Interview MDR PhD student: Leline Fermin

My name is Liline Fermin and I started as a new PhD student at MERLN within MDR in October 2021. Through this PhD position, I am continuing my interest in understanding bone regeneration in vivo and how we can direct this regeneration through material properties.

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Maastricht University, where I followed the Maastricht Science programme, where I specialized in regenerative medicine and biomaterials. Afterwards, I went on to do my masters at Utrecht University, specializing in Regenerative Medicine and Technology.

Throughout my internships, I have focused on bone and material development, and this is what I will continue to look into during my PhD project within MDR. My research focuses on understanding the underlying biological mechanisms of biomaterial-induced osteoinduction by segregating biomaterial properties such as chemical composition, surface texture, mechanical stiffness, etc. and investigating their individual effects on biologically-relevant cells.

More specifically, I will focus on the role of osteoclasts and immune cells, and their interactions with biomaterials during bone regeneration. These cells are known to play important roles in bone homeostasis and healing cascade, and should undoubtedly be considered when designing biomaterials and testing them in vitro. Later on in my project, I will exploit the knowledge obtained on biological mechanisms of osteoinduction to design new biomaterials with optimized properties that modulate osteoclastic and immune responses and ultimately, obtain more efficient bone regeneration.

During this project, Prof. Dr. Pamela Habibovic and Dr. Niloofar Tahmasebi will primarily supervise me.

I try to spend my free time doing creative activities such as sewing, painting, and photography.  I also like to cook and bake new things when I find recipes online, but I do not always have the skills to make these recipes a success.

I look forward to meeting more researchers within MDR through the colloqiums and meetings!