Congratulations to Patricia Vazquez for her successful thesis defence
Congratulations to Patricia Vazquez, from the lab of Prof. Berni Wehrle-Haller, who successfully defended her PhD thesis this past Thurs Dec 1st2016.
Since Patricia began her studies in 2012, she has focused on the detailed molecular characterization of paxillin, an essential component of integrin-mediated cell adhesion complexes, to understand how it binds to integrins. Patricia has additionally collaborated in a study that identified the paxillin-mediated intracellular signalling site on beta3-integrin, published in the Journal of Cell Biology. Integrin-mediated cell adhesions are vital for cell survival, as well as to either maintain their shape in the body’s 3D environment. In addition, the dynamic remodelling of integrin-dependent adhesions is induced by paxillin-dependent signalling, critical for cell migration in a wide variety of contexts including development, immune surveillance, wound healing, as well as cancer metastases, lending broad implications to Patricia’s work. In addition to her studies, Patricia was also an active member of the PHYM PhD Student and Post-doc Association and participated in the organization of various social events including the PhD Student Retreat and PHYM Day.
Patricia will work a couple of more month as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Wehrle-Haller's laboratory, while looking for a position in biomedical research or translational activities. For this and other endeavors, we wish her all the best for her future.
Posted by: P. Nunes-Hasler
8 Dec 2016