International Women and Girls in Science Day/ International Women’s Day - Dr Eline Huethorst
Published: 19 February 2025
Dr Eline Huethorst talks to us about her research and why International Women and Girls in Science Day/ International Women’s Day Important to her.
What is your research about?
My research is in the field of cardiac regeneration, which aims to replace the scarred myocardium with healthy heart cells after a myocardial infarction. Only when the implanted cells are fully integrated with the host, the cell therapy can be considered successful. However, during the first couple of weeks post-implantation, a high incidence of engraftment arrhythmias is seen, likely caused by incomplete coupling of the grafted cells to the host myocardium. Refining the coupling process is therefore key to a safe cell therapy.
What is your research focused on?
I am interested in the process of graft-host coupling during the first weeks post-implantation to try and understand how the implanted cells couple. My work has shown that implanted cells intermittently entrain with the explanted host heart within 30-120 mins (accepted for publication in Cardiovascular Research), highlighting the importance of studying this early implantation phase. The next step is to monitor the grafted cells over first couple of weeks, but due to technical limitation this is currently not possible. So, in collaboration with colleagues from Physics and the Sorbonne University in France, I am now working on a new imaging technique that enables in vivo tracking of cellular activity during the acute implantation phase.
Why is International Women and Girls in Science Day/ International Women’s Day Important?
A special day for women and girls in science to me really is another day to celebrate diversity in science. I believe, that more diversity will result in more creativity, problem-solving and innovation and is therefore key in advancing science. Besides, I’m sure it leads to more fun and a more balanced work atmosphere. For the future-researchers it is important to see this diversity represented, to encourage anyone to pursue a career in science. Moreover, this day provides the opportunity to celebrate female pioneers and their inventions, which were historically not celebrated as they should have been.
First published: 19 February 2025
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