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  • Follow up: Consense meets at KU Leuven!

    Follow up: Consense meets at KU Leuven!

    Hey everyone! Last week was the 2nd Consense Week in Leuven, Belgium, where we had an incredible opportunity to learn new skills and share our progress. We heard cool talks about the latest research in the field of photonic plasmonic sensors and ESRs shared their own projects in continuous sensing. Plus, we had an awesome workshop on how to make eye-catching graphics and visuals! Let’s dive in!

    Science

    During the scientific talks, we learned about the newest discoveries in the field, like how photonic plasmonic sensors can help us monitor the environment and diagnose illnesses. It was really interesting to see all the different applications of this technology! The lectures covered a range of topics:

     

    This showcased the latest advances in the field, challenges, and opportunities for future research and applications, providing a comprehensive view of the field.

    But the best part was definitely the student presentations, where we got to hear about what our fellow researchers are working on. We gave each other feedback and shared ideas, which was super helpful! On top of that, this was the first meeting with all 15 ESRs physically present, and also the first one for our newest member Daniil who just started his PhD in EPFL, Switzerland.

    Transferrable skills

    In addition to learning scientific disciplines, ESRs have to acquire skills to effectively communicate their research findings and bring their ideas to life. For this, we had Filip Delport (FOx) and Menno Prins (TUE / HELIA) sharing their experiences “from academia to the spin-off”, followed by “An Introduction to Patents: System, Procedures, Rights” delivered by European Patent Attorney, Ivo De Baere (KUL). It was really insightful to hear about how researchers can turn their ideas into real-world applications.

    Finally, we had a workshop on visual communication, where illustrators and former scientists Luk Cox and Idoya Lahortiga from Somersault1824 taught us how to make amazing posters, infographics, and presentations. It was hands-on and fun, and we all got to show off our new skills.

    Overall, Consense Week was a great opportunity for us to learn, share, and connect with each other. We can’t wait to see what amazing things will come out of this field in the future! Do not miss out!

  • Upcoming: 2nd CONSENSE Week @ KU Leuven!

    Upcoming: 2nd CONSENSE Week @ KU Leuven!

    Next week, the CONSENSE ESRs and consortium will get together for the 2nd CONSENSE week – a weeklong meeting filled with scientific discussions, transfer lectures, interactive outreach sessions and a 2-day ESR workshop focusing on academic publishing.

    The meeting will commence with progress updates and discussions on all 15 ESR projects, offering the possibility for valuable real-time and in-plenum feedback, and paving the way for the next steps forward. The scientific lectures will be dedicated to the topics of “Photonic Biosensors for Real-time Monitoring of Live and Single cells” and “Single molecule plasmon sensing” delivered by Hatice Altug (EPFL) and Peter Zijlstra (TUE). The third scientific lecture will be held by Christophe Caucheteur (UMONS) on “Optical fiber grating-based plasmonic biochemical sensors”.

    Moving from science to transfer-and entrepreneurial skills, Filip Delport (FOx) and Menno Prins (TUE / HELIA) will share their experiences “from academia to the spin-off”, followed by “An Introduction to Patents: System, Procedures, Rights” delivered by European Patent Attorney Ivo De Baere (KUL) .

    “How do I communicate about and disseminate my research results?” These questions will be answered in the last agenda point of the first days – an interactive “Outreach session” delivered by accelCH, going over all things communication, dissemination and exploitation.

    We will end the 2nd CONSENSE week with a 2-day ESR workshop on “how to visually succeed in academic publishing”, learning and practicing our graphical figure skills. We’re looking forward to lots of learnings and new skills to practically apply in the future.

    Stay tuned to read our event follow up!

  • Last but not least – let’s welcome ESR11!

    Last but not least – let’s welcome ESR11!

    Hello, I am Daniil Riabov, ESR 11 and I am glad to be a part of the CONSENSE project!

    About me

    I was born in Cherepovets, Russia and spent my whole childhood in this lovely city. Even though my high school had a major in teaching languages (English and German), I was lucky to also have wonderful and dedicated teachers in math and physics. They cultivated in me a love for technical subjects, gave me a strong basis for professional education, and supported my thirst for knowledge and personal development. Besides that, I am a devoted hockey fan. Since my early childhood, I attended games in the arena with my father and continue passionately supporting our local team “Severstal” (although remotely now).

    My academic path

    I moved to St. Petersburg for my bachelor studies and entered the program “Nanophotonics and Quantum Optics” at ITMO University, Department of Physics and Engineering. I was always fascinated by “nanostuff”, and even though I had a vague idea of the photonics concept at that moment, I felt that nanoscale objects in combination with profound light manipulation are incredibly interesting for investigation and could find their application in various “technologies of the future”. My university studies were extremely hard (for me at least), especially in the beginning. However, this allowed me to enter scientific research relatively early and become a co-author of several papers related to nonlinear nanophotonics and optical spectroscopy. For 3.5 years, I was a member of Prof. Sergey Makarov’s research group in “Laboratory of Hybrid Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics” and had common projects with Prof. Mihail Petrov’s theoretical research group. My research experience includes mainly working with Nanophotonics and Metasurfaces which perfectly matches my scientific interests and is closely related to my current project.

    Where I am now

    In 2023, I joined Prof. Hatice Altug’s group, BIOnanophotonic Systems Laboratory, EPFL. I believe that my research experience could contribute to the CONSENSE project development. Currently, I am working on photonic design optimization and nanofabrication. I believe that an in-depth investigation of optical read-out from my side along with profound methods of surface functionalization from my colleagues would result in the creation of state-of-the-art technologies for health monitoring.

  • Introducing ESR5!

    Introducing ESR5!

    Hello, my name is Nicola Porzberg – ESR5 of the CONSENSE consortium – and I have the opportunity to introduce myself to you.

    Born and raised in Germany, I decided to move abroad to the Netherlands for my studies in Molecular Life Sciences at the Radboud University, Nijmegen. I wrote my first master’s thesis in the field of medicinal chemistry, where I worked on the development of small molecule inhibitors towards the treatment of osteoarthritis. The field of chemical biology then quickly caught my interest due to its interdisciplinarity. I have always been fascinated by interdisciplinary research because combining knowledge from the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology creates many new opportunities to manipulate and study living systems from different angles. Therefore, for my second master’s thesis, I expanded my knowledge and skills towards protein engineering and cell biology and worked on the development of a calcium sensor to record neuronal activity.

    After finishing my university degrees, I had the opportunity to start my PhD in the Chemical Biology department of Prof. Kai Johnsson at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany. Combining fluorophore chemistry and protein engineering, our lab develops new tools for fluorescence microscopy imaging as well as protein-based biosensors. These biosensors not only enable the study of molecular processes that are currently inaccessible but could also be implemented in patient monitoring and point-of-care diagnostics. 

    In this context, I am grateful to be part of the CONSENSE consortium, which enables great opportunities, discussions and collaborations with fellow ESRs and research partners in the network. I have already had the chance to perform an industrial secondment at Hybrigenics Services in France, which allowed me to expand my knowledge into a new field and gain first experiences in an industrial work environment.

    Thank you for taking the time to read!

  • Introducing ESR12!

    Introducing ESR12!

    Hello and nice to meet you! 

    I’m Claudia, ESR 12 in the CONSENSE project. Like many of the other PhD students, I was also keen on everything related to science ever since I was a kid. During my school years, I enjoyed studying chemistry, physics, and mathematics. But what I enjoyed the most is the process of learning. Besides that, a strong drive I’ve had throughout my growth was the desire to create something. When I was a little girl, this could be building something with recycled materials or painting. Later, when I chose my university studies, I combined my passion for learning and the one for creating something in my Physics Engineering course, which I started in 2015 at Politecnico di Torino. There I got the opportunity to broaden my horizons to a wide range of physics subjects, ranging from nuclear to quantum physics to the physics of semiconductors.

    For my master, I decided to stay at Politecnico di Torino and study in the Nanotechnology for ICTs programme. The course was focused on teaching physics and the technical processes involved in the micro and nanofabrication processes of the ICT industry. I enjoyed a lot deepening my understanding of the world at the nanoscale. For my thesis, I chose to jump into a new adventure. I moved to Stockholm to work on a thesis project called “Programmable matter: shape programming of 2D physical objects”. There I got the chance to take my first steps in the research world. I enjoyed a lot working in this environment and I felt I wanted to pursue a research job after my studies. I wished to combine my nanotechnology studies with something more related to bioscience, as it’s a field that I’ve always been curious about, but didn’t have the chance to explore further. In addition to that, I was looking for multidisciplinary projects with applications directly translatable into the real world.

    Thanks to CONSENSE, I was able to join the lab of professor Jeroen Lammertyn at KU Leuven. I’m really glad for having had this opportunity and it has already expanded immensely my knowledge and research expertise.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Get to know Estelle Bonedeau – ESR 4!

    Get to know Estelle Bonedeau – ESR 4!

    Hi, I’m Estelle!

    If you want to know a bit more about me, you’re in the right place.

    What’s my academic background?

    I have studied at the University of Bordeaux (France) and the University of Auckland (New Zealand) and obtained my bachelor and master’s degree at the bioengineering school ENSTBB (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Technologie des Biomolécules de Bordeaux), (France). During my studies, I specialized in biotechnology, biomedicine and, more particularly, the characterization of biomolecules. I have completed my master’s thesis at the Max Planck Institute for medical research on the biochemical characterization and engineering of the human sepiapterin reductase (hSPR) in the context of NAD(P) semi-synthetic biosensors.

    Why did I choose the CONSENSE training program?

    I was impressed by the biosensing interdisciplinary projects and the international dimension of CONSENSE. I believe the entrepreneurial vision supported by the strong network of both public and private organisations will contribute greatly to the development of new biosensor technologies for therapeutic purposes. Also, CONSENSE combines my appeal for healthcare entrepreneurship as well as my desire to pursue an academic PhD in the biomolecular engineering field.

    What about the other side of science?

    My life outside of the lab is filled with travels, joyful adventures in the mountains and walks in nature. On the sports side, I love longboarding, Taekwondo, and am always down for a volleyball game. Finally, I enjoy all sorts of DIY projects from painting to woodworking and pottery.

  • Introducing ESR14!

    Introducing ESR14!

    Hi guys, I am Sebastian Cajigas, ESR14 in the CONSENSE consortium.

    First, I would like to introduce myself. I was born and raised in Colombia, more specifically, in southern Colombia, in a small town known as Sandoná. However, after finishing my secondary school education at the age of 17, I moved to Medellín, one of the main cities of Colombia, to continue my university studies.

    In 2016, I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Antioquia (Colombia). As an undergraduate, I studied the correlation of functional groups of humic acids with photochemical properties. This research project allowed me to learn different characterization techniques, including FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, potentiometric titration, thermogravimetric analysis, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Afterwards, in 2020, I obtained my master’s degree in chemical sciences in the Max Planck Tandem Group in Nanobioengineering at the same university. I specifically worked on the project entitled “Dual electrochemical magneto-nanogenosensor for differential diagnosis of Zika virus”, where I was in charge of the development of gold/DNA-based amplification in biosensing. I studied the temperature, ionic strength, pH, and length of DNA strands and nanobioconjugates for hybridization temperature on the stability of the nanobioconjugates. I developed hand-on-skills on the synthesis of nanomaterials, biofunctionalization, electrochemistry, and some principles in molecular biology. Luckily, the results of the project allowed us to publish two scientific papers and one review paper in the biosensing field.

    Currently, I have the privilege of being part of the CONSENSE consortium as a PhD. candidate. I work with Dr. Junhong Yan and Prof. Menno Prins at Helia Biomonitoring and the Eindhoven University of Technology. We are working together on a novel biosensing technology known as biosensing by particle mobility (BPM) where my main goal is to study the stability of our BPM systems. To finish, I would like to say that, even with all the challenges that this journey involves, I am very happy with all the acquired knowledge, and, of course, excited for all the knowledge that I will acquire until I finish my PhD.

  • Introducing ESR8!

    Introducing ESR8!

    Hello, my name is Helen Tan and I am known as ESR8 in the CONSENSE consortium. I am happy to have this opportunity to write a short blog post to introduce myself, so here we go!

    I was born and raised in Malaysia, in a middle-class family of four. Since I was young, I have always been curious about the things around me and eager to learn new things. To quench my curiosity, I garnered an interest in reading and watching documentaries; these hobbies have helped me to understand the world better and to develop my own view and perspectives. I believe that these interests have led me to continue on the scientific journey after completing my secondary school education.

    I studied Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, UK. During my studies, I have participated in research activities in multiple research groups, both at my home university and also overseas research institute (IST Austria), to gain experience. However, I have to say that the most memorable research that I have done during my university years is my research on fiber-reinforced composite as a potential cartilage mimic. In that project, I developed an in-silico model to establish minimum design requirements for a poroelastic mimic of articular cartilage, and I was very lucky to be able to publish my results in a scientific journal.

    I could not be more happy and fortunate to have chosen materials science as my major. I was – and am still – mesmerized by the interdisciplinary nature of the field, and I developed a passion for biomaterials and nanomaterials thanks to my prior experiences. This has fueled my will to further study as a PhD. candidate in the group of Prof. Menno Prins at the Eindhoven University of Technology to do research on the novel biosensing technology, known as Biosensing by Particle Mobility (BPM), that has been established in the group previously. I cannot wait to see what I can learn and gain from this journey.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Back in the Netherlands! CONSENSE meets EU project officer and SensUs teams.

    Back in the Netherlands! CONSENSE meets EU project officer and SensUs teams.

    Midterm check meeting

    CONSENSE is funded by the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie scheme. One important goal of this program is to train the students to become highly skilled researchers and enhance innovation in fields of interest within the EU. In this network, specialists and students are working towards the goal of creating continuous sensors of biomolecules for the health sector. 

    During this bi-annual meeting, we linked up with the EU project officer to ensure the network is on track for achieving their ultimate goal.  The meeting was a success and feedback was provided to allow CONSENSE to continue striding forward. 

    ESRs present themselves to the EU project officer
    The team of ESRs at the TU/e
    “We had very fruitful meetings with the EU project officer, all PhD students and their supervisors, on the research projects and the training. In addition, the Consense students met for the first time with the student teams in SensUs, the annual international student competition in the field of sensors for health. The Consense students do in-depth biosensor research while the SensUs students build working prototypes, you can imagine how this leads to inspiring exchanges!”
    Menno Prins Network coordinator

    Network update

    Estelle Bonedeau (ESR4) presents her research results

    Following the check meeting, the ESRs showcased their research progress in the field of continuous biosensing. The day was filled with many scientific discussions, and possible collaborations, as everyone shared their experience and provided feedback.

    The two previous meetings took place in a hybrid form, mainly due to travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately for the check meeting, all the ESRs and most PIs were finally able to join the network face-to-face. 

    “Being able to attend the CONSENSE meeting in-person was an excellent opportunity to get to learn more from our partners and witness their true passion in developing creative solutions that can revolutionise disease diagnosis field.”
    Abtin Saateh ESR10

    SensUs competition

    The third and final part of this CONSENSE meeting was the SensUs competition at TU/e. This competition is all about allowing undergraduate students to gain experience in impactful research in the field of biosensing. This year, many teams from around the globe met up and showed off their biosensor design, pitched their business proposals and competed for the most sensitive set up. The ESRs from CONSENSE also participated the event by presenting their posters on their work, providing feedback to the student teams and sharing thoughts on life as a PhD student and possible opportunities available, such as the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie scheme. Check out more pictures from the SensUs competition:

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    Overall, it was a very packed but insightful and rewarding week. As always, we look forward to the next meeting. 

    Authors: Andris Jeminejs and Emily Tsang

  • Let’s welcome ESR2!

    Let’s welcome ESR2!

    Hello, my name is Alexander Stephany; I am the most recently recruited CONSENSE member — ESR2.

    About me

    From the age of 6, I have lived south of Brussels — in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. During my years in Belgium, like many teenagers, I was part of a scouting group. At 18, I continued as a leader for children aged between 7-12 for 5 years.

    My journey in science

    I began my studies at the Université Catholique de Louvain, where I obtained both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. I did my Master’s thesis in the laboratory of Prof. Patrice Soumillion. The scope of this thesis was to purify and characterize the L- and D-transpeptidases from Escherichia coli. This allowed me to acquire experience in molecular biology and biochemistry. This was possible thanks to my mentor who did a great job of sharing his experience and inspired me to continue in research.

    After my studies, I worked for a university start-up, studying human nuclear receptors active in cancer development. Thanks to the great team at this company I gained new skills and more experience.

    Where I am now

    I have just started a new adventure at the TU/e, in the Netherlands, in the protein engineering group of Prof. Maarten Merkx. This challenge is a great opportunity for me to learn about directed evolution, protein engineering, antibodies, and biochemistry in general. All this is possible thanks to the support from the CONSENSE ITN network.

    Thanks for reading!

    Please come back to read the other ESR introductions!

    Author: Alexander Stephany