Division of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedenAIMES Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Sweden

AIMES Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, SwedenDivision of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedenMSc Thesis Project: Patient-specific hiPSC-derived Microphysiological System of the Blood Brain Barrier to Study Impaired Brain Glucose Metabolism.• Cultivated human induced pluropitent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome patients (and apparently healthy controls).• Differentiated and sorted them using magnetic- activated cells sorting (MACS) method into endothelial cells and pericytes.• Assessed morphology and functionality of the differentiated cells by measuring expression of cell type specific markers, incl. junction proteins (immunocytochemistry, ICC), barrier integrity (transednohelial electrical resistance (TEER) and molecular tracing), vascular tube formation, as well as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).• Investigated the differentiated cells energy metabolism by measuring nutrient consumption and metabolite secretion.• Fabricated organ-on-a-chip (OoC) microfluidic platforms.• Developed seeding strategies for on-chip co-cultures of endothelial cells and pericytes.

Part-time (minimum of 40 hours per month)

Division of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Department of Internal MedicineProject: Cancer-associated thrombosis-on-a-chip: insights into colorectal cancer.• Isolated and cultivated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.• Cultured both colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and fibroblast cells to generate hanging-drop cell aggregates and collect supernatants.• Implemented the cultured endothelial cells and malignant cellular aggregates on a microfluidic platform that allowed the co-culturing of tumour spheroid-like formations with a perfused microvasculature.• Performed and optimized a real-time 3D barrier integrity assay on the microfluidic device.• Utilized ImageJ to analyze the obtained fluorescence images to study the influence of the malignant cells on the permeability of the vessels.• Carried out the high-sensitive 2D Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) experiment to validate the obtained results from the 3D permeability experiments.• Conducted and optimized a real-time 3D thrombin generation experiment that was previously established by the lab on the microfluidic platform.• Analyzed the obtained images using ImageJ and manually converted the obtained fluorescence signal into its representing thrombin concentration to investigate the influence of the tumour cells on the production of thrombin.• Researched and wrote a report showcasing the potential implementation of this innovative technology to study cancer-associated thrombosis, especially focusing on the evaluation of the effects of five genes of interest on the development of thrombosis in a CRC setting.

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS)Project: The Effect of Sphingosine 1-phosphate Analogue FTY720 on Amyloid β Pathology and Neuroinflammation Associated with the Activation of Microglia and Astrocytes in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease.• Conducted polymer chain reaction (PCR)- based genotyping to determine the animals possessing the presenilin 1 and amyloid precursor protein genes associated with AD.• Performed protein extraction through physical disruption using the method of sonication as a preparation for western blotting.• Carried out enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect and quantify amyloid β protein concentration.• Neuronal tissue was dissected using a cryostat machine.• Performed IHC staining assessing antibodies for microglia and astrocytes markers concomitantly with amyloid plaques staining using Thioflavin S• Utilized ImajeJ to edit and analyze the images obtained from the staining to investigate the influence of FTY720 on both inflammation and amyloid plaques formation.

Part-time (minimum 56 hours per month)

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS)BSc Thesis Project: Optimization of Immunohistochemistry Staining of Adeno-associated Virus-mediated Ceramide Transporter Protein (long isoform) Expression in Neurons in Wild Type Mouse Brain.• Set up the experiment with the help of thesis supervisor.• Cryostat sectioned previously obtained mouse neuronal tissue.• Performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining assessing the adeno-associated virus (AVV)- mediated expression of CERTL concomitantly with neuronal marker NeuN to investigate whether the rabbit polyclonal anti-CERTL stains predominantly neurons.• Utilized ImageJ to edit obtained images.• Researched and wrote a 13- page paper evaluating the efficiency of AAV- mediated CERTL expression over 12 weeks in wild type mouse brain and provided an optimized IHC staining protocol so that further research in transgenic mice expressing 5 familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mutations can be performed.