Gabriel
I have a background in mathematics and computer science, and have been working on health related topics for the past 7 years, mostly related to cardiology.
During 2013-2016 I completed my PhD in computer science at Simula Research Laboratory and Oslo University Hospital. During this time I worked on new methods for the mechanical analysis of human hearts based on ultrasound images. This involved mathematical modelling of heart mechanics using partial differential equations and the finite element method, as well as optimization schemes for calibrating the resulting models to patient data. I applied my methods to diseases which impair the heart’s mechanical pumping function, such as dyssychrony and myocardial infarction.
From 2016-2019 I worked in central London for King’s College London St. Thomas hospital site, right next to the Westminster Parliament. My research focused on the prediction of sudden cardiac arrest for patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease in which the largest heart chamber is enlarged due to any cause which is not a loss of blood supply. I analysed MRI scans from a cohort of 150 patients, and ran simulations of cardiac electrical activity to better understand the mechanisms behind cardiac arrest in this group. Together with my clinical collaborators, I studied the shapes and sizes of scars visible in the MRI scans. As a result we were able to develop a novel image-based metric which can help to identify the patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy who are at the most risk of sudden cardiac rest.
At PharmaTox I look forward to continuing my journey in healthcare research. I will be looking to apply new methods from bioinformatics and machine learning to investigate the role of genetics in drug toxicity.
Emilie
I hold a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and biological chemistry from the University of Oslo, from where I graduated in 2016. After finishing my degree in Oslo, I completed an MSc in Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
In my master’s project I studied the generation and regulation of fluid flow within the cavities of our brain. I established the zebrafish as a novel model to study such flow, both at the molecular, cellular and physiological level. To investigate the fluid flow, I imaged translucent zebrafish larvae injected with fluorescent beads. Using various mutant fish lines, along with pharmacological and mechanical interventions, I was able to characterize the fluid flow and what factors contributed to this flow. Such insights are pivotal to better understand the emergence of neurodevelopmental defects like hydrocephalus.
In returning to Oslo, I look forward to applying my experience within both molecular biology and neuroscience to investigate prenatal exposure to medications and epigenetic variation. I am very excited to start working as a PhD student in the PharmaTox group!