Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Henriette Haukedal
Henriette is a PhD Student at the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark. The grant will be used to cover Henriette's expenses for the virtual International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases in March 2021, where she has a poster presentation.
Thank you so much, Hello Bio! I am very excited and grateful to receive this award, which will be a great support to my research and career in science. I will use the grant to attend the 15th International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s diseases in March, 2021, where I will present a poster. Getting to attend this conference and present my work will be a great advantage for my future career, giving me not only an insight into the newest research within my field, but also the opportunity to discuss my research on an international level. Henriette Haukedal, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Hello Bio Early Career Scientist Grant winner
Congratulations Henriette. First, can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on at the moment?
My current research focuses on Alzheimer´s disease (AD), using induced pluripotent stem cell models (iPSC). We have derived cells from both patients with AD and healthy individuals and reprogrammed these into iPSC. Furthermore, we are using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to either correct the AD cells, creating matching controls, or establishing new knock-in cell lines. We are further differentiating these cells into both neurons and microglia, and by comparing the AD cells with the controls, we wish to identify novel disease mechanisms, and potential targets for future therapeutic intervention.
What is it about your field of research that gets you most excited?
What makes me most excited, is the fact that I can contribute to research that could actually impact and help a lot of people. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting millions of people worldwide, and there is no available cure. One of the challenges with this disease is that it is often far progressed when diagnosed, and the precise disease mechanisms is still unclear. Exploring the early triggering events is therefore crucial in the search for new therapeutic approaches, and I am very excited and grateful to be able to contribute to such research!
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
It is difficult to choose one scientist that I admire the most, but I would like to highlight my supervisor Kristine Freude and my entire research group at the University of Copenhagen, as they are the scientists that motivate me on a daily basis, creating both a fun and educational research environment.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
Given the special circumstances today, the Corona pandemic and ongoing restrictions is of course a challenge scientists are facing worldwide. But to look beyond that situation, I think also the translational part can be challenging, going from observations and achievements that might seem small in the lab, to actual trials and treatments that will help patients.
What’s your favourite science joke?
Stem cell parental advice: “You can be anything you want when you grow up”.
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Thank you so much Henriette! We wish you all the best with your poster presentation.
You can connect with Henriette on LinkedIn here.
Click here to read about our past winners or why not apply for the grant yourself?
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