Ana is pursuing a research career in nutritional epidemiology

What did you study as an undergraduate (bachelor)?

I did my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The main reason why I chose this programme was mainly due to my interest in human biology and wanting to understand how genetics affect our health. In the end, I discovered an even bigger interest in understanding how systems such as our metabolism and circadian rhythms, can be disrupted through diverse pathways.

Why did you choose the Master programme in Toxicology?

Throughout my Bachelor studies, I got confronted with different aspects of toxicology: lifestyle and work can affect and disrupt one’s circadian rhythm which can lead to disease, exposure to different environmental factors may lead to deleterious epigenetic changes (which can be inherited), etc. However, these pieces of information were not at the centre of my studies at that time. But exactly this knowledge was what made studying biomedical science so interesting to me! I really wanted to dig deeper into how different exposures can affect our well-being and I immediately started to look for Master’s programmes that were taught in English and based in Europe. Finally, I ended up stumbling upon KI’s Toxicology programme.

Where did you conduct your MSc thesis and what was it about?

I did my Master’s thesis internship at IMM at the Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology under the supervision of Emilie Helte and Agneta Åkesson. My topic revolved around how dietary intake of nitrate and nitrite might be related to risk of different gastrointestinal cancer types. It primarily consisted of using data from two Swedish population-based cohorts to conduct statistical analyses.

What made this project especially interesting is the risk-benefit relationship that surrounds nitrate and nitrite intake. On one hand, they are associated with improved cardiovascular health through their conversion to nitric oxide, while on the other hand, they can be also converted into N-nitroso compounds, of which several are known carcinogens.

How did the Bergendorff summer internship support your research training? 

I was incredibly lucky to be awarded the Bergendorff scholarship in 2023 as it gave me the opportunity to do a summer internship at the Unit of Systems Toxicology at IMM, Karolinska Institutet under Emma Wincent’s and Ingrid Medina’s supervisions. 

During this internship, I worked with murine gut organoids which was my very first experience with complex cell cultures! The aim of this project was to assess whether exposure to endogenous or toxic exogenous ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor distinctively affected the organoids from switching from a stem cell-like state into a differentiated state.

This project really helped me to familiarize myself with and get a general sneak peak into wet lab work which I thought was an area that I personally was still lacking experience in. Therefore, I truly appreciate this chance and the guidance I received throughout this period. I learned how to handle organoid cell cultures, perform RT-qPCR, and become more independent in the lab by being responsible for the organisation and time management of my experiments. I have gained quite some insight into one of the many sides of toxicological research.

Looking back on your time at KI and the Master programme in Toxicology, what is the most valuable thing that you learned?

I would say the importance of regulatory toxicology within a national and global setting and that it is trickier to conduct health risk assessment than one might expect! Due to globalisation, the decision of one country to limit, ban, or allow a chemical might very well influence the actions of other countries in its wake. Therefore, it is important to conduct these risk assessments thoroughly and with caution as they might have a wider reach than initially expected.

Another valuable lesson I learned throughout my time at KI and the Master’s programme was that it is super fun to be close friends with most of your classmates. Usually at some point in time, people go separate ways in terms of who they befriend and often the number of friends you have within your own class is limited. However, putting an effort in getting to know your classmates and organise some activities to do with them makes it really enjoyable to go to the lectures every day and the dynamics for group assignments are often just great. You truly learn how to work within a team consisting of people with very different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds and you can learn a lot from each other.

Where are you and what are you doing now?

Currently, I am working as a research assistant at the same unit as I did my Master’s thesis and I am supporting the research unit in a variety of projects by creating food databases of contaminants and additives in drinking water and food items, conducting biostatistical analyses, performing data extraction, among other tasks.

What made you decide on this career?

I have found that I truly enjoy working in academia and the support and guidance my colleagues have shown me so far are big contributors to this enjoyment. I feel like, as long as I am motivated and passionate about spending my time and energy on research, that this is a good place for me to continue my career in.