Q & A with Dr Pascale Guillot

Kirkstall recently caught up with Dr Pascale Guillot. Pascale is a senior lecturer at the University College London and focuses her studies on the stem cells and bone tissue formation.

How did you hear about Quasi Vivo®?

We heard about Quasi Vivo® on social media before visiting your website.

Was “flow” something that you were already considering at the time?

Yes absolutely, I wanted to have dynamic stem cell culture to understand the mechanisms by which they communicate with resident cells following transplantation.

What are current static models lacking?

The main problems with static models are a lack of flow and a necessity for similar media, limiting the number of cell types that can be grown in co-culture. These regular changes cause fluctuations in the composition of media.

Why was Quasi Vivo® appealing to you?

The possibility to reduce the number of animals we have to use, whilst increasing the clinical relevance of the study (you can compare the effect of the stem cells on animal and human cells) made the system an obvious choice for me.

Why did you choose Quasi Vivo® instead of alternatives? What are the main benefits of Quasi Vivo®?

Quasi Vivo® is simple to operate, and is a flexible system. This means it is highly innovative with possibilities for further developments.

Also, the interaction with the Kirkstall team and their support towards innovation was important in my decision.

Can you briefly describe the research you are doing with Quasi Vivo®?

I seek to understand how stem cells interact with the cells of the recipient after transplantation to delineate the mechanisms by which they confer therapeutic benefits.

Do you plan on doing long term culture, if so how long?

Not particularly long term, but definitely in the range of 3-4 weeks because we are studying bone formation.

We would like to thank Dr Pascale Guillot for taking the time to talk to us