Advent calendar - December 20th - Frendion Marchena

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, support staff and technicians of our research groups and team - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 20 meet Frendion Marchena, PhD candidate in the Biofabrication and Bio-instructive Materials Group of Malgorzata Wlodarczyk-Biegun.

I am a first year PhD student in the Biofabrication and Bio-instructive Materials Group which is headed by Malgorzata Wlodarczyk-Biegun. Our group creates complex 3D structures that attempt to mimic real tissues. The goal is to develop systems that can support drug testing and regenerative medicine without using animals. Most people in the group focus on developing printable materials, while I look at how the cells actually experience them. I use (fluorescent) microscopy to morphology checks and immunostaining to see how cells behave inside dynamic microgels. These microgels can be adjusted and used to print more complex and mixed structures, so it’s important to know how the cells react inside them.

Right now I’m interested in breast cancer, which is the model we want to build in the future. For the moment I’m testing how well cells survive in/around the microgels and how the changing properties of the materials and forces experienced during extrusion affect them. I like designing experiments in unusual ways because it often shows something new about what the cells are dealing with. One thing that continues to surprise me is how tough cells actually are, even though people often complain about culturing them. You just have to be nice to them.

What I enjoy the most about our group is how many different backgrounds we have. Biology, materials science, engineering, chemistry… we all look at problems differently, and that helps a lot. People come up with ideas I would never have thought of on my own. It keeps things interesting and motivates me to learn more about the parts of the project that are outside my own field.

Outside the lab I have a few hobbies that keep me busy. I have an 8-inch Dobsonian telescope and I love looking at the Orion Nebula. It’s easy to find but the colors and details are amazing in person. I like watching Star Trek, with Enterprise being my favorite because it really captures the spirit of Starfleet. I also grow culinary mushrooms, mostly oysters because they are very robust, and I also enjoy casually playing squash.

Happy holidays! Live long and prosper!

See all Advent Calendar items 2025 here!