Jepps Group - Vascular Biology

Anthony Michael Mozzicato - PhD Student

Anthony comes from the USA, and moved to Denmark to pursue a Master’s degree in Human Biology at University of Copenhagen. During his thesis, Anthony utilized a mass spectrometry-based approach to identify protein secretions into the extracellular matrix of skeletal muscle, in response to exercise. In August 2020, Anthony began his PhD under the Thomas Jepps’ group, studying post-translational modifications of tubulin in mesenteric arterial vessels. He is using a combination of mass spectrometry-based techniques, paired with a physiological background, in order to study the manipulation of microtubules for investigating hypertension. When Anthony is not in the lab, he enjoys training and playing football with friends.

Jennifer van der Horst – PhD Student

Originally from The Netherlands, Jennifer obtained her Master’s degree in Cardiovascular Research at the VU University in Amsterdam. With her interest in vascular research she accomplished her master thesis project in Thomas Jepps’ group in Copenhagen where she focused on the microtubule network in smooth muscle cells of the arterial wall, identifying a new mechanism that regulates arterial tone. In March 2019, Jennifer commenced her PhD during which she will continue to investigate this novel mechanism in the vasculature. She works with murine models and the myograph technique to investigate changes in arterial tone of isolated blood vessels. In addition to working in the lab, she is enjoying the challenge of developing a new life in Denmark, has joined an international group of friends and has discovered bouldering.

Joakim Bastrup - Postdoc

Joakim comes from Denmark where he obtained his Master’s degree in Molecular and Medicinal Biology at Roskilde University. His master’s thesis was carried out at the pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A/S working on whole-brain tissue clearing techniques such as CLARITY and iDISCO. Funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark, Joakim continued as an industrial PhD fellow at H. Lundbeck A/S in collaboration with Aalborg University studying the peptidomic and proteomic complexity of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease using different imaging and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. In July 2020, he joined Thomas Jepps’ group at University of Copenhagen as a postdoc investigating the microtubule network of vascular smooth muscle cells in hypertension using live imaging and discovery-based MS methods. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling with his wife and playing football.    

Salomé Rognant - PhD Student

Salomé comes from France where she obtained her Master’s degree in Cellular Engineering at the Poitiers University with a focus on physiology. During her first internship at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences of Copenhagen University she studied the effects of compounds commonly used in equine medicine on the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv11.1. Her second internship took place in the French company Adocia where she has the opportunity to focus on developed formulation’s biocompatibility assessment. Subsequently she moved to Copenhagen to be part of Thomas Jepps’ group as a PhD Student. With her background in physiology, she is investigating the impact of the microtubules network on the electrophysiological properties of smooth muscle cell of the arterial wall. She is using the patch-clamp technic to study the different ion channels involved in arterial tone. Besides being in the lab, she loves running and art house cinema.

Samuel Baldwin – Postdoc

Sam comes from Wales. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from St George’s University, London, graduating in 2018. In his undergraduate degree Sam undertook a dissertation project investigating the expression and function of K_V7 channels within mesenteric artery endothelial cells under the supervision of Professor Iain Greenwood. Funded by the British Heart Foundation, Sam continued to work in Professor Greenwood’s lab where he undertook a Ph.D. starting in 2018 investigating sexual dimorphisms in vascular K_V7 function. In May 2022, Sam joined Thomas Jepps’ group at the University of Copenhagen investigating the role of aberrant lipophagy in vascular smooth muscle cells from hypertensive animals as a cause of cellular stress. Sam’s technical expertise lies mainly in wire myography, immunocytochemistry and single cell electrophysiology. Besides the lab, Sam enjoys a game of squash and a beer with friends.