EUTOPIA-SIF Fellows March Seminar

The seminar will be held on Zoom. No prior registration is required. 

Izvlečki predstavljenih raziskovalnih del

• Aniket Mitra (CY Cergy Paris University): Oysters: a modern delicacy to palaeoclimate archive

Oyster shells grow by incrementally depositing calcium carbonate, recording environmental and climatic conditions from metamorphosis onward at a specific location, with lifespans ranging from months to centuries. Geochemical proxies preserved in incremental growth layers—stable and clumped isotopes, along with trace and rare earth elements—provide insights into past temperature, rainfall, and salinity. Fossil oysters discovered from today’s western Indian desert document a shift from estuarine and shallow shelf environments to a lagoon around 40-million-years ago, with temperatures of 30–35°C, minimal seasonal variation, and a 3–4 month wet season followed by a dry, warmer period of the year..

• Cristian Jimenez Romero (CY Cergy Paris University): Multi-agent Systems Powered by Large Language Models: Applications in Swarm Intelligence

This work examines the integration of large language models (LLMs) into multi-agent simulations by replacing the hard-coded programs of agents with LLM-driven prompts. The proposed approach is showcased in the context of two examples of complex systems from the field of swarm intelligence: Ant colony foraging and bird flocking. Central to this study is a toolchain that integrates GPT-4o via the OpenAI API with the NetLogo simulation platform. For both example applications mentioned above, we employ both structured, rule-based prompts and autonomous, knowledge-driven prompts. Our work demonstrates how this toolchain enables LLMs to study self-organizing processes and induce emergent behaviors within multi-agent environments, paving the way for new approaches to exploring intelligent systems and modeling swarm intelligence inspired by natural phenomena.

• Luce Perie (CY Cergy Paris University): Dynamic Interplay between Senescence and Immune Response Shapes Ovarian Cancer Cell Response in the Tumor Microenvironment

Ovarian cancer primarily affects women aged 65 and older and remains highly fatal, with aging recognized as a significant risk factor. In many cases, an inflammatory fluid called ascites accumulates, containing factors that facilitate tumor dissemination and induce senescence in neighboring cells. The synergistic interaction of fibroblasts and ovarian cancer cells has been shown to enhance cancer invasion, and the secretome of senescent fibroblasts—particularly fibronectin—appears to contribute to this process. However, the precise role of the senescent environment in tumor dissemination remains unclear. In this work, the influence of senescent fibroblasts on ovarian cancer dissemination will be investigated by determining whether inflammatory conditions alter fibroblast senescence, identifying relevant markers, and analyzing cancer cell responses to the senescent fibroblast secretome. Proliferation, adhesion, and migration will be assessed to evaluate the dissemination capacity of cancer cells under these conditions. Finally, the potential to mitigate tumor progression by scavenging key molecules secreted by senescent fibroblasts will be examined. This comprehensive approach integrates clinical and basic research with multiplex analyses to clarify the molecular dialogue between senescent cells and ovarian cancer cells in an inflammatory context, potentially guiding the development of targeted therapies.