Research description
Ischaemic stroke is associated with impaired integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and restoration of barrier function has emerged as a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention. We identified PDGF-C/PDGF receptor alpha (PDGFRα) signalling as a key pathway in mediating BBB opening and aim at understanding its involvement in the biological processes occurring in the neurovascular unit.
In order to elucidate the mechanism of how PDGFRα signalling modulates BBB integrity, I deploy various transgenic mouse lines which are e.g. deficient for PDGFRα or express a fluorescent reporter in different cell types of the brain. In my project, I combine a photoinducible ischaemic stroke model of middle cerebral artery occlusion with longitudinal two-photon imaging for real-time assessment of stroke progression.
Education
2015-2018 - Molecular Bioscience (MSc) at Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, Germany
2012-2015 - Biomedical Science (BSc) at Philipps University Marburg, Germany