Pagotto Ricardini, Romina María Del Luján

Research interests

Development and application of three-dimensional cell culture models, with a focus on intestinal organoids, to investigate the interaction between the intestinal epithelium and parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Blastocystis hominis, as well as the role of biomolecules in inflammatory contexts. Her research aims to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing these interactions to enhance the predictive power of in vitro models and reduce reliance on animal experimentation. Aligned with the One Health approach, her work contributes to the study of zoonotic diseases, intestinal inflammation, and the development of innovative strategies for understanding and treating these conditions.

Working area

Growing scientific evidence indicates that two-dimensional cell cultures fail to accurately replicate the physiological conditions of an organism, where the three-dimensional arrangement of cells and the presence of an extracellular matrix (ECM) play a crucial role in maintaining tissue homeostasis.
Our research focuses on establishing intestinal organoid cultures from various mammalian species to develop more predictive in vitro models of the intestinal epithelium and reduce the reliance on animal experimentation, thereby improving the correlation between in vitro and in vivo results. These organoids serve as versatile tools for investigating key aspects of the One Health concept.
Through collaborations and independent research, we leverage these models to explore the interactions between the intestinal epithelium and pathogenic microorganisms, as well as to study physiological processes in the gut, particularly those related to inflammation.