Multifaceted Casr

Three of Enikö’s students, including Ira of our ITN, participated in the 17th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Endocrine Society, in Graz, Austria.

Ira presenting her work to the Conference

Ira, Enikö, Julia, and Doris

Amongst the three of them they harvested 5 prizes. Ira was given a Young Investigator Award. The other prizes were: a Science Award, and a Mentor for a year to Julia; and one more Young Investigator Award and a Mentor for a year to Doris. Just as well they attended the Conference. Enikö’s prize was having three clever and industrious students.

Enikö, Ira, and Sabina at the Conference

Sabina Baumgartner-Parzer is a co-supervisor of Ira, and a PI in our ITN.

(Andrew Hollo-Tas)

Susanne at the Annual Meeting of the AIMMS

Another success of an ESR of the "Multifaceted CaSR" ITN: on the 4^th of April Susanne Roth presented an Abstract in Amsterdam at the annual meeting of the "Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems" (AIMMS) titled: "How can the Calcium Sensing Receptor establish ligand dependent signaling?"  Susanne is working under the supervision of Frank Bruggeman, who recently has been appointed Professor at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Our congratulations go to him.

It appears that our ESRs are progressing with their research well. More and more of them have results that deserve to be presented to an outside audience. Well done to them all!

(Andrew Hollo-Tas)

Microarray Training Course in Florence, 2012 March 27th to the 30th.

Our ESRs got together for a microarray training course in Florence. According to the ESRs, it was “brilliant” and fantastically enjoyable. According to the Florentine trainers the ESRs have worked hard, and learned a lot, and it was worthwhile to hold the course.

In addition to the microarray course, the ESRs held the first general meeting of their own ESR Board, to discuss all aspects of their development. Abhishek, their elected representative duly reported on the comments and recommendations that the ESRs have formulated.

Susanne is based in Amsterdam and is concerned with building a pathway map of the CaSR signalling. She presented the CaSR model she is working on, highlighted how the other ESRs can help her with information about CaSR signalling, and contribute to the modelling work. This has led to a deeper understanding of her tasks and what she is expecting from her fellow ESRs to complete the CaSR model. The ESRs have concluded that they will contribute regularly to this essential work.

Our ESRs in Florence: (from left to right) F: Doris Hummel*, L: Irene Lopez (Amiens), O: Valerie Babinsky (Oxford) and Irfete Fetahu (Vienna), R: Susanne Roth (Amsterdam), E: Samawansha Tennakoon (Vienna), N: João Graça (Macklesfield), and Martin Schepelmann (Cardiff), C: Abhishek Aggarwal (Vienna), E: Julia Höbaus*, and Ursula Thiem (who now joins Amiens).

* Doris and Julia are PhD students in Vienna, but are not involved in the "Multifaceted CaSR" ITN.

(Andrew Hollo-Tas)

It is not surprising that Ira (Irfete Fetahu from Kosovo) working in Vienna is again in the news. She is probably the ESR who has been the earliest to have joined into the “Multifaceted CaSR” ITN. Thus she has the most to show. And she did that, with great aplomb, when she has presented some of her work at the Autumn Meeting of the Austrian Bone and Calcium Society.

The online Journal Club of the ESRs has now well and truly taken off. Every month from one of the scientific journals an article, that is relevant to the research work of the ESRs, is selected for dissection and consideration. Two ESRs are charged with the task of summarising, and moderating the analytical contributions made by the ESRs. In November Rita (Anna Rita Gato from Portugal) who is working in Florence, and Ira (see above) applied themselves to these tasks with surprising skill, confirming the important contribution the Journal Club can make to the development of our young scientists. In December Sama (Samawansha Tennakoon from Sri Lanka), working in Vienna, and Sandrine (Sandrine Seeber from Germany), working in Amiens, have the task of summarising and moderating the critique provided by their colleagues.

(Andrew Hollo-Tas)