Dr Laure Gambardella

Senior Staff Scientist

 
I leverage my scientific expertise in organoid models to enhance project delivery by bridging Faculty and operational teams. By integrating automation, innovation, and machine learning into production pipelines, I aim to improve quality and throughput while optimising workflows and enabling more efficient use of resources across CellGen and the wider Institute.

I lead a cross-functional initiative to improve the efficiency, scalability, and sustainability of complex skin organoid production from human pluripotent stem cells. While this system provides a powerful model for studying human skin development and disease, it requires approximately 150 days to generate mature organoids, with outcome uncertainty persisting for up to 75 days. My work focuses on enabling earlier prediction of success and final organoid quality through machine learning–driven automated quality control using brightfield imaging. This approach will reduce costs, enhance reproducibility, and improve data quality, supporting lab-in-the-loop systems, downstream drug screening, and alignment with Institute strategy.
This initiative is a collaboration between Cellular Services, led by Amy Yeung, and the Haniffa Lab within Cellular Genomics, with contributions from multiple operational teams across the Institute.

I joined the Sanger Institute in 2021, where I spent four years in Muzz Haniffa’s group establishing the skin organoid platform before transferring it to Cellular Services.
In 2024, I was enrolled in the Accelerating Talent Programme, a leadership initiative selecting 24 high-potential staff and designed to develop the skills of the future Institute leaders. As part of this programme, I co-led a project to strengthen a culture of innovation across the Institute, culminating in the organisation of the inaugural Sanger Innovation Day Symposium.

Prior to joining Sanger, I worked at leading research institutions, including EPFL, the Babraham Institute, and the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. My work has consistently focused on applying advanced methodologies—such as live 3D confocal imaging, stem cell engineering, and single-cell biology—to accelerate scientific discovery.

My timeline

 
Wellcome Sanger Institute

Programmes and Facilities

 

Programme

Cellular Genomics

Cellular Genomics is a diverse and inclusive programme that aims to decode and recode the tissue ecosystems of the human body. ...