Karen Laupman

PhD student
Team Member

Short CV

2020 -PhD candidateAmsterdam UMC
2015-2019MSc Neurobiology, track Psychopharmacology and Pathophysiology
2018-2019InternshipInstitute for Reconstructive Neurobiology, Bonn, Germany
2016InternshipBrain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2012-2015BSc Psychobiology

Research

Classically, schizophrenia (SCZ)-related research has focused on neuronal involvement in the development of SCZ. However, besides neurons there are equally important cell types present in the (developing) brain such as glial cells. In the lab of Posthuma, previous research has focused on the role of iPSC-derived astrocytes. These findings will be further evaluated in the current PhD project while simultaneously focusing on the other glial cells known to be affected in schizophrenia: oligodendrocytes. In this specific experimental setting, the use of iPSCs gives us the advantage to study these neural cells in a scalable, controlled and developmental-like setting. This especially makes it possible to examine the interplay between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and their influence on neurons. An approach which will hopefully allow us to delineate the effects and causes and thereby providing more insight into the development of schizophrenia.

Highlighted publications

• Flitsch, LJ, Laupman, KE, Brüstle, O. Transcription Factor-Based Fate Specification and Forward Programming for Neural Regeneration Front Cell Neurosci 2020

Contact info

Address:

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR)
Department of Complex Trait Genetics
W&N building, G3
De Boelelaan 1085
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Telephone:

+31 20 598 31 28

E-mail:k.e.laupman@vu.nl