MODEM
PhD Blog
Arno Stellingwerf
Throughout his studies in Biomedical Sciences at Radboud University (Nijmegen), Arno has been fascinated by the role of proteins in disease. His scientific interest started way back in his youth, while watching the Dutch TV-show "Het Klokhuis", where his curiosity and eagerness to learn started blossoming.
Arno's current PhD project covers the role of fluid biomarkers of blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, under the supervision of professor Marcel Verbeek (Radboud UMC). In his project, he will study which markers reflect BBB damage in patient cohorts (AD, CAA, other dementias), in order to implement biomarker tests in clinical practise and monitor treatments.
As part of Pillar 3, Arno is a PhD student at Radboud UMC (Nijmegen) under the supervision of Marcel Verbeek. He started in March 2023.
"In this project, I'm able to stay in connection with the people for whom I actually started studying Biomedical Sciences in the first place; the patient. The social interaction gives me a lot of energy and stimulates my drive to work on the project goal."
Arno's current challenge is selecting the right proteins from a large protein pool that could be involved in the process of BBB dysfunction. Moreover, he is managing and assisting in the sample collection of CSF and blood serum.
His next goal is to get started on the first selected potential biomarkers and their corresponding ELISA-kits. In the long term, his first great milestone would be to finish the sampling of his patient cohort and analyzing the selected biomarkers on these samples.
Get to know Arno
Best qualities:
"My resilience, which is driven by my stubbernness, enthusiasm and curiosity"
Scientific goals:
"Learn from others, and hopefully contribute to someone else's learning development at some point."
Room for growth:
"Presenting!"
Homework
Jannis Heuer
Jannis' scientific career started at Maastricht University, where he got his bachelor's degree in Psychology and wrote his thesis on the impact of machine learning on the diagnosis of AD. He pursued a research master at Maastricht University as well, where he focused on clinical & cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on drug development. For his thesis, he went abroad and perfomed experimental research at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Jannis' PhD project aims to discover novel targets for treatment at the neurovascular unit (NVU) at Amsterdam UMC, under the supervision of prof. dr. Elga de Vries. In his project, he will study the underlying molecular pathways and cellular interactions of the NVU, in order to discover novel biomarkers for NVU dysfunction in patients, which may lead to innovative intervention strategies.
"Our goal is to find commonalities by using an open and unbiased approach with a high degree of translatability. We will ensure this translatalibity by generating data from post-mortem brains and validate results in patient-derived in vitro and in vivo models of the BBB". Here, Jannis wants to generate datasets on different types of dementias, such as AD, CAA or FTD. The datasets that are generated attempt to represent the complexity of the disease by combining multiple dimensions of biology (i.e. transcripts, proteins, lipids).
As part of Pillar 3, Jannis is a PhD student at the lab of Elga de Vries at Amsterdam UMC. He started in March 2023.
By learning in detail about the underlying mechanisms of the BBB in neurodegenerative disease and aging, Jannis wants to take inspiration from this knowledge in order to apply it to real world applications. Ultimately, he aims the project to increase the quality of life.
Get to know Jannis
Best qualities:
"My strengths lie in general teamwork and project management. I aspire to be an empathic and motivating leader, where communication is of great importance. "
Scientific goals:
"Building a unique experise around my topic; to identify and characterize new treatment targets which is shared among different dementias. I would love to perform proof of concept studies later on!"
Room for growth:
"I want to build on my existing stkill set, but also build a new expertise as a scientist."
Homework
Niek Renckens
As a PhD student at the SILS department at the UvA, Niek focuses on the effect of early-life environment in modulating AD progression and severity. Here, factors such as stress and nutrition may influence neuroinflammation and severity in AD.
Starting his scientific journey as early as in high school, Niek discovered a love for chemistry and biology. He did his BSc Molecular Life Sciences at Utrecht University, where his internships focused on neuronal connectivity in a mouse model for autism. During his MSc, his interests in neuroscience and immunology led him to the lab of Elly Hol (UMCU), where he worked on early microgliosis in an AD mouse model. In the lab of Rainer Glaß in Munich, Niek explored microglial depletion strategies in glioblastoma multiforme therapy.
His current project focuses on neuroinflammation by studying the microglia in AD. He also focuses on memory engrams, where he investigates how AD and microglia alter memory circuits and its cognitive impact.
“Alzheimer’s disease research is at a fascinating crossroads. The failure to halt Alzheimer’s disease progression of amyloidclearingtherapies, such as lecanemab and donanemab, and the existence of centenarians with significant amyloid plaque load who remain Alzheimer’s-free have cast doubt on the amyloid cascade hypothesis. We must explore alternative processes that might determine Alzheimer’s susceptibility,
and microglia are a prime candidate due to presence of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. ”
As part of pillar 2, Niek (standing 2nd on the right) is a PhD student at the SILS UvA under the supervision of dr. Aniko Korosi.
Get to know Niek
Best qualities:
"I have always liked learning new things, and my curiosity has driven me forward. I'm confident in my ability to learn quickly and navigate the lab independently"
Scientific goals:
"As I look to the future, I am focussing on completing my review article and launching my next project involving behavioural experiments."
Room for growth:
"Becoming more meticulous in my work and improve my planning skills"
Ambika Mahajan
In the lab of Wiep Scheper at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ambika's research focuses on neuron-glia interactions in tau pathology in iPSC-derived models.
With a background in psychology back in India, Ambika moved to the Netherlands to pursue a MSc in Neuroscience, which was quite a big transition. By completing various internships, she gained many skills and learned about different fields in Neuroscience.
Ambika always had a strong interest in the research field of neurodegenerative disease, especially by using cutting-edge technologies to address complex research questions. Her work follows up on earlier research on how intraneuronal tau pathology induces the intergrated stress response in astrocytes.
“I am proud that my research will make a meaningful contribution to understanding and combating tauopathies. It is fulfilling to know that my work may play a role in advancing scientific knowledge and improving the lives of those affected by this challenging condition.”
As part of pillar 1, Ambika (3rd on the right) is a PhD studenten at the VU Amsterdam under the supervision of prof. dr. Wiep Scheper
Georgia Malliou
Georgia started her scientific journey in Greece at Democritus University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Her thesis focused on studying apoptotic factors in placental tissue with chorioamnionitis, blending lab work and epidemiological analysis. This experience ignited her passion for epidemiology. To delve deeper, she moved to the Netherlands for a master’s in Molecular and Genomic Epidemiology at Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She became fascinated by omics methodologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabol-omics) and the world of statistics. Her master’s thesis explored the links between gut microbiome-related metabolites and arterial calcification.
Georgia is now a PhD candidate at the Alzheimer Center in Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC. Her research project aims to uncover the underlying biological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by integrating omics data from patients, cell lines, and mouse models across various modalities such as cerebrospinal fluid, brain tissue, and blood. She works under the supervision of Pieter Jelle Visser and Betty Tijms for Pillar 4 in the MODEM consortium.
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As part of pillar 4, Georgia is a PhD student working under the supervision of dr. Betty Tijms and prof. dr. Pieter Jelle Visser
“In this project, I am able to combine my knowledge from fundamental mechanistic research and large-scale epidemiologic studies. The integration of all these modalities is both a great challenge and an exciting stimulus for me. By understanding the molecular heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease, we, as scientific community, aim to find precise and personalized medication for AD patients, ultimately improving diagnosis and patient care.”
Get to know Georgia
Best qualities:
“I love meeting people and collaborating. Science advances through teamwork and open communication.”
Scientific goals:
“It's impossible to know everything, but I aim to build a solid understanding of the molecular mechanisms in AD and maintain my curiosity and passion for research. If I am lucky enough, I will continue learning every day—that is the ultimate goal.”
Room for growth:
“Figuring out how to navigate my PhD journey.”
