dr. Margo Tuerlings

Margo Tuerlings (1992) started her PhD research in August 2018 within the Department of Molecular Epidemiology at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Medical Sciences and Technology and a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). She completed her first master’s internship at the MicroSystems group of TU/e. During this project, she contributed to the development and optimization of a microfluidic device in which the invasive properties of various breast cancer cell lines can be determined. Her graduation internship was a collaboration between the MicroSystems group (TU/e) and the Department of Molecular Epidemiology (LUMC). During her graduation, she worked on creating and optimizing a joint-on-a-chip model system that can be used as a model system for functional research in the future. In addition, she looked at the effect of overexpressing WWP2 on cartilage matrix deposition. During this graduation project, she won the ‘Best hDMT Organ-on-Chip showcase‘ award.

During her PhD research, she focused on investigating the bone cartilage interface and the role of both tissues in the development and progression of osteoarthritis. In 2023, Margo obtained her PhD with honours for her dissertation “The bone and cartilage interplay in osteoarthritis: key to effective treatment strategy”