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About us
Dr. María Gómez-Serrano
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Since I was a child, I have had a big curiosity about human body and nature. After a period of uncertainty between Science and Arts during my adolescence, I finally became a Biologist and I obtained a MSc degree in Molecular Biomedicine in 2012. Afterwards, I focused my PhD in the study of human adipose tissue in obesity under Dr. Peral’s supervision at the IIB “Alberto Sols” (Madrid, Spain). After a postdoc wrap-up phase on high-throughput proteomics at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), I came to Marburg in 2019. Since then, I have been deepening into the adipose tissue biology and its communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs) within the ovarian cancer microenvironment. I strongly believe that, as well as EVs do, communication and exchange of ideas to non-scientific audience are of outmost importance. Therefore, I also like to be involved in outreach activities such as those related to the International Women in Science Day (11th of February) or Open Days at schools. |
Johanna Pörschke, PhD student
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Hello, my name is Johanna Pörschke and I am a PhD student of the GRK2573 School in Marburg. For a long time, I wasn´t sure about what kind of job I wanted to do for the rest of my life. First, I wanted to become a singer, which is completely different. But when I got in touch with neuroscience and the brain, I was stunned about how less is known…what is not only true for the brain! After that, I wanted to be part of something that helps people and to get to know about things, that have never been thought about. Because "the only way to achieve the impossible, is to believe it's possible". My current project focuses on the characterization of adipocyte-derived EVs in the context of ovarian cancer. |
Alejandro Pinedo-Serrano, PhD student
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¡Hola! My name is Alejandro Pinedo Serrano. I am from Albacete, a small city in Spain. I started my PhD at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, but I am also a PhD student here in Marburg thanks to a Cotutelle Program, which allows me to enjoy both countries and cultures! Deep down, I knew that working in a lab was my thing since I was a child as I have always been that nerdy guy who enjoyed math and sciences. After some hesitation about which bachelor's degree to pursue, I finally chose Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in the lovely city of Valencia. Apart from the lab, I really love two things: traveling and trying new food, which is the perfect match for the Cotutelle Program. In my PhD project we try to further understand the adipose tissue educated by breast cancer, especially focusing on the secretome. |
Timm Stamm, MD student
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I am from Munich, Bavaria so you probably wonder how I ended up in Marburg but I can’t even tell you myself. Either way it is one of the best things that has happened to me. I discovered my enthusiasm for the medical profession early in my youth, the variety of research in Medicine in connection with being able to help and work close with people interested me early on. My PhD work allows me to live out the scientific aspect to a great extent, while I enjoy working with people through medical school. My project on EVs not only gives me a very detailed insight into the world of basic research, but also offers the opportunity to make a small contribution to future approaches in cancer therapy. My focus stays on the creation of recombinant EVs that are equipped with the single chain variable fragment of antibodies on their surface to specifically target tumoral markers. |
Carla Cormann, MD student
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When I moved to Marburg to study medicine, I was quite certain I wanted to become a surgeon. But as I learned more about internal medicine, I developed a deep fascination for the field of oncology. Through medical clerkships I connected with a lot of ovarian cancer patients and experienced the lack of sufficient treatment at first hand. Therefore, my MD-Project is the perfect opportunity not only to gain more knowledge about the tumor microenvironment but also to contribute to research on cancer treatment. My studies focus on the role of cancer-associated adipocytes in the development of ovarian cancer chemoresistance. |
Mareike Rohrbach, MSc student
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My name is Mareike and I am doing my Master’s degree project in the junior group of María Gómez-Serrano. After studying my Bachelor in Biomedicine in Würzburg, I moved to Uppsala (Sweden) for the first year of my Master studies where I could gain many experiences and learned a lot (especially on the personal level). For the second year of my Master, I was drawn back to Germany and ended up in Marburg, which is close to where I grew up. Although I did my Bachelor thesis in the field of cardiology, I decided to focus on cancer research now. For me, the interactions of different cell types in the tumor microenvironment are especially fascinating and I’ve always wanted to work on clinic-related projects. During the upcoming months, I will focus on the effects of a downregulation of the protein transketolase in mature adipocytes in the context of ovarian cancer. |
Lea Reichel, BSc student
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Hello, my name is Lea and I'm currently doing my Bachelor's thesis. When I was little I wanted to become an architect, but after an internship I realised that this was not for me. Through school I became very interested in Biology and especially in Molecular and Cellular Biology, which is why I decided to study Biomedical Sciences. From the beginning of my studies I wanted to specialise in tumour biology and I picked the AG of Dr. María Gómez-Serrano for my thesis, because I think that the impact adipocytes have on ovarian cancer is very exciting and I want to further explore and understand this topic. |
Lisa-Marie Petermann, Lab assistant (STHK)
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Hello my name is Lisa and at the moment I am studying Biomedical Sciences here in Marburg for my BSc. When in school and growing up I recognized that I am really interested in Biology and especially in how human body functions, which is why I started my training to become a biolab assistant. After that, I carried out a voluntary year of practical work at a hemato-oncology lab and, due to this decided to start my BSc to learn even more about human biology. I am working at AG Gómez-Serrano as a SHK and, at the moment, I am developing several routine techniques in order to speed-up and support the EVITA project (carried out mainly by Johanna Pörschke). |
Alumni
Hannah P. Nehring, MSc student (MSc Thesis, Philipps University of Marburg) – Academic Year 2022/2023
Lidia Lorenzo-Catoira, PhD Visiting Student (UAC-INDITEX fellowship, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain) – Summer Semester 2023
María Á. De Pedro, PhD Visiting Student (ESCI fellowship, CCMI, Cáceres, Spain) – Summer Semester 2022
Andrés Durán, BSc student (Erasmus+ Program, University of Extremadura, Spain) – Summer Semester 2022
Susanne Hermann, BSc student (BSc Thesis, Philipps University of Marburg) – Academic Year 2021/2022