Student and guest projects
We welcome bachelor’s and master's students, as well as guests and internships to carry out research projects in our group. Projects can be adapted to different study levels and to individual interests, and students are also welcome to propose their own project ideas.
Students joining the group gain hands-on experience with a broad range of experimental and computational approaches, depending on the project focus. Experimental training may include cell culture and three-dimensional tissue models, proteomics, microscopy and molecular biology techniques. Students interested in computational work can also develop skills in proteomics data analysis and bioinformatics.
Below are examples of ongoing and potential student projects in the group.
Vascularised 3D Models of Liver Fibrosis
Type: Wet lab · Cell culture · Limited proteomics (optional)Project description
This project focuses on building advanced three-dimensional liver models that better reflect tissue organisation during fibrosis. Students will work with hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells to study how vascularisation influences extracellular matrix formation and fibrotic progression.
Example project aim
To establish a vascularised 3D liver fibrosis model and investigate how endothelial cells influence collagen deposition and fibrotic markers.
Inflammation-Induced Oxidative Modification of Collagen
Type: Wet lab · Proteomics · Data analysis
Project description
This project investigates how inflammatory enzymes modify extracellular matrix proteins. The focus is on oxidative and chlorination-driven changes in collagen structure under inflammatory conditions.
Example project aim
To characterise myeloperoxidase-driven chlorination of collagen and identify oxidative modification sites using proteomics.
Metabolic Stress and Protein Oxidation in 3D Liver Models
Type: Wet lab · Cell culture · Proteomics · Data analysis
Project description
This project examines how metabolic stress induces protein oxidation in liver tissue models. Students will study how fatty acids and high glucose affect protein stress responses in three-dimensional liver systems.
Example project aim
To analyse protein oxidation patterns and stress-response pathways in 3D liver spheroids exposed to fatty acids and high glucose.
iPSC-Based Models of Human Hepatocyte Maturation
Type: Cell culture · Wet lab · Limited proteomics (optional)
Project description
This project focuses on understanding how human hepatocytes mature in vitro and which factors promote adult-like liver function. A central question is the role of extracellular matrix accumulation and non-parenchymal cells during maturation.
Example project aim
To investigate how extracellular matrix composition and the presence of non-parenchymal cells influence maturation of iPSC-derived hepatocytes.
Environmental Stress and Protein Oxidation in Mouse Tissues
Type: Proteomics · Bioinformatics · Limited wet lab (optional)
Project description
This project studies how environmental stressors induce oxidative protein modifications across tissues. Students will analyse existing proteomics datasets from mouse tissues exposed to air pollution and noise.
Example project aim
To identify tissue-specific protein oxidation signatures in mouse heart, lung, and brain following exposure to air pollution and noise.
Bioinformatics-only Project: Discovery of Unexpected Protein Modifications in Lung Tissue
Type: Bioinformatics only · No wet lab
Project description
This fully computational project focuses on discovering unexpected or poorly annotated protein modifications in lung tissue exposed to air pollution. Students will use open-search proteomics strategies to identify novel oxidative or environmental modification patterns.
Example project aim
To identify and characterise unexpected protein modifications in lung tissue from mice exposed to air pollution using open-search proteomics approaches.
LLM-Assisted Hypothesis Generation from Proteomics Data
Type: Bioinformatics · Data analysis · No wet lab
Project description
This project explores how large language models can support interpretation of complex proteomics datasets by generating biologically relevant and testable hypotheses. Students will develop structured workflows to guide hypothesis generation from noisy proteomics data and assess the robustness of the results.
Example project aim
To use a large language model to generate and prioritise mechanistic hypotheses from proteomics data obtained from lung tissue exposed to air pollution, and to evaluate these hypotheses using independent pathway resources.
For enquiries, please contact adelinar@bmb.sdu.dk