First PhD student on AIMMS project bridged

Azra Delic started on the AIMMS project, bridging the research groups of Target and Systems Biochemistry, Systems Bioinformatics, Molecular Cell Physiology and Biomolecular Analysis. Three PhD students will combine their expertise in a systems biology approach to unravel the network pathophysiology of tumorigenesis. Read more about the project at tumorigenesis - systems biology II

Azra tells:

"During my master I noticed that I enjoyed doing research and decided that my next step would be a PhD. I had already spent 7 months at the Molecular Pharmacology department doing my major project and was very enthusiastic about the research being done. I had also spent 5 months in Vienna during my minor doing research in oncology at Boehringer Ingelheim. I was keen on finding a position that focuses on cancer research and GPCRs, a combination of the two fields I was introduced to during my master.  Professor Martine Smit offered me a position on the AIMMS project on Molecular mechanism of biological processes.  I was very interested in the project right away because it was just what I was looking for: a multidisciplinary project on interactions between signal transduction and metabolism in cancer with a focus on GPCRs.  I accepted the position and I am now a part of a team that includes three PhD students.

Because of our different background and specialties we are able to have a novel approach on how to unravel the complicated network in the very complex disease called cancer. What I most like about the project is the fact that I am learning to look at research questions from a different prospective and that I am working with people from different research areas. We are also collaborating on this project with a group from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston USA and I got the opportunity to go there and work in there lab for 2 months. It was an amazing experience where I learned many new techniques. Overall, with this project I hope we get another step closer to unraveling very complex interactions and using that knowledge  for finding novel targets for cancer treatment."