Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology

05/10/2021

A recently published article that involved a MaCSBio employee, Pooja Mandaviya, described results of DNA methylation quantitative trait locus analyses on 32,851 participants, identifying genetic variants associated with DNA methylation at 420,509 DNAm sites in blood.
Please see the link here for the full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-021-00923-x

24/09/2021

For the consortium, read this new blog post to learn more about the role of circulating biomarkers in and . This is written as a joint effort from colleagues of MaCSBio and WUR.
Here is the article link: https://preventomics.eu/the-role-of-circulating-biomarkers-in-personalised-nutrition-and-health/

13/09/2021

Another recently published article that involved a MaCSBio employee, Mike Gerards, reported a novel C1QBP deletion variant that is associated with progressive external ophthalmoplegia and multiple mtDNA deletions. Please see the link here for the full article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960896621001760

10/09/2021

We would like to introduce you to one of our new interns who started at MaCSBio this month:

Hello, my name is Liana
and I am 23 years old. I am born in Venlo where I lived my whole life together with my two sisters and my parents. Since December, I have moved in with my boyfriend in Roermond and since April we have a kitten. I am a very enthusiastic, cheerful, and spontaneous person. This works out well for my weekend job in a small coffee café and as a bag and suitcase sales employee. In my spare time I like to bake, play games, and drink beers with friends and family. I also love to be cozy on the couch and watch series and movies with my boyfriend.

After graduating from high school, I started at the Summa College (MBO) where I obtained my diploma for medical microbiology/biotechnological analyst. I then continued my studies by following Applied Science at Fontys University of Applied Sciences with a focus on Science and Life. For this I am now doing an internship where I hope to learn a lot about the functioning of the mitochondria and the associated diseases and what it is like to work in a research environment. My ambition is to pursue a master´s degree after completing my current study.

06/09/2021

A recently published article that involved MaCSBio employees, reported SLIRP variants as a novel cause of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with OXPHOS deficiency.

Please see the link here for the full article:

In a Dutch non-consanguineous patient having mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with complex I and complex IV deficiency, whole exome sequencing revealed two compound heterozygous variants in SLIRP. SLIRP gene encodes a stem-loop RNA-binding protein that regulates mitochondrial RNA expression and oxida...

06/07/2021

JOIN US TODAY on our online MaCSBio Science Day 2021:
"Similar but not the same: S*x-specific modeling in Systems Biology".

JOIN US
To see the full program, to get more information about our speakers and to register follow this link https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/maastricht-centre-systems-biology

Today at 10.00hr our online MaCSBio Science Day 2021 will start with our morning program:
10.00hr Opening by our Scientific director prof.dr. Ilja Arts
10.10hr highlight presentations:
- Irene Hemel (Researcher MaCSBio, Maastricht University): A hitchhiker’s guide to mitochondrial
quantification
- Chaitra Mandyam Kope Sarathy (PhD alumnus MaCSBio, Maastricht University): ComMet: A method for comparing metabolic states in genome-scale metabolic models
At 11.00hr some of our Systems Biology Master student will give presentations:
- Ariadna Fosch i Muntané: Predicting the effect of contact-tracing apps in epidemic spreading: A multilayer
network approach
- Karlis Moors: Deinococcus radiodurans proteome responds rapidly to short-term real microgravity during
parabolic flight
- Rita Sarantidou: Identifying the key pathways involved in a pearl-necklace like mitochondrial phenotype

At 11.45-12.30hr we close the morning sessions with networking sessions for students: get to know MaCSBio researchers, teachers and interns and be introduced into research, projects and opportunities in the field of Systems Biology.

From 14.00-17.00hr. we will continue with the afternoon program:
14.00hr Keynote lecture by Anita T. Layton (Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy, and Biology, University of Waterloo, Canada): His or Her Mathematical Models --- Understanding S*x Differences in Physiology.
15.10hr Panel discussion: How to overcome s*x and gender bias in technology? This panel discussion will be led by Aurélie Carlier (Assistant professor MERLN, Maastricht University), co-organized with FEM Maastricht.
15.55-17.00hr we close the MaCSBio Science day 2021 with more student networking sessions: get to know MaCSBio researchers, teachers and interns and be introduced into research, projects and opportunities in the field of Systems Biology.

The MaCSBio Science Day 2021 is co-organised with FEM Maastricht and supported by the Amrapali Zaveri Award Award for Data Science of the University Fund Limburg/SWOL.

01/07/2021

On Tuesday July 6, 2021 10.00 – 12.30hr and 14.00-17.00hr our online MaCSBio Science Day 2021 will take place.
The theme of this year’s meeting is: "Similar but not the same: S*x-specific modeling in Systems Biology".

The MaCSBio Science Day 2021 is co-organized with FEM Maastricht and supported by the Amrapali Zaveri Award for Data Science/SWOL. You can find out more abouth this award via https://youtu.be/O54Fo9cmh3w

To see the full program of our MaCSBio Science Day 2021, to get more information about our speakers and to register for the presentations and the student networking sessions follow this link https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/.../macsbio-science...

Anna Schueth and Ilja Arts win Amrapali Zaveri Award!!The Amrapali Zaveri Awards for Data Science are sponsored by University Fund Limburg/SWOL. The mission ...

24/06/2021

It is our pleasure to invite you to our online MaCSBio Science Day 2021 on Tuesday July 6, 2021 10.00 – 12.30hr and 14.00-17.00hr.
The theme of this year’s meeting is: "Similar but not the same: S*x-specific modeling in Systems Biology".
The MaCSBio Science Day 2021 is co-organized with FEM Maastricht and supported by the Amrapali Zaveri Award for Data Science/SWOL.

Our program contains:

Keynote lecture
Keynote by Anita T. Layton (Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy, and Biology, University of Waterloo, Canada): His or Her Mathematical Models --- Understanding S*x Differences in Physiology.

Panel discussion
How to overcome s*x and gender bias in technology? A panel discussion led by Aurélie Carlier (Assistant professor MERLN, Maastricht University), co-organized with FEM Maastricht.

Research
Highlight presentations by MaCSBio researchers and Master students.

Networking sessions
For students: get to know MaCSBio researchers, teachers and interns and be introduced into research, projects and opportunities in the field of Systems Biology.

To see the full program, to get more information about our speakers and to register follow this link

The MaCSBio Science Day 2021 is co-organised with FEM Maastricht and supported by the Amrapali Zaveri Award for Data Science/SWOL.

22/06/2021

MaCSBio researchers Irene Hemel, Mike Gerards and others recently published their paper in the Mitochondrion journal.

In their paper 'A hitchhiker’s guide to mitochondrial quantification', they performed elaborate analyses on five open source ImageJ tools on mitochondrial quantification in order to decipher the most reliable and accurate tool. They showed that Mitochondrial Analyzer outperformed the other examined tools, with accurate structural segregation and identification. They consider this tool as the best open source tool for mitochondrial network morphology quantification.

Congratulations to the team!

The variety of available mitochondrial quantification tools makes it difficult to select the most reliable and accurate quantification tool. Here, we …

14/06/2021

MaCSBio Science Day 2021, July 6th:
Join for a keynote by Anita T. Layton: His or Her Mathematical Models --- Understanding S*x Differences in Physiology

Imagine someone having a heart attack. Do you visualize the dramatic Hollywood portrayal of a heart attack, in which a man collapses, grabbing his chest in agony? Even though heart disease is the leading killer of women worldwide, the misconception that heart disease is a men’s disease has persisted. A dangerous misconceptions and risks women ignoring their own symptoms. Gender biases and false impressions are by no means limited to heart attack symptoms. Such prejudices exist throughout our healthcare system, from scientific research to disease diagnosis and treatment strategies. A goal of our research program is to address this gender equity, by identifying and disseminating insights into s*x differences in health and disease, using computational modeling tools.

Anita Layton is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine, and Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on the development and application of mathematical models to gain insights into human and mammalian physiology and pathophysiology. She is an Associate Editor of SIAM Review Book Section and SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems. Additionally, she serves as the Associate Dean, Research and International, for the Faculty of Mathematics, chairs the Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council, and chairs the Math Racial Equity Committee at the University of Waterloo.

08/06/2021

On Wednesday, the 9th of June, 2021, at 13.00 hours CET there will be the online defence of Isma Zulfiqar with her dissertation titled:
“From Neurons to Behavior: Investigating Auditory Information Processing across Multiple Scales"

The live stream of the defence can be seen here:
https://phd-defence.maastrichtuniversity.nl/phd-defense-isma-zulfiqar-wednesday-9th-june-2021-1300pm-cet

04/06/2021

Hi everyone!

My name is Giorgia and I’m from Italy. I’m 23 years old and I just graduated in Genomics from the Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna.
During my Bachelor, I gained a multi-disciplinary background on Molecular Biology, Programming and Mathematics.
I’m very interested in deciphering biological systems and model them, in particular from a mathematical perspective. Thus, in September I will start the Master in Systems Biology here at Maastricht University.

During my internship at MaCSBio I will take part in Mike and Irene’s project on mitochondrial dynamics. I believe this experience will add more confidence in my future academic career and help me grow as a bioinformatician.
In my free time I enjoy reading, cooking and doing sports - swimming and trekking are my favourites.