Karen Laupman
Contact info
-
Address
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR)
Department of Complex Trait Genetics
Research Building
De Boelelaan 1100
1081 HZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands -
E-mail
-
Phone
Short CV
| 2020 – | PhD candidate | Amsterdam UMC |
| 2015-2019 | MSc Neurobiology, track Psychopharmacology and Pathophysiology | |
| 2018-2019 | Internship | Institute for Reconstructive Neurobiology, Bonn, Germany |
| 2016 | Internship | Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands |
| 2012-2015 | BSc Psychobiology | |
Research
Classically, schizophrenia (SCZ)-related research has focused on neuronal involvement in the development of SCZ. However, besides neurons there are equally important cell types present in the (developing) brain such as glial cells. In the lab of Posthuma, previous research has focused on the role of iPSC-derived astrocytes. These findings will be further evaluated in the current PhD project while simultaneously focusing on the other glial cells known to be affected in schizophrenia: oligodendrocytes. In this specific experimental setting, the use of iPSCs gives us the advantage to study these neural cells in a scalable, controlled and developmental-like setting. This especially makes it possible to examine the interplay between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and their influence on neurons. An approach which will hopefully allow us to delineate the effects and causes and thereby providing more insight into the development of schizophrenia.
Highlighted publications
• Flitsch, LJ, Laupman, KE, Brüstle, O. Transcription Factor-Based Fate Specification and Forward Programming for Neural Regeneration Front Cell Neurosci 2020