We are excited to announce that Sofia Santos, a promising young researcher, has joined the FishInSight project through a prestigious FCT Doctoral Studentship awarded in a non-academic environment under the 2024 call. Her PhD project, titled “Fish immune-microbiota dynamics in aquaculture: Insights from an in vitro model,” aims to push the boundaries of aquaculture research while aligning with FishInSight’s mission to reduce reliance on live fish experimentation.

Sofia’s research focuses on the complex interactions between the immune system and microbiota in farmed European seabass, a species of growing importance in sustainable aquaculture. Currently, Sofia is working in collaboration with the Microbiology Lab at ICBAS, under the guidance of Professor Paulo Costa and Dr. Joana Campos, where she is optimizing the cultivation conditions for European seabass gut microbiota. Her efforts involve fine-tuning media compositions, incubation times, temperature ranges, and dilution strategies to successfully cultivate and maintain diverse gut microbial communities.

From mid-June through August 2025, Sofia will embark on an international research visit to the renowned Roslin Institute in Edinburgh. Hosted by Professor Dan Macqueen’s lab, she will work on single-cell RNA sequencing data from European seabass immune organs. This high-resolution analysis will provide key insights into immune cell types and gene expression patterns, further enhancing the in vitro immune-microbiota model.

Sofia’s work embodies the spirit of innovation and collaboration at the heart of FishInSight. Her contributions are paving the way for next-generation tools that can accelerate feed development, improve fish health management, and promote a more responsible approach to aquaculture research. We look forward to sharing more updates as her project progresses and celebrating the exciting milestones to come!