GSA - Daria - The Florey Institute

Secondment experiences

Name:
PhD start:
Project:

Placement:
Date of visit:

Daria Shamarina
October 2014
Interactions between S. aureus components and the host immune system
University Medical Centre Utrecht
January 2016

"The majority of my research is done in Sheffield under the supervision of Simon Foster. The idea of my project is to identify the interactions between S. aureus components and the host immune system, and luckily I have discovered some very intriguing cooperation effects. In order to test if my observations were correct, Professor Jos van Srijpt and Dr. Kok van Kessel from University Medical Centre Utrecht suggested a series of experiments I could do. With their guidance I was able to test a number of interactions between bacterial cell wall components and human neutrophils, using the protocols specifically designed in their lab. Over the two weeks I was there, a numbers of new directions in my research opened up, and I will be returning to Utrecht for 2 months to continue trying to unlock the mechanism behind these interactions.

Apart from the great science they do over in Utrecht, I want to emphasise how incredibly welcoming everyone in the lab was. In the two weeks I was there, I got invited to events, get-togethers and even to a carnival in Eindhoven that I particularly enjoyed! I am truly looking forward to going back this June, exploring the city and maybe even learning how to ride a bike!"