During the MPDI program, Arend worked at the laboratory of Professor K. Mostov at the University of Calfornia, San Francisco (UCSF). Research in Professor Mostov’s lab focused on the cellular mechanisms of polarity and morphogenesis in epithelia. Stemming from his work in this area, Arend Overeem contributed to an article recently published in Developmental Cell entitled “A Molecular Switch for the Orientation of Epithelial Cell Polarization”. Having completed the MPDI master program, Arend is now continuing with his PhD studies here at the UMCG. In 2012, MPDI graduate Christiaan Slim also undertook his internship at Professor K. Mostov’s lab. As part of the research project in which he was then involved, he contributed to an article entitled “Synaptotagmin-like proteins control the formation of a single apical membrane domain in epithelial cells”, subsequently published in Nature Cell Biology.

Medical and Pharmaceutical Drug Innovation
The MPDI master program focuses on molecular and translational medical research and aims to prepare students for a career in (bio)medical research. The program facilitates the development of a critical and analytical scientific mindset and equips students with the tools they will need to become leaders in their chosen field. During this interdisciplinary program, students gain insight into the pathophysiology of disease, the design, development and delivery of drugs and the ways in which they work. In order to enhance their international experience, students are encouraged to perform their second research proposal abroad. Previous students of the MPDI program have, for example, carried out their work at the Children’s Hospital of Boston, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and the University of Münster. For further information on the MPDI program, please visit www.groningenbiomed.com/mpdi