Personal Summary

I’m a medical doctor working on my PhD at the Departments of Biochemistry (CARIM/FHML) and Vascular Surgery (MUMC+), where I bridge fundamental research with clinical practice. My research focuses on unravelling the pathophysiology of aneurysm disease and identifying drugs which could halt aneurysm growth. To achieve this, we have established an aneurysm biobank at CARIM, where we collect blood and tissue samples from open surgical repair of abdominal, as well as thoracic aortic aneurysms. I then analyse and characterise part of these samples, as well as isolate diseased vascular smooth muscle cells for cellular experiments. And, of course, I also exchange my lab coat for a surgical gown once in a while, adding a little thrill to my work!

Contact

If you're interested in my research topic or simply want to share ideas, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to me at lia.bica@maastrichtuniversity.nl!