Internship: Molecular mechanisms of the blood-retina and blood-brain barrier

Cerebral edema—swelling of the brain—is a potentially life-threatening condition, while diabetic macular edema (DME)—swelling of the retina—is a leading cause of blindness. Both conditions arise from dysfunction of their respective protective barriers: the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-retina barrier (BRB). This dysfunction is typically triggered by growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), produced during oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) in nerve tissue, and/or inflammatory mechanisms. Previous research has provided significant insight into the molecular mechanisms behind BRB disruption, including the identification of an endothelial cell-specific protein that plays a critical role. We have demonstrated that inhibiting this protein can prevent BRB permeability both in vitro and in vivo. However, the exact mechanism—and the other proteins involved—remains to be fully elucidated, which we aim to investigate further in this project.

As part of this research, you will gain hands-on experience in various molecular biology techniques, including: 

> Cell culture 

> Flow cytometry 

> Permeability assays 

> Confocal microscopy 

> Western blotting 

> Immunoprecipitation 

> qPCR 

Interested? Send your CV and a short motivation (in Dutch or English) to Ingeborg Klaassen: i.klaassen @ amsterdamumc.nl.