Abstract

This Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar will take place on Thursday 16 April 2026, starting at 4:00pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Roser Vento-Tormo, Group leader in Cellular Genomics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge

Title: “Tissue biology through the lens of women’s health“

Abstract: Female reproductive tissues are central to women’s health, with roles far beyond reproduction, yet they have long been understudied at the cellular and molecular level. Using single-cell and spatial technologies combined with novel computational tools, our team is decoding the cellular organisation of these tissues. We have redefined immune cells as active regulators of tissue function and gynaecological disease; identified progenitors and supporting cells across the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus; and revealed hidden stromal signalling gradients that compartmentalise tissues and guide their formation and function. Using cellular atlases as a reference, my team has pioneered the benchmarking and improvement of in vitro models that faithfully mimic human tissues, including reproductive organoid systems and scalable platforms to study immune function. Together, these advances are reshaping female biology into a predictive, model-driven science and opening new paths toward transformative solutions for women’s health.

Bio: Dr Roser Vento-Tormo is a Group Leader in the Cellular Genomics Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK. Established in 2019, her lab (https://ventolab.org/) is dedicated to understanding how gene circuits regulate cell identity and how the tissue microenvironment rewires them, in the context of reproductive tissues and immunity. They have systematically applied single-cell and spatial genomics to reproductive tissues across the lifespan, and developed computational and experimental frameworks to interpret data and functionally validate predictions. This work has elucidated how reproductive tissues are formed during development, how their constituent cells interact and remodel during the menstrual cycle, and how these processes are disrupted in diseases that disproportionately affect women. Roser has trained numerous PhD students and postdocs, three of whom are now group leaders, and is a co-ordinator of the Reproductive Bionetwork of the Human Cell Atlas. She has attracted highly competitive funding (for example from ERC , MRC, NIH , CZI, Wellcome-LEAP) and has been recognised by numerous awards including the Early Career Research Award from the Biochemistry Society (2021) and the Foulkes Foundation Prize (2025).

Host: Dr Virginia Pedicord, CITIID , Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the seminar.