EVALUATION OF DNA DAMAGE AND GENOTOXICITY IN CELLS CULTURED IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL ENVIRONMENT

• Grant number: 25/23350-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: June 21, 2026
• End date: August 09, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Mutagenesis
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Frederico Martins Menck
• Grantee: Bianca Perleberg Torchelsen
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The DNA Repair Laboratory (USP), coordinated by Professor Carlos Frederico Martins Menck, focuses on investigating cellular defense mechanisms against agents that promote genetic damage. In this context, the present project proposes the execution of analyses already established in the laboratory, such as experiments using human cell cultures deficient in DNA repair mechanisms, employing as a basis the biomaterial investigated by the scholarship student at her home institution. Cell culture activities will be developed to investigate cellular defense mechanisms against DNA-damaging agents in three-dimensional models, through the use of human amniotic membrane (hAM) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), in addition to the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) already available. The hAM cultures will be treated with formaldehyde (FA) as a genotoxic agent, alongside a negative control model without treatment, and the effects will be assessed using the comet assay and immunofluorescence analysis for gamma-H2AX detection. Furthermore, flow cytometry will be performed to evaluate cell cycle progression in the three-dimensional cellular models. (AU)