Nationality: German
Background: I hold an integrated master’s degree in Pure and Applied Chemistry from the University of Strathclyde. Upon completion of my degree, I spent just over a year working as a researcher at a biochemical company in Austria, further deepening my interest in polymers and their applications within medicinal chemistry.
My research interests: synthetic organic chemistry, Raman spectroscopy and their application for biomedical and medical diagnostics.
My PhD goals: Develop new nanoMIPs with fluorescent properties for cell imaging targeting glycosylated tumour antigens, improve my analytical skills and exchange ideas with other inspired minds to become a better researcher.
My hobbies: : I fence and do photography, preferably while travelling and exploring new places. I also draw and paint occasionally, and I love cooking new dishes.
My project in MIPrecise: Development of ultrabright and magnetic nanoMIPs for cell sorting
Master thesis: Probes for intracellular sensing using Raman spectroscopy.
Human cells are very complex bio-chemical systems where normal function rely on carefully regulated chemical processes. Many diseases lead to abnormal intracellular environment. The non-invasive study of intracellular activities is therefore of great interest to medicinal chemists. When the factors controlling the intracellular environment are at aberrant levels, normal cellular function may be disrupted. For example, diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are accompanied with unregulated changes of biochemical properties inside cells. The study of the intracellular environment furthers our understanding of cellular function and disease progression. Therefore, the ability to sense changes in the intracellular environment could facilitate the development of more effective treatments of diseases such as cancer. The intracellular redox environment is one of the tightly regulated factors that must be maintained for a cell to perform its desired function. The quantification of the intracellular redox potential has therefore become an area of great interest to researchers in recent years. Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for the imaging of live cells, and whilst the use of Raman spectroscopy to sense intracellular pH has been well documented, the reported number of redox probes for detection by Raman spectroscopy is still limited. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a potential probe molecule for the sensing of intracellular redox potential by Raman spectroscopy.