RUBICON GRANT FOR RESEARCH INTO NEURAL CIRCUITS IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

Dr Nina Doorn has been awarded a Rubicon grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for her postdoctoral research at ETH Zürich. She will develop a novel brain-on-chip model to better understand how neurodevelopmental disorders affect the function of neural circuits.

Nina completed her PhD at the University of Twente within the Clinical Neurophysiology (CNPH) group at the Faculty of Science and Technology, under the supervision of Prof. Michel van Putten and Dr Monica Frega. Following her PhD, she continued working as a researcher within the same group.

Her project focuses on developing a novel brain-on-chip model to investigate how neurodevelopmental disorders affect neural circuit function. By combining stem cell technology with micro-engineered neuronal circuits, the research aims to provide new insights into disease mechanisms and potential treatment strategies.

As the human brain cannot be studied directly, researchers often rely on simplified laboratory models. In this project, small neural circuits derived from patient stem cells will be developed and cultured on a chip, allowing precise measurement of how information is processed within neural networks.

A key focus will be Baker-Gordon syndrome, for which patient-specific neural circuits will be used to study disease mechanisms and test potential treatments.

The approach contributes to the development of more human-relevant and animal-free methods in brain research.

Dr. Nina Doorn

I found my love for research at the University of Twente, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue this journey with a project I truly believe in. I look forward to learning from leading experts in Zürich and growing as a researcher.