Viorica Raluca Contu at Polish - American Symposium

On June 27th, 2027 Viorica Raluca Contu participated in in the „Polish – American Symposium: Power of Stem Cells to Model Embryos and Organs,” in Warsaw, which was a great opportunity to listen to outstanding talks, particularly on how the brain develops from stem cells. Most recent research pointed out that the susceptibility to develop neuropsychiatric phenotypes is rooted in the development stages before gestation week 20 in humans, and mainly involves defects in the progenitor cells. Therefore, to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders, it is important to understand the early stages of cellular differentiation. Viorica Raluca Contu’s current project involves the generation of brain cells, and this information was crucial because she will now pay more attention to the intermediate stages of development besides the final outcome of her experiments.

In addition to gaining knowledge, Viorica Raluca Contu was able to discuss with researchers in her field and make additional connections, which may lead to future collaborations. Overall, she feels that attending this symposium was highly beneficial for her work.