zBRAIN launched!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘇𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! 🐟+🧠 = 🔬
zBRAIN is a project-based research platform focused on the development of patient-derived zebrafish cancer xenografts (𝗭𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀) for brain cancer, with a focus on 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮 (GBM).
🧠 GBM is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers known today. There is limited ability to predict how individual patients will respond to the (limited) therapy available (mainly temozolamide). A 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲  lies in the lack of a reliable in vivo model that enables rapid and systematic evaluation of a patients' treatment response.
𝘇𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 addresses this gap by using a powerful patient-derived zebrafish xenograft model, where tumour cells from individual patients are studied within a living organism, longitudinally. This 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 approach enables the evaluation of a patient's tumour behaviour and therapeutic response, in just under 7 days.

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​🔬 This is why we are developing the 𝘇𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺; an integrated modular system that combines a powerful in vivo cancer model (Zebrafish Avatars), with a scalable experimental pipeline (xenografting → drug screening → data acquisition/imaging) and a strong analytical layer (AI/ML-based data analysis & multi-omic bioinformatics).
🩺 By integrating Zebrafish Avatars within a translational framework (i.e. a co-clinical trial) zBRAIN aims to improve the 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of treatment outcomes and support the development of more 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 for GBM.
💪 zBRAIN is being developed within the Experimental Pharmacology Laboratory (Nikolas Dietis Lab) at the University of Cyprus Medical School, and co-developed by strong collaborators such as the 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 at the Nicosia General Hospital (ΟΚΥπΥ - State Health Services Organisation), the CING Bioinformatics Department, and the EPOS-IASIS - An Innovative Company - An EIC Declared Global Innovator, supported by exceptional leaders & experts such as Akis Lambrou, Costas Pitris, Andreani Odysseos and George Spyrou.
💰 zBRAIN is being funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation and the University of Cyprus.
We will be sharing here our ongoing work, methodological developments, and research outputs as the zBRAIN platform evolves. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱! 📢