Denis Zosen

PhD project description
The background for the project is the current international lack of knowledge about the possible long-term effect of pharmaceuticals on human neurodevelopment. The aim of the project is to conduct experimental research on human brain organoids and neuronally differentiated human stem cell cultures. The project addresses adverse effects on the brain development of pharmaceuticals commonly used by pregnant women, including antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs.
Supervisors
Prof. Ragnhild E. Paulsen (Team leader: The PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative & Group leader: Neurobiology and Toxicology lab , Department of Pharmacy, UiO).
Prof. Joel C. Glover (Director: Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, Oslo University Hospital & Head of Laboratory of Neural Development and Optical Recording ( NDEVOR ), Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Molecular Medicine, UiO).
Dr. Sigrid Bjørnstad (Consultant pathologist: Department of Pathology, Ullevål, Oslo University Hospital).
Academic interests
Drug testing platforms, Neuropharmacology, Development of the central nervous system, Neurogenesis, Cell signaling and modulation, 3D cell culture, Stem cells, Depression, Epilepsy, Neurodegeneration, Organoids
Teaching assistance (2019-2020): lab practicum, seminars, colloquium
- FARM1110 - Pharmacology, Physiology and Cell Biology 1 (in Norwegian, every Fall)
- FARM1150 - Pharmaceutical Based Biochemistry (in English, every Spring)
- FARM2140 - Pharmaceutical Microbiology (in Norwegian, every Spring)
- FRM4010 - Preparation Course for Research in Biology (in Norwegian, every Spring)
Pedagogical competence
Research Supervision (30 h / 18-UPED-RESS 21V), UiO March-June 2021
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (120 h / 18-UPED-INFE 20H-21V), UiO August-December 2020
Locally embedded academic development project (50 h / 18-UPED-PUEE 21V), UiO January-May 2021
Higher Education Pedagogy (108 h / Additional Education), IEPHB 2017
Pedagogy in Higher Education (46 h / at MSc degree) SPBU 2016
Research and Pedagogical Practice (411 h / at MSc degree) SPBU 2015-2016
Students' research supervision
- " Valproat øker viabilitet og uttrykk av PAX6 i klinisk relevante konsentrasjoner: Studier i kyllingkornceller, SH-SY5Y-og PC12-celler " / "Valproate increases viability and expression of PAX6 in clinically relevant concentrations: Studies in chick embryo, SH-SY5Y and PC12 cells " ( Master thesis. Defended in 12/2021 at the UiO, Oslo, Norway. Grade: B )
- " Escitalopram og venlafaksin reduserer viabilitet og GluN2B-uttrykk: Studier i PC12-, SH-SY5Y-celler og kyllingembryo " / "Escitalopram and venlafaxine reduce viability and GluN2B expression: Studies in PC12, SH-SY5Y cells and chicken embryo " ( Master thesis Defended in 06/2021 at the UiO, Oslo, Norway. Grade: A )
- " Characterization of neural stem cells derived from Krushinskii - Molodkina rats, which have a genetic predisposition to audiogenic seizures " ( Bachelor thesis. Defended in 06/2017 at the SPBU, St. Petersburg, Russia. Grade: 5 / 5.0 )
Additional Training & Extracurricular Activities
- FENS 2022 Conference - Social Media Ambassadors
- The Science Mentors – Mentorship of the younger peers (final years of Master degree students and graduates) on the scientific path to Academic career – Mentor, 2020-now
- Design thinking in health technology education – Design Future Health – “GREAT 2020-2021” – Organisation member (part of GREAT intensive group development team), 10/2020-01/2022
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R programming, Statistic and Data Analysis, Blastim, Moscow, Russia, March-April 2021
- Certificate FELASA: Course In Animal Research In Norway (CAREiN) – Theoretical & Practical training, 2020-2021
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The workshop on "Drugs and the Brain: from Laboratory to Clinic" by European Graduate School of Neuroscience (EURON), Crete, Greece, October 2019
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Course on “Health innovation and entrepreneurship”. Stockholm 27-29 March 2019, Trondheim 24-26 April 2019, Oslo, Norway, 6-8 February 2019
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Training School COST Action BIONECA CA16122. “From biomaterials and tissue engineering characterization, modelling and visualization of stem cells and applications to regenerative cardiology and neurology”. Portonovo, Ancona, Italy, 18-21 September, 2017
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20th CIMO Winter School: ― Brains, genes, drugs and languages: crossroads in science. Tvärminne, Finland, 7-12 March 2016
Science outreach
Vanleg epilepsimedisin påverka hjerneutviklinga til kyllingfoster
Nyttig å sjå forskinga si frå industrien si side
Forskarar vil erstatta dyreforsøk med hønseegg
Pics for: Kyllingar, dop og datamodellar
The cover of the Biochemistry and Cell Biology journal in 2020 , features a confocal microscopy image of a neurosphere
Professional background
- 12 / 2018-08 / 2022 Doctoral Research Fellow / Stipendiat in Laboratory of Neurobiology & Toxicology (main, UiO, Oslo, Norway)
- 06 / 2021-08 / 2021 Innovation Center Resident in Merck KGaA Innovation Center (Darmstadt, Germany)
- 10 / 2018-12 / 2018 Researcher in Laboratory of Neural Development and Optical Recording (Prof. Joel Glover, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Molecular Medicine UiO, Oslo, Norway)
- 04 / 2017-09 / 2018 Researcher in the Laboratory of Developmental Biology (Prof. Seppo Vainio, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland)
- 01 / 2018-03 / 2018 Visiting Researcher in the Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research (Prof. Joel Glover, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway)
- 01 / 2015-04 / 2017 Junior Researcher in the Laboratory of Comparative Biochemistry of Cellular Functions (Dr. Margarita Glazova, IEPHB RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia)
- 10 / 2012-01 / 2015 Student Assistant in the Group of Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Functioning (IEPHB RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia)
- 01/2022-03/2023 MBA at the Quantic School of Business and Technology (Washington, DC, US)
- 08/2020-07/2021 Pedagogical qualification [Universitetspedagogisk basiskompetanse] at the LINK – Centre for Learning, Innovation & Academic Development (University of Oslo, Norway)
- 09 / 2014-07 / 2016 MSc in Cell Biology, Cytology, Histology, and Immunology (SPBU, St. Petersburg, Russia)
- 09 / 2010-07 / 2014 BSc in Physiology and Biomedicine (SPBU, St. Petersburg, Russia)
Obtained funding
SG Sønneland Foundation research grant (NOK 34,000). 2020, UiO, Oslo, Norway
EDUFI Fellowship grant (€ 9K). University of Oulu, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Prof.Seppo Vainio's Lab - supported for May 2018 - September 2018
CIMO Fellowship grant (18K €). University of Oulu, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Prof. Seppo Vainio's Lab - supported for April 2017 - March 2018
COST Action BIONECA CA16122 grant (2.5K €) for the Short Term Scientific Missions. Prof. Joel C. Glover's Lab, University of Oslo - 15 January 2018 - 15 March 2018
Personal grant of Saint Petersburg's Government (1K €) - December 2016
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Utvalgte publikasjoner
Zosen, D., Austdal L. P., Bjørnstad S., Lumor J. S., Paulsen R. E. (2022). “Antiepileptic drugs lamotrigine and valproate differentially affect neuronal maturation in the developing chick embryo, yet with PAX6 as a potential common mediator”. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 90, 107057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2021.107057
Zosen, D., Hadera, M.G., Lumor, J.S., Andersen, J.M. and Paulsen, R.E. (2021). “Chicken embryo as animal model to study drug distribution to the developing brain”. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods, p.107105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vascn.2021.107105
Yadav, A., Amber, M., Zosen, D., Labba, N.A., Huiberts, E.H.W., Erdem, J.S., Haugen, F., Berntsen, H.F., Zienolddiny, S., Paulsen, R.E. and Ropstad, E. (2021). “A human relevant mixture of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) enhance nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells”. Toxicology Letters, 338, pp.85-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2020.12.007
Saparova, V. B., Zosen, D. V., Nasluzova, E. V., Berezovskaya, A. S., Bakhteeva, V. T., Gorbacheva, E. L., Chernigovskaya, E. V., & Glazova, M. V. (2019). “Analysis of Neural Stem Cells from Krushinskii–Molodkina Rats, Which Have a Genetic Predisposition to Audiogenic Seizures”. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 49(6), 765-772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-019-00799-9
Zosen, D.V., Dorofeeva, N.A., Chernigovskaya, E.V., Bachteeva, V.T. and Glazova, M.V. (2018). “ERK1/2 inhibition increases dopamine release from differentiated PC12 cells”. Neuroscience letters, 684, pp.6-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2018.06.056
Dorofeeva NA, Nikitina LS, Zosen DV, Glazova MV, Chernigovskaya EV (2017). “Functional state of the nigrostriatal system of Krushinsky–Molodkina rats during audiogenic seizure expression”. Russian Journal of Genetics: Applied Research. 7(3):217-25. https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079059717030029
Zosen DV, Glazova MV (2016). “The role of the interaction of p53 and the MAPK cascade in controlling neuronal differentiation in the PC12 cell line”. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology. 46(5):559-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-016-0277-y