Welcome Vicente to the Lab!

Hey everyone,

We have some exciting news! Starting next Tuesday, February 4th, we’ll be welcoming Vicente Federico Fernandez Davila Bottger to our lab. His full name is the longest we’ve had at the lab, and we couldn’t be happier to have him join us! Vicente will be with us until the end of June. Let’s take a moment to get to know him better before he starts next week.

Background and Journey

Vicente has a fascinating academic journey. He began his studies in Biology at the prestigious Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, using his grades to apply for studying abroad. He started at University College Utrecht in September 2022, where he has been following courses in Molecular Cell Biology, Chemistry, and even delved into Medicine. His impressive academic track record has set the stage for what seems like an incredible student career!

Supervision and Research Focus

Vicente’s research at the lab will be supervised by Petri de Jager, who is well-known for her expertise in the field. Under Petri’s guidance, Vicente will be investigating the effect of APRIL on B cell activation, unfolded protein response induction, and differentiation. His work will start with a co-culture of a GC-like B cell line with a mouse stromal cell line. His first task will be to optimize conditions for B cell viability and functionality.

Research Plan

Once the conditions are optimized, Vicente will proceed to perform flow cytometry to analyze surface markers of the B cells and assess their activation profile in response to different conditions. This will help us understand how these cells behave under various circumstances.

Next, he will use a mammalian expression system to produce APRIL and possibly BAFF. The goal is to understand how these proteins affect the B cell co-culture, and he’ll quantify unfolded protein response (UPR) gene expression using qPCR. Along the way, if time allows it, Vicente might also take on a side project involving fluorescent microscopy with Luc Krimpenfort and our other excellent student Eric Sala Sole. This will give him the opportunity to explore additional facets of his research in more depth.

Excitement and Ambition

Vicente is incredibly excited to start this journey! He’s eager to make the most of his time at the lab and contribute meaningfully to our ongoing research. His enthusiasm is palpable, and we’re all looking forward to working with him.

Wrapping Up

Vicente’s background and research focus make him a great addition to our team. His journey from Lima to Utrecht has prepared him well for this next chapter, and we’re confident he’ll bring fresh insights and innovations to our lab. We also couldn’t be more pleased that Petri de Jager will be supervising him—her expertise will undoubtedly help Vicente make the most of his time here.

Welcome aboard, Vicente! We can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve over the next few months. 🌟

Let’s all make him feel at home when he starts on Tuesday!