Bruna Fernandes will be developing part of her research into radiopharmaceuticals at University Medical Center of Groningen
Bruna and her department peers
Bruna Fernandes finished her degree in Pharmacy at the School of Health Sciences of PUCRS in 2012. Three years later, she finished her Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. Today, she is working on her PhD in Biomedical Gerontology, at School of Medicine, and in 2019 she will be packing up for the Netherlands where she will be staying for the next two years. Fernandes was accepted by the Abel Tasman Talent Program and will be awarded a grant to develop part of her research at the University Medical Center of Groningen (UMCG).
The opportunity came after she talked with Professor Cristina Jeckel, who is now her advisor, to begin her doctorate in radiopharmaceuticals. “She told me about the opportunity as PUCRS and University of Groningen are partners”, said she.
As she said goodbye to her co-workers, she got presents and a card
Fernandes spent the whole month of September at UMCG, as she refined her project and prepared to apply for the grant she was eventually awarded. “My research addresses the study of a peptide and its development in a new radiopharmaceutical for marking inflammatory processes and some types of tumors associated with macrophages. In Brazil, the peptide’s likely therapeutic actions will be studied, whereas at RUG it will be used as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical”, celebrates she.
Her first one-month experience at the Dutch institution has left good impressions but she intends to return to Brazil after the completion of the double-degree program to help boost the development of radiopharmacy, especially in terms of research and development. Fernandes visited the Campus, the laboratories and the team she will be working with. “UMCG is very charming and beautiful and has a very good structure. Everyone has been very kind to me since the day I got here. My peers in the department were very helpful and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from them”, adds she.
