Ewa Mrówczyńska
with visit to the EMC

Ewa Mrówczyńska (Post-doc) who is involved in the implementation of the in vitro component of the SAME-NeuroID platform, has visited on June 10-14th, 2024 the Department of Psychiatry at Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), that is led by Femke de Vrij, associate professor. The visit aimed to gain practical insights into the methodology implemented as a part of the SAME-NeuroID platform at Łukasiewicz – PORT.
The visit to the Erasmus MC provided an excellent opportunity to observe and learn crucial practical details and guidelines for protocols aimed at iPSC differentiation into astrocytes, neuronal networks, and cortical organoids – valuable tools utilized to model neuropsychiatric diseases. It enabled the observation of the neural progenitor cell’s (NPCs) isolation using the Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) technique, and the daily handling of cell and organoid astrocyte and neuronal cell cultures. Additionally, Ewa Mrówczyńska had an opportunity to learn the calcium imaging technique used to visualize and measure the activity of neurons and the level of communication between them. All these will undoubtedly help in the effective and successful implementation of these techniques at Łukasiewicz-PORT.
The visit was also full of extensive discussions with the experts in fields from the Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC on the results obtained so far within the SAME-NeuroID. It certainly helped identify the areas, that required improvement, and coordinate the next steps planned in the project.