Self-employment in collaboration with Fraunhofer ITEM, Hannover, GermanySupport during the compilation of dossiers for biocidal products

Planning projects in the field of in vitro inhalation toxicologyProject leader e-cigarette studies

At Target Discovery, I was involved in the discovery and validation of biomarkers with regard to ovarian and prostate cancer. Abnormal cell behavior during cancer progression can lead to the production of post-translational protein modifications (PTMs), which are not produced in non-cancer cells. The detection and quantification of these PTMs can help to obtain a "biochemical footprint" allowing the diagnosis and classification of the cancer. My work at Target Discovery comprised the detection and analyzation of protein isoforms with proteomic methods like capillary electrophoresis, western blotting and the ELISA technique.

In June 2009, I joined Cultex® laboratories, a research lab which is engaged in the field of in vitro inhalation toxicology. My subject was the exposure of human bronchial epithelial cells with cigarette smoke and the subsequent analysis of the resulting damages. During the two years at Cultex Laboratories, have established several analytical methods, including RT-PCR, ELISA, Western Blotting, SDS-Gelelectrophoresis and fluorescent as well as colorimetric cell based assays. My responsibilities at Cultex® Laboratories contained the development, execution and evaluation of the experiments as well as the oral and written presentation of the results in English.

In June 2007 I started my PhD thesis at the Leibniz University of Hanover. The subject of the thesis was the development of a biomimetic composite material for Bone Tissue Engineering applications by means of the modification of a ceramic material with bioactive ligands like BMP-2. The modified material was tested concerning its applicability in vitro by means of a special bioreactor using adipose-derived stem cells. I was involved in the isolation of these cells from fat tissue obtained by an abdominal plastic surgery. Furthermore, we isolated and successfully cultivated stem cells from umbilical cord tissue for bioreactor cultivation applications. After the cultivation of the cells, the analytical assessment was carried out performing cellular based assays (MTT assay, LDH release), gene expression analysis (RT-PCR), histological stainings as well as the interpretation of SEM micrographs.