Congratulations, Noemi! A promising start into the Clinician Scientist world

Great news from our team: Dr. Noemi Schäfer has been selected for the Junior Clinician Scientist Program of the University of Tübingen — a fantastic opportunity to combine clinical work with cutting-edge research. Noemi’s project sits at the exciting intersection of virology, immunology, and women’s health.

Her focus? Preeclampsia — a serious pregnancy complication involving high blood pressure and organ damage, likely linked to problems in placental development. Noemi is particularly interested in the role of Syncytins, glycoproteins derived from human endogenous retroviruses. These proteins are essential for placenta formation, and intriguingly, their levels are reduced in preeclamptic women. But is that a cause — or just a consequence? Adding another layer of complexity, preeclampsia is marked by an overactive immune response. Noemi suspects that the immune receptor TLR4, which detects viral proteins among other signals, might interact with Syncytins — and that this interaction could be disturbed in preeclampsia. We’re super curious to see how her project unfolds and wish her all the best for this exciting journey!

👉 More about the program: Junior Clinician Scientist Program

Image: A drawing of a pregnant person in sagittal section (Chidiebere Ibe via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PregnancyinCrossSection.jpg; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)