Fēlikss Rūmnieks
Research Assistant
National Institute of Research and Innovation (NIRI), Latvia
Fēlikss Rūmnieks is a research assistant at the National Institute of Research and Innovation, specializing in cancer biology and the development of advanced in vitro model systems. He is also completing his doctoral degree at the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Latvia. His thesis research focuses on two areas: unravelling the cell fate mechanisms underlying BRAF-mutant melanoma resistance to Vemurafenib – including the role of polyploid giant cancer cells and embryonic reprogramming – and modelling in vitro melanoma tumors in vascularized human skin equivalent platforms. By combining fundamental cancer cell biology with in vitro tissue engineering, he aims to improve preclinical models for drug resistance research.