(Previously Medical and Pharmaceutical Drug Innovation)
How can we make use of the immune system in order to target cancer? How does early life nutrition impact metabolic health in adulthood? How can microorganisms help fight against infectious diseases?
In this selective two-year master programme, research-minded students are trained to become the next generation of successful scientists in academia and private section environments. Students will be challenged with exciting cutting-edge research and methodologies and will learn how to critically read the literature, design novel research questions, translate hypotheses into testable research plans, and write scientific essays.
As a student you can focus on your interests and ambitions by participating in one of the following specializations after the first semester:
Read more'The right combination of proteins can save lives'
Lisette van Os (21) just finished her first year of the Molecular Medicine and Innovative Treatment (MMIT) master programme with top marks. Now she is ready for the next step. 'I'm going to California to research the forces and interactions between cells and proteins in fibrosis.'
The master student emphasises that she’s somewhat off the beaten track, considering that within the six specializations MMIT offers, her research does not exactly fit any of them. ‘I chose somewhat of my own path within the master programme. While completing the bachelor Life Science & Technology I got intrigued by regenerative medicine, which deals with the self-healing of organs and cells. Ultimately, this led me to want to research the role that cells and the extracellular matrix play in the lung disease Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, or IPF.'
Cells and health
Lisette explains: ‘This disease of the
respiratory system causes lung tissue to indurate, eventually
filling up the lungs until breathing is impossible. Modern science
doesn’t know what exactly causes IPF, only that the matrices
surrounding the cells cause them to overproduce proteins, which
form scar tissue. Ideally, we would discover a protein to influence
the disease so that the cells stay healthy and
supple.’
Pauline van Wachem-award
Her supervisor during the research projects is
Principal Investigator Janette Burgess, who is specialized in lung
disease and regenerative medicine. They already met during
Lisette’s bachelor years, and met again in the first period
of the master programme. She was the one that urged Lisette to send
in an abstract of her research for the annual congress of the Dutch
Matrix Biology Society. Not only was Lisette invited to speak to
researchers and PhD-students from all over the world, she was also
awarded best junior speaker.
California
‘I will continue the research, but expanded to
fibroses in general,’ Lisette states. Her visa for the United
States just came through. In November she starts working with
Elliot Botvinick, professor in Biomedical Engineering at the
university of California Irvine. ‘He has high tech
microscopes that can measure the forces and interactions between
cells and proteins.’
Choose your track
Does she have any advice for future MMIT students?
‘In the first semester the Principal Investigators introduce
the specializations and their specific research interests within
these specializations. Oncology, Neuroscience, Infection and
immunity, Nutrition and Metabolism, Systems Medicine, and Drug
Innovation. Choose the specialization that sparks your interest and
aspirations, or find a way to follow your interests outside of the
beaten paths. Being “specializationless” worked out
great for me.’
Read more'MMIT is in many ways science without borders'
Back home in Brazil, Wellington Candido studied Medicine. An exchange year led him to the Netherlands, where he spent most of his days in the laboratories of the University Medical Center Groningen. In 2016 he returned to participate in the top-master Molecular Medicine and Innovative Treatment (MMIT). 'I loved the days in the lab, it is fascinating what happens on a molecular level.'
The last couple of week were busy ones for the 28-year-old. ‘I have just started my second internship,’ Wellington says. ‘I am focussing my research on kidney transplantations and the way we can decrease the damage that occurs when the kidney is outside of the body. That can run up to hours, since donor organs can come from any one of the other European countries. As it is on its way to the receiving patient, the kidney starts to deteriorate. What is going on in that time in the cells?’
Science is team effort
This second-year research is one of the main components of the
master’s programme. Ultimately, it will lead to the student
writing a PhD-proposal. ‘The programme asks a lot of
self-study and hours in the lab. Ultimately, you learn how to be a
scientist. But,’ Wellington emphasizes, ‘you
don’t make science alone. During classes, students are
stimulated to be pro-active and to present their research methods,
facts and figures to top-researchers and fellow students. Everyone
thinks along, asks questions and offers a new perspective. Because
when you only take your own opinions in mind, chances are that your
research is too restricted.’
Molecules
The focus of the study is molecular biology and the unravelling of
the molecular mechanisms that determine health and illness. With
the internships, students are free to follow their aspirations,
even to perform the second research proposal abroad and further
enhancing their international experience. For the first internship
Wellington worked in the characterization of mutations in breast
and ovarian cancer. Currently he is doing his second project in the
Experimental Nephrology, about kidney transplantation. Wellington
chose to stay in the Netherlands since he is planning to combine
research with clinical work: ‘MMIT has definitely changed the
way I see and make science, and I will carry this with me in
whatever I do in my future.’
Some advice
‘Make sure you are willing to put in the time and
effort. In the online course descriptions you can read all the
information on each class and specialization. It is also important
to keep organized and look up what deadlines are coming. And if you
have any questions, the professors and other students are always
willing to help.’
Read more'You can only find this specific combination of (bio)medical and pharmaceutical sciences here'
Ambitious, motivated and talented: according to programme director Jolanda Smit, these words perfectly describe the students of the master programme of Molecular Medicine and Innovative Treatment (MMIT). 'The vast majority of our students aspire to an academic career and continue as a PhD student after graduation.'
Prof. dr. Smit is responsible for the content, organisation and quality of the master’s programme and its different specializations. ‘MMIT is embedded within the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP), combining (bio)medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Emphasis is on the field of (bio) medical sciences but students also learn the fundamentals of drug research. This unique combination allows students to not only obtain a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of diseases, but also gain an understanding into the development of novel innovative therapies.’
Research skills
The lectures are top-researchers from the UMCG and GRIP and teach
students all indispensable research skills for the future. From
critical reading and scientific writing to presenting, debating and
making well-thought decisions. ‘Crucial for future top
researchers is to be able to make decisions independently and in a
well-reasoned manner. Students are guided in every step of the
process,’ the professor says. ‘That way they learn to
ask critical questions before deliberating on the next step, to
formulate hypotheses and use these to perform experiments and
gather evidence. In my personal experience and that of the other
professors, there is nothing more fun than teaching MMIT students;
they are highly motivated and eager to learn.’
Which track to choose?
With the six different specializations, students are given freedom
to focus on the fields of their interest. Each specialization will
be presented at the beginning of the programme and students can
decide if they want to participate in a track or follow a general
programme. Students are assigned a mentor who helps them with
decision making. Before students enter their first research
project, they are asked to arrange a personal interview with three
UMCG/GRIP professors of their choice. ‘That is where your
motivation and independent decision making comes in again. You have
to argue –via an oral presentation- which of the three
laboratories suits your research ambitions the best.’ For the
second-year research project, students are encouraged to go abroad.
All the knowledge and skills that you have obtained culminate at
the end of the programme where students write and defend their own
research proposal. The best students will be offered a PhD
scholarship and have the ability to execute their own proposal.
This is quite unique and obviously lots of fun.’
Biologists, medics and pharmacists
Fact: MMIT students come from different cultural and educational
backgrounds. That shapes the master programme in a good way, prof.
dr Smit adds. ‘This year we have welcomed students of 14
nationalities and different bachelor degrees. Yet they form a
tight-knit community and learn a lot from each other. Looking at
issues from different perspectives, they complement and strengthen
each other’s knowledge.’
Some advice
‘Yes, we have a selection procedure but do not be intimidated
by this,’ prof. dr. Smit says. Students are screened on the
basis of their CV, motivation letter and a letter of
recommendation. Students that pass the requirements will be
interviewed by the Admission board. During this interview - either
in person or via Skype - applicants are asked to present a research
project from their BSc study and an article. ‘The pressure is
on, but just remember that you can prepare yourself well. Your
motivation and talent for research are most important. Show them
that you are a serious candidate.’
