Elsa Abranches
I am the Senior Director and Head of Cell Therapy Bioprocess Development and Manufacturing, within the Cell Therapy Department of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. In this role, I am responsible for leading on the translational technology and development of high-quality cells for pre-clinical research, to enable the efficient research and development of cell-based therapeutics.
I bring more than 20 years of experience ranging from applied research through to manufacturing and regulatory compliance of stem cell-derived products. My expertise in stem cell biotechnology, standardisation and advanced therapies regulation areas has enabled my participation in several national and international committees where I have supported regulatory compliance and delivery of advanced therapy medicinal products.
I have a degree in Chemical Engineering and earned my Ph.D in Stem Cell Biotechnology from the Technical University of Lisbon. Since then, I have delivered on multiple collaborative projects, both in academia and within the UK Regulator (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), which assured the quality of clinical grade stem cell lines alongside a programme of cell and gene therapy standardisation.
The cell therapy department at AstraZeneca is a centralised hub of highly skilled people working together across disease areas to improve the lives of patients around the world. Each day I am excited to be a part of a team that maximises collaboration to show what science can do.
CURRENT ROLE
Drafted guidance for the WHO on cell and gene therapies
2020: Earned £1.2M grant
2019: Endorsed by the WHO
2017: Earned £2.1M grant
Scientific publications
UK Stem Cell Bank
O'Shea O, Abranches E. Stem Cell Res (2020), 49, 102019.
GMP Banking of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: A US and UK perspective
Abranches E, Spyrou S, Ludwig T. Stem Cell Res (2020), 45, 101805.
Distributed automated manufacturing of pluripotent stem cell products
Shariatzadeh M, Chandra A, Wilson SL, McCall MJ, Morizur L, Lesueur L, Chose O, Gepp MM, Schulz A, Neubauer JC, Zimmermann H, Abranches E, et al. Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2020), 106 (3), 1085-1103.
Neuromesodermal progenitors and the making of the spinal cord
Henrique D, Abranches E, Verrier L, Storey KG. Development (2015), 142 (17), 2864-75.
Heterogeneous lineage marker expression in naive embryonic stem cells is mostly due to spontaneous differentiation
Nair G, Abranches E, Guedes AM, Henrique D, Raj A. Scientific Reports (2015), 5, 13339.
Imaging pluripotency: time-lapse analysis of mouse embryonic stem cells
Pezzarossa A, Guedes AM, Henrique D, Abranches E. Embryonic Stem Cell Protocols - 3nd Edition, Series: Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, NJ), Springer Protocols (2015).
Stochastic Nanog fluctuations allow mouse embryonic stem cells to explore pluripotency
Abranches, E., Guedes, A. M., Moravec, M., Maamar, H., Svoboda, P., Raj, A., Henrique, D. Development (2014), 141 (14), 2770-2779.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition enhances translation of pluripotency-associated transcription factors to contribute to maintenance of mouse embryonic stem cell self-renewal
Sanchez-Ripoll Y, Bone HK, Owen T, Guedes AM., Abranches E, Kumpfmueller B, Spriggs RV, Henrique D, Welham, MJ, et al. PLoS ONE (2013), 8 (4), e60148.
Generation and characterization of a novel embryonic stem cell line with a dynamic reporter of NANOG expression
Abranches, E., Bekman, E., & Henrique, D. PLoS ONE (2013), 8 (3), e59928.
Stochastic single-gene auto-regulation
Aquino T, Abranches E, Nunes A. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys (2012), 85 (6-1), 061913.
Neural Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells in vitro: A Road Map to Neurogenesis in the Embryo
Abranches E, Silva M, Pradier L, Schulz H, Hummel O, Henrique D, Bekman E. PLoS ONE (2009), 4 (7), e6286.
Bilirubin as a determinant for altered neurogenesis, neuritogenesis, and synaptogenesis
Fernandes A, Falcão AS, Abranches E, Bekman E, Henrique D, Lanier L, Brites D. Developmental Neurobiology (2009), 69 (9), 568-582
Expansion of mouse embryonic stem cells on microcarriers
Abranches E, Bekman E, Henrique D, Cabral JM. Biotechnology & Bioengineering (2007), 96 (6), 1211-1221.
Development of quantitative PCR protocols to analyze neural progenitor cell culture state
Abranches E, O'Neill A, Robertson MJ, Schaffer DV, Cabral JM. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (2006), 44 (Pt 1), 1-8.
Expansion and neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells in adherent and suspension cultures
Abranches E, Bekman E, Henrique D, Cabral JM. Biotechnology Letters (2003), 25, 725-730.
Veeva ID: Z4-52092
Date of preparation: January 2023