Por Simão Teixeira da Rocha (Department of Bioengineering and Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Lisbon, Portugal).
Abstract: The reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) enables powerful, personalized models for disease and regenerative medicine. This process requires extensive epigenetic remodeling to erase somatic identity and reestablish pluripotency, but it is not always complete and can lead to epigenetic errors, including defects in genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). These issues remain major barriers to achieving fully stable and clinically relevant iPSC lines. In this lecture, we examine imprinting and XCI stability in human iPSCs derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using non-integrative reprogramming across six culture conditions. This work aims to determine how sex and culture environment influence epigenetic fidelity. Understanding these relationships will help reveal the molecular basis of imprinting and XCI dysregulation and guide the development of more reliable reprogramming strategies for research and therapeutic applications.
Bio: Simão T. da Rocha is an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology in the Department of Bioengineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and leads the Stem Cell Epigenetics Lab at the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences. He earned his PhD in Developmental Epigenetics from the University of Cambridge in 2007, where he investigated the role of genomic imprinting in mouse development. He later completed a Marie Curie–funded postdoctoral fellowship at Institut Curie, focusing on X-chromosome inactivation, and received additional training in chromatin biology and genome engineering in Copenhagen and Dresden. After joining the Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM) in Lisbon as a staff scientist in 2015, he broadened his work to stem cell biology and human disease, securing competitive salary support and leading multiple research projects. In 2022, he established his own research group at iBB/IST-UL, where he applies epigenetic approaches to stem cell–based models in developmental biology and biomedicine. Since then, he has obtained several project grants as PI and built a multidisciplinary team spanning postdocs, PhD students, and MSc trainees. His group’s work has been published in leading journals across the stem cell and epigenetics fields. Since 2024, he has also served as an Assistant Professor at IST-UL, teaching courses in molecular and cell biology, genetics, and stem cells. He is committed to advancing biomedical research and mentoring emerging scientists.
