Konda Babu Kurakula, PhD – junior scientist at LUMC- shares his experience of visiting a research laboratory at University of Barcelona.

Project title: Isolation and culturing endothelial cells from pulmonary arterial hypertension patients
Home institution: Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Department of Molecular Cell Biology
Hosting institution: University of Barcelona. Department of Medicine – Hospital Clínic de Barcelona – IDIBAPS
Time abroad: 20/10/2017 – 03/11/2017

Thanks to the short term Eurolife Research exchange grant, I am able to learn a novel techniques in the lab of Dr. Tura-Ceide and Prof. Joan Albert Barbera at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Uni. of Barcelona, Spain. I have successfully initiated a new collaboration for obtaining unique lung and right ventricle tissues as well as vascular cells from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients. Currently, an MTA and other consent forms are being signed by both institutions to start obtaining these materials for PAH research at LUMC. Due to the exchange of protocols and knowledge/experience with isolation of these unique cells, it will save time and money for optimization of difficult protocols in the near future. Furthermore, we would like to work together on the existing and future projects to publish our research in high ranking journals in the near future. Importantly, we also discussed the plans to write (inter)national grants together in 2018. As a first step, we will discuss our plans together over a Skype meeting in the 2nd week of December 2017. We will also apply for funding to organize PAH research meetings in 2018. I got the opportunity to meet other fellow lung researchers from their department which is helpful for my networking as a lung researcher in Europe. I have received some valuable suggestions and remarks to improve my current research. Obtaining this grant not only helped me to do quality research but also to learn from their careers to become successful researcher in the future. In conclusion, this grant allowed me to learn new techniques and to exchange materials as well as knowledge to advance PAH and CTEPH research in the Netherlands.

Konda Babu Kurakula, PhD

Dr Olga Tura-Ceide and Dr Konda Babu Kurakula