We are an interdisciplinary group interested in the role of membrane proteins, especially ion channels, in cellular (mis-) communication leading to disease, especially cancer and nervous system disorders. While we generate fundamental knowledge on the functioning of ion channels, we also re-design them to perform novel tasks, such as acting as a remote-controlled valve in nanodevices, as a detector in sensors, or as a tool to interfere with bioelectrical signals. Our toolbox includes molecular biology, synthetic biology, biophysics, and various patch clamp electrophysiology tools.
Currently, we are working on:
- Bioelectrical signaling of cells at different (patho-)physiological conditions.
- Identifying differentially expressed ion channels and membrane proteins in neuroblastoma tumor cells and their tumor-derived extracellular vesicles.
- Elucidating a molecular switching mechanism in AMPA receptors in Purkinje neurons activated during motor learning . (Read more)
- Tumor-derived extracellular vesicle engineering for cancer diagnosis and nanotechnology applications.
- Deciphering the time-resolved cellular communication between neuroblastoma tumor cells with bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells leading to therapy resistance.
- Mechanistic understanding of mutations in a voltage-gated potassium channel (Kv4.3) in Purkinje neurons, leading to spinocerebellar ataxia type 19/21. (Read more)
Latest news...
(May 2024) Molecules for Society: a VU – UT molecular (life) science challenge
Warm congratulations to Dr. Edwin de Jong (BioEE), together with his 3 other colleagues from the Department of Molecules and Materials, and 4 researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) on receiving a 'Molecules for Society: a VU – UT molecular (life) science challenge' grant.
The project aims for:
1) being trained on securing consortia grants from forming an interdisciplinary consortium with scientists and industry partners
2) Applying for a competitive grant by using this knowledge
If you are curious about the current activities of the VU-UT team, you can find the latest news here.
HUGO MARKUS WINS 4TU.HEALTH PHD COMPETITION
Warm congratulations to Hugo for being one of the three winners of 4TU.Health PhD competition!
The competition aims to challenge PhD students from the health and tech domain to present their research to others from four technical universities in The Netherlands. It is an exciting and engaging platform for young researchers to explore new topics and generate collaborations. You can see all 44 posters here. We wish Hugo lots of success in his research. Team BioEE, 23 March 2023
MASTER PROJECTS (min 6 months)
BioEE group is looking for master students with a biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering background for the following projects:
- Elucidating the bioelectric signaling of tumor cells
- Extracellular vesicle engineering and its applications
- Functional studies on cancer cell ion channels
- Elucidating the molecular switching mechanism of cAMP-induced activation of cerebellar Purkinje neuron AMPA receptors (wet-lab (UT) or molecular dynamics simulations - UT in collaboration with VU-)
If you are an enthusiastic person interested in experimental research at the crossroads of basic science and engineering and looking for a challenge, please get in touch with us for the details of the projects.