The Institute for Medical Research hosted a lecture on 24 October by Dr. Marija Vlaski-Lafarge, Senior Researcher at the French Blood Institute (Etablissement français du sang – EFS, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), titled “Bioenergetic Advantages of Adult and Pluripotent Stem Cells: When Potential Meets Flexibility.”
During her talk, Dr. Vlaski-Lafarge presented research highlighting the remarkable metabolic plasticity of somatic stem cells and their ability to transition between anaerobic glycolysis, which supports quiescence and self-renewal, and aerobic metabolism driven by mitochondrial respiration, essential for differentiation.
She emphasized that this flexibility may arise from the fact that somatic stem cells retain metabolic features of ancient eukaryotic cells. Such adaptability allows them to adjust to changes in their microenvironment and survive even under extreme conditions.
According to Dr. Vlaski-Lafarge, selecting stem cells with higher regenerative potential and greater metabolic plasticity could enhance transplant integration and cell survival after transplantation, marking an important step toward advancing therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine.
