UAntwerp – Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Blog Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Hi, my name is Nathalie Verzele and I’m a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland in Australia. My PhD topic is “The neuromodulation of inflammation in pulmonary infections” in the virology lab of the “Flu Fighter”, Dr. Kirsty Short in collaboration with Dr. Alice McGovern. How did I get here, you ask? Let me tell you, it was a long road with many ups and downs.
New research from Prof. Vincent Timmerman’s lab, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford, has elucidated the structural changes caused by a mutation in the molecular chaperone Hsp27 (HSPB1). Chaperones are a group of proteins that have functional similarity and assist in protein folding. This work not only sheds light on an important disease-causing mutation, it also reveals an important mechanism by which this chaperone functions.
Hi, my name is Christina Christia. I studied chemistry at the Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) in Greece, where I obtained my Master’s degree in Environmental Chemistry. I am currently a PhD student at the UAntwerp Toxicological Center, under supervision of Prof. Adrian Covaci. My PhD project is focused on characterising the occurrence, metabolism and contribution to human exposure of new chemical compounds present in the indoor environment.
I’m Hanne Verswyvel, a second year PhD student, working on a joint project between the Center for Oncological Research and the Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – ANTwerp. Starting a PhD can feel like a great leap into the unknown. Thus, I’ve put together some useful tips and strategies that can help you to get started in an organised way.
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species that are transmitted by the bites of female sand flies. The failure rate of leishmaniasis treatment is rising in recent years due to the emergence of resistance to the major antileishmanial drugs. Evaluating the impact of drug resistance on parasite fitness is pivotal for monitoring its development and spread.
Gwendolyn Vliegen, a PhD student working with Prof. Ingrid De Meester in the Laboratory for Medical Biochemistry, just completed a study on identifying new diagnostic biomarkers for sepsis.
PhD training programs are often too focused on academia. Thanks to a European initiative, the Innovative Training Network, PhD students can perform research at two different universities and also obtain practical training in a pharmaceutical company.