Biography

From September 2017 to August 2021, I conducted my PhD studies under Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerhard Rogler – Director of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Zurich - with direct supervision from Prof. Dr. Scharl - Head of Research of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Zurich. During this time, I was investigating the impact of nano- and microparticles in the human diet on IBD pathogenesis. In one of my projects, I focussed on the interaction between environmental factors and the protective PTPN22 variant in IBD. Since August 2021 I have been working in the Scharl lab as a postdoctoral researcher.
The Scharl lab is based at the University Hospital in Zurich. One of the main interests of our research group is to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying IBD pathogenesis with the ultimate goal to improve therapeutic options for patients who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. The great collaboration and proximity to the clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology allows us to translate basic research into the clinical practice. Since many years we have been focusing on projects elucidating the role of the innate and adaptive immune system in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. For the last decade, our research has been focusing on Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in intestinal inflammation. During this time, our lab published a significant number of manuscripts and gathered great expertise about PTPN22 and its role in gut homeostasis, intestinal inflammation and IBD pathogenesis.