Webinar

Scientific training and humanitarian cause. How can I combine both on my PhD/MASTER?

Webinar in English.  Tuesday, April 27th 2021       

 

Meet the Experts


Carla Rudigier, PhD

Researcher at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

 

 


Renata Nogueira, PharmD

Project Manager at Antenna Foundation

 

 

 


Joelle Houriet, PhD

Researcher at Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences UNIGE

 

 

Collaborations involving NGOs and academic researchers should present opportunities for knowledge transmission in global health. But how can we establish them efficiently? In this webinar we will discuss about 2 PhD theses that addressed field challenges from Low-income countries through a collaboration with Antenna Foundation. We hope that this experience will inspire other students to contribute to the development of successful and sustainable NGO–Academia partnerships.

 

Program

Antenna Foundation Introduction

  • Renata Nogueira PharmD, MSc

A reverse pharmacology approach to study traditional herbal preparation

  • Joelle Houriet, PhD (15 min), Laboratory of Phytochemistry. Institute of Pharmaceutical sciences, UNIGE Geneva

The World Health Organization considers traditional practices as potential sources of new treatments and encourages their study. Deciphering the pharmacological activity of herbal preparations involves several challenges, including the in-depth characterization of their chemical composition. This thesis project was based on reverse pharmacology, an approach dedicated to the study of traditional practices and aimed at validating their clinical efficacy from the early stages of the research process. 

Evaluation of the efficacy of Phaleria nisidai to treat type 2 diabetes

  • Carla Rudigier, PhD (15 min), Laboratory of Translational Nutrition Biology. Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich

Natural remedies are frequently used as either replacements of or additions to modern pharmacological medications to control blood glucose levels. This thesis focused on investigating the effects of the Phaleria nisidai tea on type 2 diabetes in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Starting from the whole extract, we studied selected subfractions of the tea based on its chemical composition with the aim to identify the active principle, which mediates the beneficial effects.

Questions from the audience: (15 min)