Photos: Gunnar Dreßler & André Künzelmann/UFZ
Welcome to HIGRADE!
The "Helmholtz Interdisciplinary GRADuate School for Environmental Research (HIGRADE)" provides a coherent framework for qualifying new generations of internationally competitive doctoral researchers in the field of environmental science. Our aim is to prepare doctoral researchers at the UFZ for careers in a range of environmental fields, i.e. for taking over leading positions in research, management and policy, technology development, or consulting and education.
Graduate School HIGRADE: Profile of the day
Verena Maria Mailänder (Germany)
Department Environmental Immunology
Research topic:I am involved in the ENDOMIX project, an EU consortium investigating the health effects of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In our department we focus on reproductive immunology as a health outcome. This means studying the effects of chemical mixtures on immune cells, their interaction with the placenta and the effects of maternal-fetal chemical exposure on the immune system and the health of the unborn child. More specifically, I am working on the further development of co-cultured 3D models of the human placenta, including barrier models, spheroids and organoids. This will help to answer the question of how EDCs affect the placental barrier.