Project Title: Investigating the epigenomic changes in vascular and immune cells of the ageing human brain
Supervisor: Dr Alexi Nott
Location: Level 7, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, 86 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ
About Me
I am pursuing a PhD as a Research Assistant in Dr. Alexi Nott’s Group at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London. Before starting my PhD, I completed a BSc degree in Biology and Medical Laboratory Research at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. During my fourth year, I completed a project investigating enhancers important for early haematopoietic development at the University of Oxford. This is where I discovered my passion for epigenetics. I continued my studies by pursuing a Master’s degree in Molecular Neurosciences at the University of Amsterdam. I completed two research projects during my MSc. During the first project, I investigated H3K79 methylation by Dot1L in neuronal cells. I visited the Nott group to undertake my second research project. Here, I worked on characterizing H3K27ac in brain vascular cell types. I enjoyed my time in the lab so much that I decided to stay as a research assistant/PhD student.
Qualifications
2021-2023: MSc Biomedical Sciences – Molecular Neurosciences, University of Amsterdam
2015-2018: BSc Biology and Medical Laboratory Research, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
Research Interests
Ageing is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Epigenetic alterations are considered a hallmark of ageing. Both microglia – the brain's immune cells - and vascular cells have been implicated in AD and ageing. Chronic inflammation is known to lead to the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, my project is focused on investigating epigenomic changes in the immune system and vasculature of the brain during ageing. I hope to characterise the epigenome of subsets of vascular and immune cells in the ageing human brain using single-cell epigenomics. This project will give insight into cell-subtype-specific changes in the gene regulation of microglia and vascular cells caused by ageing.
Contact Details
Email: j.van-dalen22@imperial.ac.uk
LinkedIn: janna-van-dalen-07bb5a184
