Postdoc

• Jan 2021 - Present

Starting januari 2021 I will work on the HiberTreat project. This is a TKI (Health Holland) financed collaborative effort between the Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam (Prof. dr. Philip Scheltens), the VU dept. of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (Prof. dr. Ronald van Kesteren) and Sulfateq BV. The project follows up on promising results of my PhD of both hibernation and a hibernation derived compound (SUL-138) that primes mitochondria in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse. The coming years we will work on more closely unraveling the (common) mechanisms of this SUL compound and hibernation which are able to relieve pathophysiology in these AD mice. This will aid the advancement of novel treatment options targetting mitochondria against Alzheimer's disease. Show less

Scientist - contracted preclinical research

• Sep 2021 - Present

Preclinical compound research in collaboration with Sulfateq

• Jul 2018 - Present

Inventor on patent - compounds in Alzheimer's disease

• May 2020 - May 2020

PhD Student

• Sep 2015 - Dec 2020

Subject: Exploring the neuro-regenerative properties of enhanced neuronal plasticity during hibernationSupervisors: dr. R.E. van Kesteren, Dept. Of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University AmsterdamProf. Dr. R.H. Henning, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Groningen

Got awarded 4 year funding for the HiberTreat consortium

• Jun 2020 - Jun 2020

Got awarded 4 year TKI-PPS funding for the HiberTreat consortium, a collaborative (alzheimercentrum - Philip Scheltens, CNCR - Ronald van Kesteren, Sulfateq) effort to study a novel approach to tackle Alzheimer's Disease

Organizing the ONWAR career event - 2019

• Jan 2019 - Sep 2019

PHD student

• Sep 2015 - Dec 2020

Got awarded funding for a 4th year PhD by the GSMS Groningen

• Mar 2018 - Mar 2018

A 4th year was granted by the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (UMC Groningen) based on cum laude potential

Got awarded 3 year PhD funding by the Graduate School of Medical Sciences

• Jul 2015 - Aug 2015

Got awarded funding by the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, UMCG, for a 3 year PhD project; Exploiting the neuro-regenerative properties of enhanced neuronal plasticity during hibernation. Promotor and host group: Prof. Dr. R.H. Henning, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University Medical Centre Groningen, GroningenIn collaboration with the group of dr. R.E. van Kesteren, Dept. Of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology,Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Show less

Teacher - preklinische Neurowetenschappen 2020-2021

• Aug 2020 - Nov 2020

Intern Experimental Cardiology department, Stem Cell group

• Nov 2014 - May 2015

Many studies have aimed to optimize cardio myocyte progenitor cell (CMPC) to cardiomyocyte CM differentiation, however, until now, no satisfactory protocol has been established. In 2010 Ieda et al. showed an elegant protocol for fibroblast to CM reprogramming via retroviral transduction of 3-7 transcription factors (TF’s): MEF2C, GATA4, TBX5, Myocardin, ESRRG, MESP1 and ZFP. Since these factors might also stimulate differentiation of the already cardiac lineage committed CMPC’s to Cardiomyocytes, this project is aiming to implement these TF’s in Progenitor to CM differentiation via retroviral overexpression. Optimization of different combinations of TF’s for differentiation is established via RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry and FACS. Furthermore, the added effect of previously indicated beneficial microRNA’s (1, 133, 208 and 499) is investigated. Show less

Intern Neuroscience/Medical Physiology department, UMC Groningen

• Jan 2014 - Jul 2014

A large part of current research on neurodegenerative mechanisms in i.e. Parkinson’s Disease and possible therapeutic targets is based on disease models. However, most models for late-onset diseases like PD, are inadequate and in need of optimization. Great promise lies in the iPS based (“disease-in-a-dish”) patient models. Unfortunately, since the cells in this model are reprogrammed to an embryonic stage, they do not reflect the aging aspect of PD. In this project, lentiviral transduction was used to induce a gradual chronic expression of progerin. The aim is to show that progerin overexpression can induce aging in cultured dopaminergic neuronal cells from two different cell-lines that are used as cell models for PD; a widely used “dopaminergic” SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma cell-line and hiPS cells derived from PD patients containing a SCNA triplication. Furthermore we aimed to see if this progerin-induced aging promotes or speeds up the aggregation and/or toxicity of mutated (A53T, A30P, S129A) α-synucleïn in the SH-SY5Y cell-line or overexpressed α -synucleïn in the hiPS cell-line (triplication of SCNA gene). Aging was assesed via MTT assays, RT-PCR, confocal imaging and Western blotting. Show less

Bachelorproject

• Feb 2012 - Jun 2012

‘mRank Ligand mutants for the treatment of osteoporosis: production, purification and characterization’ ‘mRank Ligand mutants for the treatment of osteoporosis: production, purification and characterization’