results at the 9th International Symposium “New Frontiers in Cardiovascular Research”, held at the University of Bucharest, Romania, between 26 and 28 August 2025. Catalina-Iolanda Marinescu-Colan delivered a selected oral presentation in the Young Investigator Nominee section: “From Cancer to Infarcted Hearts: GLIPR1 as a Detrimental Regulator in Activated Cells.” Mihai Bogdan Preda presented the poster “Paracrine Signaling by Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Modulates Neutrophil Phenotype in Myocardial Infarction.” These contributions highlight the ongoing dissemination of FIBROTHERA results within the cardiovascular research community.
4. Carmen Alexandra Neculachi and Catalina-Iolanda Marinescu-Colan, PhD students, completed the FELASA-accredited 11th International Course “Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Mice, Rats, and Zebrafish”, organized by the Department of Biology, University of Crete, in collaboration with IMBB-FORTH, between 7 April and 20 May 2025. This training further strengthens our team’s capacity to conduct animal-based biomedical research in line with internationally recognized standards for animal welfare, ethical practice, and scientific rigor.
5. Carmen Alexandra Neculachi and Catalina-Iolanda Marinescu-Colan presented FIBROTHERA-related results at the CBFH Biennial Meeting 2025, held in Naples, Italy, between 26 and 28 November 2025. Carmen Alexandra Neculachi presented “MiR-210 Is Required for Full Polarisation of Macrophages towards the Reparatory Phenotype.” Catalina-Iolanda Marinescu-Colan presented “GLIPR1 Promotes a Pro-Fibrotic Phenotype in Cardiac Fibroblasts In Vitro and Impairs Post-Infarction Cardiac Repair.” These presentations reflect the continued dissemination of our work on inflammatory regulation, fibroblast activation, and post-infarction cardiac repair.
6. Between April and May 2026, Mihai Bogdan Preda completed a research visit at the Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia. The visit focused on developing the expertise required to implement an advanced human cardiac organoid platform at ICBP-NS. This experience supports the development of physiologically relevant 3D experimental models for studying cardiac remodelling and identifying molecular targets with therapeutic potential.
7. Razvan Macarie, Andreea Mihaila, Letitia Ciortan, and Elena Butoi presented part of the FIBROTHERA results at „The 3rd EFIS Forum on Innate Immunity in Sterile Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and their Resolution” held at Vilnius, Lithuania, between 11-13 August 2026. These presentations reflect the continued dissemination of our work on microRNAs, immune cells, and inflammation following myocardial infarction.
8. The FIBROTHERA wrap-up workshop will take place on 16 June 2026 at the Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology “Nicolae Simionescu”, Bucharest, Romania. The event marks the completion of the FIBROTHERA project, and will present its main scientific results, with a focus on mechanisms involved in post-infarction cardiac fibrosis, the role of non-coding RNAs in adverse cardiac remodelling, and the identification of potential therapeutic targets for ischemic heart failure.
9. The PNRR-III-C9-2022-I8-186 project, “Targeting Cardiac Fibrosis in Heart Failure: Challenges and Potential ncRNA-Based Therapeutic Solutions” (FIBROTHERA), implemented between July 2023 and June 2026, has come to an end. The project contributed to the development of new research directions focused on the mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis and the identification of potential therapeutic strategies.
We thank all team members and collaborators for their involvement and contribution to the successful achievement of the project objectives.
