MxW Workshop - Antwerp 2026

I received a BSc in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Valencia, Spain (2011), and an MSc in Biomedical Research from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain (2012). During my studies, I was awarded three internships that enabled research stays at the Spanish Scientific Council (CSIC) and the Biomedical Research Foundation of La Fe Hospital in Valencia during my bachelor, and in the laboratory of Antonella Consiglio at the University of Barcelona during my master. These internships introduced me to research in genetics, stem cells, and Parkinson’s disease.

I began my PhD in Biomedicine in the Consiglio Lab at the University of Barcelona, where I investigated mechanisms of genetic protection in Parkinson’s disease using stem cell models. During my PhD, I completed two research stays in the laboratory of Toni Cathomen at the Clinical University of Freiburg, Germany, to learn CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing techniques.

In 2019, I joined the team of Patrik Verstreken at the VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research – KU Leuven as a postdoctoral researcher, where I apply a Brain-on-Chip approach to stratify Parkinson’s disease according to molecular criteria.

I have been awarded several fellowships throughout my career, including:

· JAE-Intro for pre-graduate internships (2009)

· Summer internship from La Fe Hospital (2011)

· Catalunya Caixa Foundation for Master studies (2011)

· FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education (PhD, 2013–2017)

· EuroLife fellowship for research stays (2013)

· FWO Postdoctoral Mandate at KU Leuven (2020–2022)

In 2024, I was appointed as a Research Expert at KU Leuven in the Verstreken Lab.

I have presented my work in different international conferences including ADPD, the Annual Conference of the European Society for Gene & Cell Therapy, the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) yearly meeting or the Micro-Physiological Systems World Summit..

Beyond research, I have taught courses at various levels in clinical biotechnology, supervised graduate and undergraduate students, and served as a jury member for MSc and BSc theses. I am also the co-promoter and day-to-day supervisor of two FWO-funded PhD fellows.

Full publication list: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0032-4198

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Electrophysiological Mapping of Human Striatal Microcircuits Enables Parkinson’s Disease Stratification

Dr. Marina Hommersom is a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Dr. Nael Nadif Kasri at the department of Human Genetics at the Radboudumc in Nijmegen. Her background is in Molecular Life Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience, with a particular expertise in network and single-cell electrophysiology in stem-cell derived neurons. Currently, she is leading a project aimed at identifying targetable molecular pathways in patient-derived CACNA1A neuronal models. This work integrates micro-electrode array-based phenotyping with multi-omics profiling and AI-driven drug screening, with the goal of translating mechanistic insights into personalized therapeutic strategies.

From Sparse to Dense: MEA Resolution in iPSC-Derived Neuronal Network Analysis

I am passionate about building human brain models to better understand neurodegenerative diseases and brain cellular interactions. My work combines stem cells, bioengineering, and organ-on-chip technologies to develop more human-relevant platforms for studying neuron myelination, toxic protein spread, and brain function.

Development of Human Relevant Brain Models to Study in Vitro Neurodegeneration