Thais Bascuas have a Bachelor and a Master degree in molecular biology and microbiology from "Universidad de la República" in Montevideo, Uruguay. Subsequently, she did a Ph.D. in Biological Science at the same university, acquiring extensive knowledge in immunology, particularly related to tumors and cancer vaccines. During her Ph.D., Dr. Bascuas established a novel non-Hodgkin lymphoma murine model closer to the standard clinical scenario since she could mimic the minimal residual disease which occurs in patients after the use of standard chemotherapy, CHOP (Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and steroids). In this model, she studied new therapeutic approaches, including both specific (whole-cell vaccine) and non-specific immunotherapies (use of Salmonella).
At present, Dr. Bascuas works as a post-doc in the Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. The main topic of study is the development of regenerative and personalized therapies such as cell-based, GMP compliant Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) to treat neurodegenerative diseases of the eye. As a post-doc, she carries out in vitro experiments for the genetic modification of the retinal and iris pigment epithelial cells isolated from different species, such as humans, mice, rabbits, pigs, and cattle, using a non-viral gene delivery system, the hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposon system SB100X in combination with electroporation. In addition, Dr. Bascuas participated in the GMP-grade validation of the therapeutic product using human donors and she trains regularly to be certified to work under GMP conditions.
