About me

I did my Bachelor of Applied Sciences at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands. After my BASc I continued my studies doing a Research Master of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Groningen. After completion of my Master’s degree I started a so called Sandwich (2+2) PhD project, of which I did my first 2 years at the University Medical Centre Groningen under supervision of Dr. Corry-Anke Brandsma and Prof. Irene Heijink. Currently I am doing my final 2 years of my PhD at the Woolcock Institute in Sydney under supervision of Prof. Brian Oliver.

My Project

The overall topic of my project is lung ageing and tissue remodelling in COPD, as COPD is believed to be a disease of accelerated ageing. In Groningen I started to look at multiple ageing hallmarks in primary lung fibroblasts and confirming those findings in total lung tissue. My research at the Woolcock is more focussed on the major hallmark of ageing; cellular senescence, which is an irreversible cell cycle arrest to prevent; cell death on one hand and tumour cell development on the other hand. However, accumulation of cellular senescence can lead to tissue dysfunction, including lung tissue.