Betzabeth studied Biology at the University of Carabobo (Venezuela) and a Master in Sciences with a specialisation in Immunology from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). She started her PhD in March 2023 at the cBITE Department under the supervision of Dr. Berta Cillero-Pastor and Prof. Martijn van Griensven.  Her project is about the development of in vitro models to study musculoskeletal diseases such as Osteoarthritis (OA) in order to improve the regenerative capacity of complex tissues such as cartilage. OA is the most common musculoskeletal disorder affecting one or several joints, comprising pain and disability, without an effective treatment. In recent years, the infra-patellar fat pad tissue (IPFP) has gained attention because its capacity of secreting pro-inflammatory mediators which can induce catabolic responses in the joint.

In this project, she aims at studying the role of IPFP as potential therapeutic target in OA. Her goal is also the characterisation of different cell populations within the IPFP using high throughput technologies, including proteomics and mass spectrometry imaging.