Get to know some promising young researchs who contributed to the programme of this event
Claudio D’Incal
Claudio D'Incal is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Medical Genetics, which is part of the University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital. His passion and expertise lie in rare diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, and (pre)clinical studies. Claudio is researching the causes of rare neurodevelopmental disorders and the impact of these genetic errors in the brain for genes such as ADNP, FMR1, AP-4, KIF1A, and KLC4.
Jessica Rosenblum
Jessica Rosenblum is a doctoral scholarship holder (doctoraatsbursaal) at the University of Antwerp and University hospital Antwerp (UZA). She serves as a research fellow in a project focusing on a transcriptome-directed approach to brain malformations. The project explores malformations of cortical development (MCD), aiming to enhance diagnostic yield by integrating RNA-sequencing (transcriptome data) with whole-genome sequencing. The project also aims to develop gene-specific signatures, particularly those affecting the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and microtubule dynamics, to better interpret previously "unsolved" genetic cases and facilitate discovery of novel disease genes
Liene Thys
Liene Thys is a PhD researcher in Pediatric Neurology at the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA), a position she has held since October 2020. Her work focuses on the genetic and clinical aspects of pediatric neurological disorders, including cerebral palsy, developmental brain malformations and movement disorders. She combines clinical assessments with advanced genetic testing to improve diagnostic precision and understand the underlying mechanisms of these conditions. Liene’s research aims to identify novel genetic causes and clarify genotype-phenotype correlations, ultimately supporting personalized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in pediatric neurology.
Ayu Scott
Ayu Scott recently graduated in Biochemistry with the highest distinction and brings strong expertise in molecular and cellular biology techniques. She is proficient in cell culture, PCR, cloning, transfections, ICC, Western blotting, RT-PCR, functional staining, and fluorescence microscopy. Ayu’s research focus lies in genes implicated in malformations of cortical development (MCD) and cerebral palsy (CP).
Ellen Rijckmans
Ellen Rijckmans graduated from Medical School at the VUB in June 2019. Afterwards she continued her clinical training as a postgraduate student in Paediatrics at the UZ Brussel and ASZ Aalst. During her postgraduate training she started her PhD in October 2021 at the VUB. Her main field of interest are malformations of cortical development, focussing on transcriptomics in the lissencephaly spectrum. Her supervisors are Prof. Anna Jansen, Prof. Katrien Stoufs and Prof. Catharina Olsen. The project was granted by the Marguerite-Marie Delacroix Foundation. Ellen also collaborates with Hamide Yildirim to establish lissencephaly cerebral organoid models.
Dale Annear
Dale Annear is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UAntwerp and previously holds an MSc in Microbiology from Nelson Mandela University. His research focuses on the genetic underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly investigating the role of short tandem repeat (STR) expansions such as CGG repeats, and structural genomic variants (e.g. inversions) in conditions like intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder.
Katleen Janssens
Katleen Janssens is affiliated with the University of Antwerp GENCOR Department. She currently practices as a clinical geneticist in training at Antwerp University Hospital (UZA). Her research work includes contributions to cancer biomarker studies (e.g. methylation analyses, liquid biopsies).