Tatiana Malcova, a PhD student at Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Cell Cultures, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy carried out a study training visit to Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO) at the Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery at Hannover Medical School.
The visit, which lasted 6 months (Sept 2020 – Feb 2021) included a series of trainings and experimental activities, conducted under rigorous control of the LEBAO employees that allowed to learn the right working technique and to clarify the tricky working issues. The main research and experimental activities focused on describing the morphological, biomechanical and biochemical modifications of decellularized vascular tissue, after being treated with detergent solution, as well as evaluating the feasibility of ultrasound in vascular tissue decellularization.
The activities conducted at LEBAO under rigorous control of researchers and technicians from AG Hilfiker working group allowed to develop good practical skills, that can be applied and widely used in Republic of Moldova. Attending weekly working meetings, Progress report, Journal Club, and some specific modules of PhD program at the institution allowed to formulate efficient activity plans, to keep up with current findings in the fields of tissue engineering, and to exercise the critical thinking skills by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a scientific study. Therefore, intense exchange of knowledge and experience are two main characteristics of this visit that were efficiently applied in practice.
Tatiana Malcova joined NanoMedTwin in autumn 2019, being selected among the participants of the Autumn School in Nano-Bio-Engineering, then she followed the long-term program of the advanced training courses on Nanotechnologies and Biomedical Engineering (October 2019 - May 2020), where she expressed her interest in doing research.
Upon arrival, Tatiana made a detailed presentation of her results and activities during the stay at LEBAO, in a seminar organized with the participation of the NCMST team of Professors, researchers, and students.
